"Elegant Quill 2026" International Literary Competition honors winners in Sofia

On 9 July 2026 at 6:00 p.m., the Sofia Literary Salon at the Pencho P. Slaveykov 1921 Community Centre will host an awards ceremony for the laureates of the international literary competition Elegant Quill 2026 - Chicago. The competition is organized by the Salon for Bulgarian Culture and Spirituality in Chicago, the Confederation of Bulgarian Cultural Organizations and Activists Abroad, with the support of the Executive Agency for Bulgarians Abroad. The evening will also feature the presentation of Snezhana Galcheva's new poetry collection, Breath Crucified.

Established in 2017 and held every two years, the competition aims to unite Bulgarian writers regardless of where they live. This year's edition attracted submissions from Spain, Austria, Italy, Australia, the United States, Israel and many other countries.

"One of the main goals of the competition is to help these works reach a wider audience," says Snezhana Galcheva, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper Bulgaria SEGA, Chair of the Salon for Bulgarian Culture and Spirituality in Chicago, and President of the Confederation of Bulgarian Cultural Organizations and Activists Abroad. "Bulgarians want to be heard and read. They naturally wish for what they have to say to reach more people. That is precisely the purpose of this competition and of all the cultural initiatives we organize."

A five-member jury comprising Snezhana Galcheva (USA), Emil Simeonov (Canada), Dimitar Hristov (Bulgaria), Rayna Mandzhukova (Bulgaria) and Georgi Nikolov (Bulgaria) evaluated the entries in this year's prestigious competition.

Among the distinguished authors in the Poetry category are Ivelina Radionova and Stanislav Penev, recipients of special awards, as well as Bulgarian diaspora writers Boris Mladenov from Australia and Yordan Yordanov from the United Kingdom. In the Prose category, Marten Kaleev received a special award, while first prizes went to Dimitar Ruskov (the Netherlands), Ganka Filipovska (United Kingdom), Ventsislav Velikov (USA) and Vasilka Doycheva.

Special attention has also been given to young literary talents. In the poetry section, the winners include 13-year-old Avgustina Filipova (special award for If You Have Given Someone a Smile...), 12-year-old Marina Kostadinova (first prize for When I Grow Up, I Will Stay), 17-year-old Elinor Antonieva (special award for If You Have Given Without Counting...), and 16-year-olds Faya Geratlieva (To Be Light) and Radina Boyadzhieva (The Fan Seller).

In the youth prose category, awards went to Ivaylo Hristov (11, special award for If You Have Given...), while first prizes were presented to Teodora Todorova (12, The Painter), Daria Glavinkova (13, If You Have Given), Teodor Hristov (7, The Old Man and the Rose), and 16-year-old Ralitsa Dimova from Spain for If You Have Given Your All.

Second and third prizes were also awarded across all poetry and prose categories.

Speaking to Radio Bulgaria, Snezhana Galcheva explained how the works of these authors reach Bulgarian communities abroad:

"One way is through publications in the newspaper Bulgaria SEGA, the most widely read Bulgarian newspaper in the United States and Canada. I have the pleasure of serving as its Deputy Editor-in-Chief, but also the responsibility of introducing readers to a wide range of authors, whether they are Bulgarians living in the United States, in Bulgaria or elsewhere around the world."

The event, taking place on 9 July at 35 Cherni Vrah Blvd. in Sofia, is open to the public with free admission and welcomes everyone who appreciates fine literature and wishes to celebrate the global reach of contemporary Bulgarian writing.

English: R. Petkova