Education Bulgaria Project #38890

Engage 1000 Bulgarian students in public speaking

by Bulgarian English Speech and Debate Tournaments Foundation

Engage 1000 Bulgarian students in public speaking

Project Report | Jun 23, 2026
A Season of Competition and Impact

By Vanya Zlateva | Executive Director

Dear friends,

Following a dynamic start to the academic year, BEST Foundation continued to engage students across the country through a series of inspiring tournaments, innovative online initiatives, and community-driven events. From regional and national competitions to new opportunities for speech and debate participation, the spring months showcased the talent, dedication, and growing impact of our students and volunteers.

Spring East Tournament 2026

One month after the Western Tournament, the Spring Eastern Tournament took place on March 7–8, 2026, hosted by Petko Rosen Secondary School in Burgas. The event brought together 285 students from 25 schools across 15 cities in Eastern Bulgaria, who competed before a panel of 103 judges, including 73 BEST alumni.

Participants received a warm welcome from the Regional Department of Education – Burgas. Its representative congratulated the students and encouraged them to continue developing their communication, critical thinking, and leadership skills.

BEST Online English Speech Tournament

On March 21, BEST Foundation organized its first-ever Online English Speech Tournament. As the final qualifying event for the National Tournament, it attracted strong interest from students across the country.

A total of 49 students from 19 schools participated in four speech categories: Duo Interpretation, Poetry, Prose, and Original Oratory. Among them were 23 Novice competitors (grades 8–9) and 26 Varsity competitors (grades 10–12). Participation was evenly distributed across categories, highlighting the diversity of students’ interests and talents.

The tournament was evaluated by 12 judges, including BEST alumni and members of the Management Team. Participants demonstrated impressive preparation, creativity, and confidence, making the event a significant milestone in BEST’s efforts to expand its educational opportunities into the online environment and reach even more students nationwide.

Online Debate Tournament “Totten Cup”

The third online debate tournament of the academic year, the “Totten Cup,” was held on March 28, 2026. As the final opportunity for teams to qualify for the National Tournament, the event attracted strong participation and continued the year’s trend of growing interest in debate activities.

Ten teams, comprising 32 students, competed in a series of impromptu debate rounds on challenging and thought-provoking topics, including whether it is moral to befriend immoral people, whether legal sentences should be reduced for individuals who break the law for moral reasons, and whether political apathy is immoral.

The tournament was adjudicated by five experienced judges, including accomplished debaters, members of the BEST Management Team, and a representative of the Bulgarian Debate Association.

National Tournament 2026

The National Tournament, the culminating event of the academic year, took place from April 17–19, 2026, at the University of National and World Economy (UNWE) in Sofia.

The tournament brought together 322 students from 38 schools and 24 cities across Bulgaria, along with 102 volunteer judges. Participants represented the highest-ranking competitors from the regional speech tournaments and online debate events.

This year’s tournament carried special significance as it coincided with the 250th anniversary of the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence. In partnership with the U.S. Embassy participants had the opportunity to test their knowledge of U.S. history through a special quiz activity.

The tournament once again celebrated the values at the heart of BEST Foundation’s mission: free expression, independent thinking, and the power of individual voice.

Debate Event Agora Varna

Agora Varna was organized by the speech and debate clubs of Petar Beron Mathematics High School and First Language High School in Varna—both long-standing participants and award-winning teams in BEST Foundation tournaments. The event was held with the support of the Municipality of Varna and was hosted at the First Language High School in Varna.

The tournament brought together 16 teams and 50 participants from Varna and Plovdiv. For many students, it was their first experience competing in a formal debate tournament and an opportunity to apply their skills in public speaking, argumentation, and critical thinking.

Debates were conducted in Bulgarian and evaluated by a panel of 20 judges. Participants engaged with a variety of contemporary social and public policy issues, including the introduction of a low-emission zone in central Varna, whether economic sustainability should take precedence over economic growth in policymaking, and whether cultural integration brings more benefits than drawbacks to society.

