Blessed with wonderful weather, an abundance of birds, and high spirits, the awards ceremony for the student competition "The Wisdom of Wetlands" took place today in front of the bird-watching hide.

More than 50 participants, teachers, parents, and guests gathered outdoors to view an impromptu exhibition of the young people's work and to hear the verdict of the jury, which included representatives from the Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation and the Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Waters (RIEW) – Burgas.

On February 11, the jury reviewed all 75 entries—submitted electronically from 16 schools across the region—across five categories: Drawings (42 entries), Essays/Short Stories (8), Videos (4), and Photographs (14). Interview – 7 entries, and Collage – 1 entry; the following decisions were made:

In the Essay/Short Story category, the following participants were ranked:

• 1st Place: Hadzher Hyusein Mustafa – 10th grade, "Elin Pelin" Secondary School, Ruen village
• 2nd Place: Rositsa Arabadzhieva – 6th grade (Class B), "Hristo Botev" Primary School, Aheloy
• 3rd Place: Gabriela Dimitrova Yancheva – 6th grade, "Ivan Vazov" Primary School, Banevo district, Burgas
• 3rd Place: Vasilena Kraleva – 9th grade, "Prof. Pancho Vladigerov" National School of Music and Performing Arts

In the Video category, the following participants were ranked:

• 1st Place – Drone footage of Atanasovsko Lake by Ismail Kehayov, Ali Mustafa, and Hakan Mehmedov – 11th grade, Vocational Technical High School (PTG), Burgas
• 2nd Place – Video by students from the 5th grade (Class G) at "Bratya Miladinovi" Primary School, featuring the lakes' inhabitants, a map, and a booklet they created
• 3rd Place – Video about Atanasovsko Lake, with voice-over by students from the 4th grade (Class A) at "Hristo Botev" Primary School, Aheloy

In the Interview category, the following participants were ranked:
Grades 9–12

• 1st Place – Presiyana Dureva, 9th grade (Class A), "Ivan Vazov" Secondary School, Pomorie – an interview inspired by the "Pomoriysko Lake" Protected Area, featuring Dimitar Popov from "Green Balkans"
• 2nd Place – Daniel, Maria, Kremena, and Iveta – 11th grade, "Vasil Levski" Secondary School, Malko Tarnovo – featuring ornithologist Milen Rashkov, a staff member at the Nature Park “Strandzha”
• Grades III–V
• 1st Place – Danika Staykova, Grade V “B,” “Acad. Nikola Obreshkov” Specialized High School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (PPMG), with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Svetla Dalakchieva and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Blagovesta Midyurova from “Prof. Dr. Asen Zlatarov” University, Burgas.
• 2nd Place – Kiril Valchev and Martin Kirov, Grade III “V,” “Lyuben Karavelov” Primary School, Burgas, with ornithologist Vladimir Mladenov.
• 3rd Place – Zeyneb Nur Shaban Mustafa, Grade IV, “Hristo Botev” Primary School, village of Lozarevo, together with her 81-year-old grandfather, Aliosman Mustafa, focusing on the reservoir near their village, Kosten.

In the Photography category, the following participants were awarded:

• 1st Place – Dayan Iliev, Grade IX “D,” “Vasil Levski” High School of Foreign Languages, Burgas – photo: Dalmatian Pelican in non-breeding plumage, taken at the “Poda” Protected Area.
• 2nd Place – Kristiyan Tomov, Grade X, Vocational Technical High School (PTG), Burgas – photo: “Lagoon of Life.”
• 3rd Place – Emre Ahmed, Grade X, Vocational Technical High School (PTG), Burgas – photo: “Flower of Salt.”

In the Drawing category, the following participants were awarded:

• 1st Place – Darina Fedosova, Grade XI “A,” “Konstantin Petkanov” Secondary School – *Pelican*.
• 2nd Place – Teodora Dimitrova, Grade VI “B,” “Hristo Botev” Primary School, Aheloy – *Birds near Burgas*.
• 3rd Place – Dea Iskrenova Petrova, Grade V. "Ivan Vazov" Primary School, Banevo District, Burgas – Atanasovsko Lake
• 3rd Place: Ismail Erdal Ismail, 6th grade, "Ivan Vazov" Primary School, Banevo District, Burgas – Atanasovsko Lake
• 3rd Place: Kremena Chukoeva, 11th grade, "Vasil Levski" Secondary School, Malko Tarnovo – Pelican, Swan

Special Award: Elena Viktorova Semko, 4th grade (class 4V), "Ivan Vazov" Secondary School, Pomorie, for her project, which included a drawing of Atanasovsko Lake, a black-winged stilt, and a flamingo, along with information about the lake.

Special thanks to Pobeda AD, who provided delicious treats for all participants, and to "The Rag Doll" (Partsalenata kukla), who sent a mascot for Atanasovsko Lake—an adorable female pink flamingo.

The Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation (BBF) provided the prizes for the five categories: bags featuring flamingos and pelicans, malachite-colored neck gaiters (buffs), "Atanasovsko Lake" caps, and *Terra Natura* board games, as well as a calendar dedicated to peatlands for every participant. The celebration of World Wetlands Day through this contest was made possible thanks to the support of the MedWet initiative, the French Biodiversity Agency and technical support from the Ramsar Convention. 

List of schools that participated in the competition

• NUMSI "Prof. Pancho Vladigerov" – Burgas
• "Hristo Botev" Primary School – Aheloy
• "Hristo Botev" Primary School – Lozarevo village
• "Miladinov Brothers" Primary School – Burgas
• "Ivan Vazov" Primary School – Banevo district, Burgas
• "Lyuben Karavelov" Primary School – Burgas
• "Nayden Gerov" Primary School – Burgas
• "Elin Pelin" Secondary School – Ruen village
• "Prof. Dr. Asen Zlatarov" Vocational High School of Tourism – Burgas
• "Vasil Levski" Vocational High School of Foreign Languages ​​– Burgas
• "Acad. Nikola Obreshkov" Specialized High School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences – Burgas
• Vocational High School of Technical Sciences – Burgas
• "Konstantin Petkanov" Secondary School – Burgas
• "Ivan Vazov" Secondary School – Pomorie
• "Vasil Levski" Secondary School – Malko Tarnovo
• "Lyuben Karavelov" Secondary School – Nesebar