Bulgarian Creative Writing Competition

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