Children’s Book National Festival
The Children’s Book National Festival took place each year in May since 1999. It is organized by “Sava Dobroplodni” Regional Library – Sliven with special support of the Ministry of Culture, Sliven municipality, Regional administration – Sliven, the Agency for Bulgarians Abroad, Rotary Club – Sliven, publishing houses etc.
Guests of the Festival are writers, publishers, distributors of books, library specialists from Bulgaria and abroad, pedagogues, psychologists, representatives of Bulgarian societies abroad and many children.
The Children’s Book National Festival is an unique event in the country’s culture life. The main objective of the organizers is to give an opportunity to all Bulgarian and foreign participants in the process of creating and distributing children books to meet each other every year and to discuss the present state and future state of children books publishing, to outline problems, which concern it, to trace out directions for increasing children interest in books and reading, coming into a competition with the new multiimedia products, as well as to provoke children’s imagination for creating.
The programme of the festival includes every year: book bazaars, presentations of writers and publishing houses, discussions on problems of creating, distributing and reading of books for children, competitions, exhibitions, performances, concerts, carnival processions etc.
Literature competitions and competitions for best drawing take place every year during the Children’s Book National Festival. Children and teenagers 6-16 years of age take part in these competitions-they are separated in three groups: 6-9 years old, 10-12 years old, 13-16 years old. Each participant is allowed to present not more than 2 literature writings/ an essay, a story, a poem, an interview, a comic/ or 2 drawings-35x50 cm /aquarelle, crayon, oil/, especially created for the competition. Winners of the competitions get diplomas and prizes. A medley with prize works is published.
National award “Konstantin Konstantinov” has been rewarded yearly since 2004
during the Festival for contributions to book-publishing for children in the
previous year. The reward consists of a plastic art sculpture, a diploma and
money and it is awarded in four groups: great prize for entire contribution
to the writing and awards for a publishing house, an author and an
illustrator. First winner of the award was the poet Valery Petrov. Winners
of the National award “Konstantin Konstanstinov” for 2005 are: for entirely
contribution- the poet George Konstantinov, for
author – the poet Victor Samuilov, for publishing
– the publishing houses “Hermes” and “Janet 45”.
The Festival in its seven years in which it was held had approved itself as an unique forum in Bulgaria at which specialists from Bulgaria and abroad discuss problems concerning books publishing and distribution and reading of books for children. Numerous applications for taking part in it and the institutional support and the authoritative persons, who take part in the organization of the Festival, show the great interest in it.
The organizers of the Children’s Book National Festival work in co-operation with the International Festival of Children Arts “Zmeieve deche igre” /Novi Sad – Serbia/ since 2002, and with the Andersen Festival /Sestri Levante, Italy/ and International Festival “Bibliobraz” /Moscow, Russia/ since 2005, the last one is under the aegis of the First Lady of Russia – Mrs Putina.
“Sava Dobroplodni” Regional Library - Sliven has been awarded “Hristo Danov – 2000” prize in June 2000 for its organization and carrying out the Second Children’s Book National Festival and contribution to the Bulgarian literary culture, in the section “Presenting Bulgarian books” for the organizing and carrying out the Children’s Book National Festival. “Sava Dobroplodni“ Regional Library – Sliven has been awarded a medal and a diploma at the 47th International Festival of Children Arts “Zmeieve deche igre” /Novi Sad – Serbia/ in May 2001 for its work with children for creating interest in reading the books for children and for the organization and carrying out the Children’s Book National Festival.
Sava Dobroplodni Regional Library presently develops numerous international projects in co-operation with other international organizations and libraries abroad. Library’s partners in different projects are: Regional Library in the town of Gera /Germany/; Public Library – town of Cuopio /Finland/; City Libraries in towns of Pech /Hungary/, Chalokioz /Slovakia/and Pilzen /Czech Republic/; District Library in Ternopol /Ukraine/; Organizers of the International Children Festival “Zmajeve Dechje Igre” – Novi Sad /Serbia/, the organizers of International Festival “Bibliobraz” /Moscow, Russia/ and others. The library works in co-operation with Britain Council – Sofia, French Cultural Institute – Sofia, Goethe-Institute – Sofia, a number of embassies and Cultural-information Centers, as some organizations from USA and Canada.
For the last five years Regional Library “Sava Dobroplodni”, Sliven has been realized successively more than 20 projects financed by: Open Society Foundation in Sofia, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation /USA/, British Council in Sofia, Phare and Grundtving Programmes of the European Union.
Contact us:
Rositsa Petrova-Vasileva
Directress
“Sava Dobroplodni” Regional Library – Sliven
1 Nikola Karev Street
8800 Sliven
Bulgaria
тел./факс: +359 44 622 441
E-mail: rpetrova@iradeum.com ; reglibsliven@iradeum.com
Web site: http://childbookfest.iradeum.com
National award “Konstantin Konstantinov”