Through thoughtful discussion and respectful exchange of ideas, Agora Varna provided a valuable platform for young people to develop civic engagement, confidence, and analytical skills.

Dear Friends,

As we conclude another successful academic year, we are inspired by the hundreds of students who found their voice, challenged their perspectives, and developed the confidence to lead through BEST Foundation’s programs.

None of this would be possible without the dedication of our volunteers, partners, and supporters. Your generosity helps create opportunities for young people across Bulgaria to develop critical thinking, public speaking, leadership, and civic engagement skills that will serve them for years to come.

Thank you for being part of this journey. We hope you will continue to support our mission by sharing our work with others and considering a donation through our GlobalGiving campaign. Together, we are empowering the next generation of thoughtful leaders, engaged citizens, and changemakers.

With sincere gratitude,

Vanya Zlateva

Executive Director

Permalink

Feb 26, 2026
Kicking Off a New Year in Speech and Debate

By Vanya Zlateva | Executive Director

Dear friends,

The 2025–2026 academic year has already proven to be one of growth, momentum, and international expansion for the BEST Foundation, bringing together hundreds of students across Bulgaria and beyond through a dynamic series of debate tournaments.

From November 8–9, the BEST Foundation hosted its first tournament of the 2025–2026 school year at FLHS “Lyudmil Stoyanov” in Blagoevgrad – Fall West Tournament 2025. A total of 231 high school students took part, supported by 75 volunteer judges, including 29 BEST alumni, as well as teachers and community members from across Bulgaria. Students from 18 schools in 12 cities across Western Bulgaria joined the competition. The excitement didn’t go unnoticed – the tournament was featured in national and local media, including Bulgarian National Radio – Blagoevgrad, Bulgarian National Television, and several regional online outlets.

Just three weeks later, we headed east for the Fall East Tournament 2025, held on November 29–30 at the University of Food Technology in Plovdiv. This event brought together 309 students and 114 volunteer judges, including alumni and American English Teacher Assistants. Participants represented 24 schools from 15 cities in Eastern Bulgaria, plus one independent debate team. We were thrilled to host 60 debate teams – 20 novice and 40 varsity – a significant increase from last year’s 47 teams (17 novice and 30 varsity). The growth speaks for itself!

We welcomed the new year with our third online debate tournament, Rowe Cup, on January 10. Interest was higher than ever, with applicants exceeding the traditional eight-team format. As a result, we expanded the competition to 10 teams and 33 debaters. The final round tackled a fascinating and thought-provoking motion: how death is perceived in Western/Christian societies (often associated with suffering, solemn rituals, and dark colours) compared to African/Caribbean cultures (where it may be marked by celebration, music, and vibrant colours).

This academic year also opened the door to more international opportunities. BEST competitors are now taking part in global online tournaments, challenging themselves against teams from around the world. A team trained by BEST’s Debate Department competed at Western WSDC, organized by the University of Western Ontario Debate Society, alongside 42 teams from Europe, North America, Africa, Asia, and Australia. Our students placed 27th in the Open category, 10th in ESL, and 4th in the Novice division overall — an impressive achievement considering that many competing teams were national representatives of their countries. Even more encouraging, this marks an improvement from last year’s performance in the same tournament.

The first regional event of 2026 — Spring West Tournament — took place on February 7–8 at 51st School “Elisaveta Bagryana” in Sofia. We welcomed 260 participants from 24 schools across 15 cities, all ready to showcase their skills before 85 volunteer judges. For the first time ever, we also had international participation in a regional tournament. Two teams from North Macedonia — one from Skopje and one from Delchevo — joined us and delivered a strong and memorable performance.

None of these events would be possible without our incredible community. More than 150 dedicated volunteer judges contribute their time and expertise each year, along with over 15 student volunteers per tournament who support on-site logistics. We are equally grateful to the 50+ chaperones who accompany students and ensure everything runs smoothly.

And, of course, at the heart of BEST are our amazing coaches — Fulbright scholars, American English Teaching Assistants, and Bulgarian English teachers — who work with students throughout the year to prepare them for competition and also serve as judges. Their passion, commitment, and belief in our students make all the difference.

