Bulgarian Creative Writing Competition

As a new school year begins, we are excited to announce the launch of the 16th edition of the Bulgarian Creative Writing Competition in English. Each autumn marks not only a return to the classroom, but also a renewed opportunity for young minds to discover new ways of expressing themselves.

After the long summer break, we know that students return refreshed, inspired, and filled with new experiences. During the summer months, they have had the chance to rest, to expand their horizons, and to gather memories that will stay with them for years to come. These moments—whether quiet reflections, adventures with friends, or discoveries about the world—are the sparks that can ignite great stories.

This competition is a space where imagination meets expression. It is designed to encourage students to go beyond what they already know, to explore ideas without limits, and to put their emotions, creativity, and originality into words. Every participant will have the opportunity not only to show their talent but also to challenge themselves in new and exciting ways.

The Bulgarian Creative Writing Competition is more than a contest—it is a celebration of imagination and a journey into the boundless world of storytelling. We look forward to reading the unique voices, bold ideas, and heartfelt stories that the 16th season will bring.

As a greeting to all supporters and friends of the competition, we would like to offer you a story - the winning work at 6th grade from last year. Enjoy the reading and get ready to hear about the successes of our young writers.

                                                    The magic school bus

                                                         Nicole from Sofia

Once upon a time, there was a small village with a lot of children. In the village, there was only one small school, where all the children in the village had to go in order to learn. The children were all very excited to learn, even though the school was dirty and not kept well. In the whole small village, there was a little school bus. One day, when the children were going to school, the school bus’s tire was flat and the whole school bus flipped and fell sideways. The school bus broke down because of the uneven roads. It was a cheap school bus, and it wasn’t built very well. The children in it were very scared because they thought that they were going to hurt themselves. Luckily there were some men there to help them. The men safely pulled the children out without harming them, and luckily, they all got out without being hurt. The school bus needed to be repaired, but it was going to take some time. As much as the children wanted to go to school, they couldn’t, because the school was very far away and they didn’t have shoes, so it was impossible to go. The children were very sad to hear the news, and they were bored. They suddenly had a plan. The children decided to make their own pretend school bus out of trash. They gathered, thrown out cardboard, found some rope, and even made their own markers out of the radishes, that they have grown from their parent’s farm. The children were done gathering materials, they were ready to build their dream school bus. The children poked holes in the cardboard with twigs so they could slide the rope in, so they could make it pop up. They dipped their fingers in the radish paint to make it pink, and then they decorated it with twigs for the windows and doors. When they were ready, they played with it, but their parents called them to eat dinner and then sleep. The children went back to their homes and were hoping for the real school bus to be fixed. The next morning the children rushed outside into the grass field to play with each other again, but little did they know their wish came true but even better! “WOW!” the kids said. Standing right in front of them, a big, marvelous, pink bus waited for them to go to school. The kids were happier than ever! They couldn’t wait to go inside. Once they got on, they noticed the bus didn’t have a driver. “How come the bus doesn’t have a driver? Has he not come yet?” one of the kids said. The bus suddenly started shaking. The kids were a little scared. The bus started flying! “IT’S A MAGIC BUS!” one of the kids yelled. They were all very excited to go to school now. A portal appeared out of nowhere. The bus went on it. All the kids were shocked, but still excited. They arrived in a tropical jungle! The bus started telling the kids all about the jungle, like all sorts of bugs, plants, and animals. The kids were exhausted, so the bus took them back home. The children started telling their parents all about the adventure they had today! Even the parents couldn’t believe it! The next day they visited the desert. They learned about cacti and the hot climate. They had a lot of fun and since then, a new adventure waited for them every day. The old school bus mysteriously disappeared one day, no one knew how, but they eventually forgot about it.

As every year, we created a booklet with the winning works of the students who participated in the Bulgarian Creative writing Competition in English.

Welcome to the 15th edition of this booklet, a celebration of youthful imagination, linguistic daring, and the extraordinary power of storytelling.

This booklet is more than just a collection of winning entries—it is a vibrant testament to the voices of a new generation of writers who are not afraid to explore the whimsical, the wild, the emotional, and the unknown. In these pages, the students take us on journeys that begin in familiar settings—a school bus, a bedroom, a family gathering—but quickly slip through the seams of reality to reveal worlds rich with wonder, wisdom, and surprise.

You will meet a 6th grader riding what seems to be an ordinary school bus—until she realizes it’s looping time and hiding secrets, and the driver may not be human at all. You’ll travel with her through fear and imagination in a story that cleverly blends sci-fi suspense with the inner world of a child caught between disbelief and discovery.

You will also find lyrical explorations of beauty and myth, like in “The Stars Go to Sleep,” where the goddess Alehna, creator of the stars, lovingly designs a bedtime ritual for her celestial creations. “Every time the sun would rise... small flying particles would give the stars a bed and blanket,” writes Maia, showing how mythology and tenderness intertwine in a child’s voice reaching for cosmic truths.

Some stories offer humor with heart, such as “The Day the Crayons Quit,” in which Sophie’s overused blue and neglected pink crayons leave her letters of protest. “Just because I’m pink doesn’t mean I can’t be a part of your beautiful drawings!” cries one, demanding justice in the crayon box. Others, like “Just One Santa Is Not Enough,” blend absurdity with depth, following a man’s midnight encounter with a malfunctioning robotic Santa that leads to a philosophical chat with Saint Nick himself about family, miracles, and memory.

And then there are stories that dare to be bold. In “No Crying Till Sunday Afternoon,” Effugere Societo lives in a world where feelings are forbidden. She becomes a fugitive not for a grand act of rebellion, but because two rogue tears fall at the wrong time. “It’s not Sunday afternoon!” she realizes, and with that, sets her entire system into collapse. The story is a powerful reminder of how dangerous—and necessary—our emotions truly are.

The poetry featured in this year’s competition is equally rich in voice and vision. “Bring us love and don’t describe desperation,” pleads one poem. Another, inspired by school stress, ends with a haunting line that many young people will recognize: “No crying till Sunday afternoon.” These verses do not only describe the world—they wrestle with it, question it, and reimagine it.

What makes this collection so remarkable is that all of these stories and poems are written in English which is not mother tong for all those students. Their creativity and skill are a testament not just to their talent, but also to the support of teachers who nurture it, and to the strength of Bulgaria’s—and beyond’s—educational communities.

We extend our deepest thanks to the educators, coordinators, and judges who continue to champion this competition. Most of all, we thank the students. Through your words, you challenge us to think differently, dream more boldly, and feel more deeply.

So, turn the page. Meet the writers. Enter their worlds. We hope you’ll find, as we did, that within these stories are sparks of something enduring: joy, truth, beauty—and the beginnings of brilliance.

https://www.creativewriting-bg.com/15-bcwc-winning-works-collection/

Links:

• The 15th BCWC winning works collection