At the end of the past week, 53 children from 21 Bulgarian Sunday schools participated in the ninth edition of the international reading competition in Bulgarian "Az Buki Vedi" for first and second grade students, which took place in London. Organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in the UK, the competition has established itself as a true celebration of the native language and literature.

The children went through three challenging rounds that tested not only their reading skills, but also their courage and confidence. The children read aloud familiar and unfamiliar texts, including texts in metered speech in front of an audience, a jury and their families.

The "Queen of Letters" awards went to Lea Todorova - a first-grader from the Bulgarian School "Cyril and Methodius" in Paris and Gabriela Hinkova - a second-grader from the Bulgarian Sunday School "Az Buki Vedi" in Cologne. Kaloyan Krumov - a first-grader from the Bulgarian School "Vasil Levski" in Barking, London, and Haris Halilov - a second-grader at the same school became "Lords of Letters". All other participants received the honorary title "Keepers of Letters", along with books selected according to their age group, BTA reports.

Special awards, provided by the hosts - the Bulgarian School "Chuchuliga" in London, went to the youngest participants: five-year-old Victoria Mihaylova and Boris Ivanov. First-graders Matey Ivanov and Alek Kapralov, as well as second-graders Rada Tsonkova and Martin Kolev also received awards for their high results. They received luxurious encyclopaedia of Bulgaria for children.

Awards were also presented by the Ambassador of Bulgaria in London, Tihomir Stoytchev, who said that the event was a celebration of Bulgarian letters and all children are winners in it, as "they are the guardians of the letters that we have been reading and writing for 1170 years".

Awards were also presented by the founder of the competition - the "Az Buki Vedi" school in Cologne. First-graders Rayan Dilyanov and Anabel Tsekova, as well as second-graders Klara Ivanovska and Alexander Kalchev, received awards, BTA reports.

Radio Bulgaria is an official media partner of the ninth edition of the international Bulgarian reading competition "Az Buki Vedi" in London.
Read also:
Enthusiasm alone is not enough to sustain Bulgarian language teaching abroad
Compiled by: Veneta Nikolova
Publication in English: Alexander Markov
Photos:BTA, azbukivedi.de, Facebook / Rossitza Bairaktarski
Sofia has a new spot for curious minds. Phenomena is a museum where science and art come together — a place to experiment, discover, and get hands-on with the wonders of how the world works. Rooted in the spirit of STEAM education — that’s Science,..
‘In my view, the period between Bulgaria’s liberation and 1944 was especially significant because I believe that the country was then on the right developmental path,’ says collector Filip Milanov. ‘That era produced many people of exceptional integrity..
The village of Hotantsa, near the Danube city of Ruse, is hosting the Hotantsa Sarma Festival , a celebration of Bulgaria’s culinary and folk heritage. Organised by the local cultural and community centre ( chitalishte ) Svetlina-1928 , the festival..
Sofia has a new spot for curious minds. Phenomena is a museum where science and art come together — a place to experiment, discover, and get hands-on..
‘In my view, the period between Bulgaria’s liberation and 1944 was especially significant because I believe that the country was then on the right..
+359 2 9336 661