We are now looking ahead to our next exciting milestones: the Spring East Tournament in Burgas on March 7–8, and our very first online speech tournament, organized by the BEST Speech Department.

Dear friends, thank you for your unwavering support.

These tournaments simply would not be possible without you.

We would be truly grateful if you could share our GlobalGiving link with your network and consider continuing your support through a small but regular monthly donation.

Your generosity creates a real, lasting impact in the lives of every student who steps into a BEST tournament room — and we are truly thankful to have you as part of the BEST family.

With heartfelt appreciation,

Vanya Zlateva

Executive Director

Permalink

Oct 28, 2025
Bulgarian Debaters Shine on the World Stage

By Vanya Zlateva | Executive Director

National Debate Team

Dear friends,

The new school year kicked off over the summer with several exciting online events, and the BEST community is stronger than ever!

The 2024–2025 school year filled us with pride thanks to the outstanding achievements of our National Debate Team, a testament to our fruitful collaboration with the Bulgarian Debate Association. In July 2025, Team Bulgaria competed at the World Schools Debate Championship in Panama, reaching the top 8 worldwide. As the leading English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) team and the last European team in the elimination rounds, they showcased that Bulgarian students’ talent, dedication, and spirit truly rank among the best in the world.

In August 2025, we hosted the first-ever online festival in English speech and debate — “Summer Voices”. The event blended workshops, presentations, and competitions, continuing the tradition of our summer debate camps from previous years. We chose a new online format that welcomed both debaters and speech competitors. The program featured expert lecturers from Bulgaria and the United States — including BEST alumni, current Management Team members, and former ETAs.

The debate festival ran from August 7–10 with 33 participants divided into 11 teams. Before the competition rounds, participants attended workshops on argumentation, case preparation, motion types, strategic content, speaker roles, and effective engagement with opponents. They debated on challenging topics such as: Surrogate motherhood, Parental choice of sport for their children — male-dominated, female-dominated, or mixed, Commercialization of space, The influence of public conflicts between celebrities on cultural life.

The speech festival took place from August 13–16, featuring 8 participants and introducing three new categories — Solo Acting, Humorous Interpretation, and Storytelling — alongside the traditional disciplines of Duo, Original Oratory, Poetry, and Prose.

“Summer Voices” laid the foundation for a new model of summer events, proving that online platforms can be both effective and inspiring, while keeping continuity with our established initiatives.

On September 9–10, we held an online training for BEST team coaches, spread over two working days to accommodate all participants. A total of 84 coaches registered, including 25 ETAs, representing 54 schools from across Bulgaria — including six schools returning to our tournaments after a few years. The first day of the training focused on speech formats. Coaches were introduced to the fundamentals of Prose, Poetry, Duo, and Original Oratory, as well as the principles of judging. Within working groups, participants practiced assigning roles – coach, judge, actor, and piece selector – and discussed strategies for running training sessions and preparing participants for competitions. The second day focused on debates, debate adjudication, and administrative tasks.The training provided coaches with the skills and confidence to guide their teams and prepare students for success in both speech and debate competitions.

On October 11, 2025, the Lynch Cup online debate tournament was held for the third time, officially launching the new season. Eight teams, with 23 participants, debated timely and thought-provoking topics, including: Should moral credits be tradable in a society based on them? Should a charity making the world a better place refuse donations from immoral sources? Is it better for reality show participants to portray themselves as villains rather than heroes? The debates were judged by BEST alumni, former competitors who brought their own expertise and experience to the event.

We’re excited to continue the season with the Fall West and Fall East Regional Debate Tournaments, coming up in the next few weeks!

Dear Friends

Thank you for your incredible support! The magic of our work wouldn’t be possible without you.

We would be truly grateful if you could share our GlobalGiving link with your friends and consider supporting us with monthly donations. As our programs continue to grow, your support is more important than ever!

Your contributions make a real difference in the lives of every student who participates in our tournaments. We are so thankful to count you among our champions!

National Debate Team

Permalink

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ›

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.