Desislava Kehayova, a student at “Vasil Dimitrov” Vocational High School in Madan, has been awarded first prize in the 2025 edition of the “Mimi Pramatarova” Nature Conservation Competition. The awards were presented today as part of the event celebrating the 30th anniversary of the National Trust EcoFund (NTEF).
This is the 19th edition of the competition. The national nature conservation awards named after Mimi Pramatarova, the first director of Rila National Park, are part of NTEF’s activities. The awards were first introduced in 2006. Each year, the competition has a different theme — including “Nature and the People of Bulgaria in the 21st Century,” “The Forest – A Threatened World,” “If They Could Speak…,” “Healing Herbs – Hidden in a Jar,” “The Extraordinary Ordinary Birds,” and more.
This year’s theme is “The Renovated Mountain Lodges of Rila.”
Desislava Kehayova won first prize with her project “Renovation Project for Macedonia Lodge – Between Tradition and a Sustainable Future.”
Ivana Vassileva from “Nikola Velchev” Secondary School in Samokov won second prize with her project “The Ordinary Lodges of Rila: Ivan Vazov Lodge.”
Third prize was awarded to Ivet Atanasova from “St. Kliment Ohridski” High School of Mathematics and Science in Silistra for her project “The Seven Rila Lakes Lodge: A Bridge Between Tradition and Innovation.”
Three additional commendations were presented to:
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Vasilena Manasieva from “Nikola Velchev” Secondary School – Samokov,
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Jordana Pashova from “Hristo Botev” Secondary School – Bobov Dol,
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Stefania Doynova from “Nikola Velchev” Secondary School – Samokov.
Over the 19 years of the competition, more than 1,000 students aged 16 to 18 from over 100 municipalities across the country have participated with their works. Students from diverse regions of Bulgaria have won awards — including Dupnitsa, Stara Zagora, Sevlievo, Smolyan, Montana, Gotse Delchev, Sofia, Plovdiv, Debelets, Pazardzhik, Rakitovo, Blagoevgrad, Gorna Oryahovitsa, Silistra, and many more, according to the EcoFund.
The competition is organized in partnership between the National Trust EcoFund, the Directorate of Rila National Park, and the Ecological Forum Plus Foundation, established by colleagues and supporters of Mimi Pramatarova.
In the photo:
Prof. Dimitar Nenkov, Chair of the Management Board of the National Trust EcoFund, and Maria Minkova, Director of the Executive Bureau of the National Trust EcoFund, present Desislava Kehayova from “Vasil Dimitrov” Vocational High School in Madan with the first prize in this year’s “Mimi Pramatarova” Nature Conservation Competition — named after the first director of Rila National Park.
