site.btaPresident Confers John Atanasoff Awards

President Rumen Radev conferred the John Atanasoff Awards ceremony at in the Coat of Arms Hall of the presidential institution on Monday. It was held for the 23rd consecutive year on the date on which the prominent inventor of Bulgarian origin, after whom the awards are named, was born 122 years ago.

"I believe that Bulgaria will continue to develop its traditions in intelligent solutions for the future," the head of State said. 

"It is a real pleasure to be here again and to honor our young talents and their remarkable achievements in the field of computer science. This year, the tradition of our country being celebrated around the world for its intelligent and ambitious Bulgarians has been further enhanced," the President said. He added that Bulgarian pupils, students, and teachers continue to win awards and medals in the most prestigious international competitions. "I am convinced that their exceptional achievements inspire not only the teaching profession but our entire society," the head of State noted.

This summer, the Bulgarian national computer science team achieved its best ranking ever. "We also won prestigious places at the Second International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence. The big news of the week is our performance at the Balkan Olympiad in Informatics, where we won a total of four medals, one of which was gold," recalled Radev. He also highlighted the exceptional performance of the female computer scientists.

The head of State expressed his gratitude to the lecturers, teachers, mentors, and scientists who help young Bulgarians. Radev also noted the contribution of young university lecturers who train future champions. "What you are doing - encouraging talent and knowledge - is the best investment in our future," the President said.