BNR hands out its annual journalism awards

"Bulgarian communities abroad listen to Radio Bulgaria with great interest," said Vice President Iliana Iotova

Photo: Ani Petrova, BNR

On the day when the Bulgarian National Radio celebrates 89 years since its creation, the public media handed out its annual awards for journalism.

The grand prize Sirak Skitnik bearing the name of the first director of Radio Sofia, the predecessor of the Bulgarian National Radio, went to Silvia Velikova - a radio host and court reporter in the national news and current affairs channel Horizon.

"I would like to thank all my colleagues, before and today, from the show "Before Everyone", this is a brand show. Thanks to everyone who helped me along the way to be a reporter. In recent years, the show "Politically INcorrect" has been a big school for me, she said.

Vice President Iliana Iotova with Silvia Velikova (left)

The most prestigious award was presented by Vice President Iliana Iotova, who also addressed the journalists from Radio Bulgaria, assuring them that the Bulgarian communities abroad are listening to them with great interest. "You are pulling an important string in them, related to nostalgia for their homeland," added the vice president.

"In this century of excess of information, the truth is dragged deeper and deeper to the bottom by a heavy stone - the lie, the disinformation. But today, when it comes to information coming from your studios, it is an emblem of credibility. BNR created a fact-checking centere which is used by many other media", Iliana Iotova also said.

Zlatko Zhelev (right), Toma Bikov (left)

The annual award for radio journalism went to Zlatko Zhelev, head of the Internet Portal department in the Digital Programmes Directorate, for the series of video studios dedicated to the war in Ukraine and the elections in Bulgaria. The award was presented by the head of the Parliament's Committee on Culture and Media Toma Bikov.

The prize for radio broadcast, radio project, music project or multimedia project was awarded to the virtual exhibition - part of the multimedia project "Let's ask Siraka - 140 years since the birth of Sirak Skitnik".

The director of the Hristo Botev culture and education channel, Kin Stoyanov, emphasized the great importance of the archive fund of the BNR, which has preserved the voices and memory of the first director of the national radio.

Kin Stoyanov, head of Hristo Botev channel

Radio Bulgaria also participated with its own nominations - for radio broadcast, radio project, with its series "Radio Bulgaria visits the Bulgarians in... Albania", carried out by Krasimir Martinov and Kostandina Belo, for outstanding presence on the air of Elena Karkalanova, presenter of the podcast "Bulgaria Today", for the big prize Sirak Skitnik with the editorial team of the Bulgaria department, spreading Bulgarian culture abroad.

In the new category "Professionalism on the Air", the award went to BNT journalist Georgi Lyubenov, who started his career at the Bulgarian National Radio.

"I love the Radio, I am a child of the BNR. The University of Journalism in Bulgaria has one name - the Bulgarian National Radio", said the winner.

When presenting the award, BNR Director General Milen Mitev said: "The BNR is full of dreamers who broadcast their dreams to our audience. The radio is the slightly quieter, more modest, more intimate medium. Even today, the BNR is filled with people who work with love. Happy holiday to all who have opened their hearts to the "Old House"* as it has opened its doors to them!”

The special award for "Golden Voice" went to Angel Grigorov, a news editor at Horizon program and until recently BNR's correspondent in Moscow. This award is bestowed by the Nadezhda Dzheneva Foundation at the initiative of renowned journalist Kevork Kevorkian.

The ceremony in the First Studio of the BNR was attended by the Vice President Iliana Iotova, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Culture and Media Toma Bikov, the Director General of the BNR Milen Mitev, the Chairman of the BNR Public Media Council Milena Dimitrova.

The ceremony featured performances of the Symphony Orchestra of the BNR conducted by Slavil Dimitrov with special guest Orlin Goranov.

On the occasion of the holiday, earlier during the day in the marble lobby of the BNR, the final exhibition of the painting contest "In the footsteps of Sirak Skitnik" was opened with paintings by students from the Dimitar Dobrovich National Art High School in Sliven.