The first edition of the European programme for young creative talent in Bulgaria was held with the support of Burgas 2032 Foundation
Ilona Zdravkova and Simeon Kozhuharov from Human have won the first Bulgarian edition of the Creative Express competition. Held under the title “From Burgas to Barcelona with Creative Express,” the initiative was organised by the Bulgarian Association of Communication Agencies (BACA), a member of the Art Directors Club of Europe (ADC*E), in partnership with the Burgas 2032 Foundation. The winners were presented with their awards by Diana Savateva, Deputy Mayor of Burgas and Chair of the Board of the Burgas 2032 Foundation.
The jury, comprising representatives of the Burgas 2032 Foundation and BACA member agencies, awarded second place to a video project created by Diana Peeva and Ivan Zhelyazkov from Noble.
Third place was shared by two projects, created by Denitsa Raykova and Hani Sinno from Huts Group, and Bozhidar Ivanov and Zhivko Bozdanski from Noble.
The young creatives were challenged to respond to a brief from the Burgas 2032 Foundation, creating an original video work inspired by the theme “The Faces of Burgas.” The brief called for an interpretation of the city’s spirit, people, energy and cultural identity in a European context.
As winners of the Bulgarian competition, Zdravkova and Kozhuharov will represent Bulgaria at the European Creative Express final, organised by ADC*E and taking place in Barcelona from 16 to 18 November 2026. They will also attend ADCE Creative Week. Participants had access to the Shutterstock catalogue when developing their projects, as part of the Creative Express Bulgaria 2026 partnership.
The jury members who evaluated the entries and selected the winners were Dimitrina Dimitrova (Communications Expert, Burgas 2032 Foundation), Chavdar Kenarov (BACA Board Member and ADC*E Board Member), Aleksandar Bratimirov (Partner and Creative Director, Human), Dr Boris R. Stoyanov (Creative and PR Director, Huts Group), Gergana Mincheva (Creative Lead and Art Director, Next DC), Zhelez Atanasov (Strategic Planning Director, Noble), Olga Stoycheva (Creative Director, The Smarts), Samuil Petkov (Managing Director, All Channels Communication), and Chanel Erkin (Creative Director, Nitram).
The winning projects were announced and presented, and the official awards ceremony was held as part of a special edition of the “The Price of Success” series during Apollonia 2026, dedicated to the European Capital of Culture initiative.
The event also featured a panel discussion on the benefits, challenges and journey towards the European Capital of Culture title, with contributions from Diana Savateva, Deputy Mayor of Burgas; Ruska Boyadzhieva, Executive Director of the Burgas 2032 Foundation; Kiril Velchev and Stefan Stoyanov from Plovdiv 2019 Foundation; writer and university lecturer Prof. Dr Georgi Bardarov; Vesela Kondakova, Administrative Director of Toplocentrala; and Margarita Dimitrova, Executive Director of Apollonia Foundation. BACA was represented at the event by Chavdar Kenarov and Tanya Yordanova, alongside dozens of creatives and journalists.
About Creative Express
Creative Express is one of ADC*E’s key initiatives for supporting professional development and promoting emerging creative talent across Europe. The programme brings together some of the continent’s most promising young art directors, copywriters and designers, giving them the opportunity to exchange ideas, gain inspiration and learn from leading international peers.
Representing different countries from across Europe, participants work together on a real-world business challenge in a unique international learning environment.
More information about the programme is available on adceurope.org and baca.bg.
