Stefan Ivanov, 28, a mechanic from the small town of Chirpan, who was the first to come to the rescue of the victims of a hellish bus crash in Bulgaria, which killed nine in June, is a top favorite for the title "Man of the Year 2011".

The savior, who has been hailed as a national hero in Bulgaria, has made it to the top three in the traditional contest and will vie with Simeon Shterev, coach of Bulgaria's top female wrestler Stanka Zlateva, and actor Hristo Mutafchiev.

Bulgarian Simeon Shterev was declared in October Best Female Wrestler coach of the year 2011 by the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA).

The coach of Bulgaria's top female wrestler Stanka Zlateva, who won last month her fifth world gold medal, managed to overtake the Japanese trainer of phenomenal Saori Yoshida.

The Chair of the Bulgarian Actors Union, Hristo Mutafchiev, who suffered a stroke at the end of October last year, enters the contest for the first time. He prompted the people's admiration by finding the strength to return to the stage this year even though not fully recovered and even wrote a book to help people who are going through the same ordeal.

The top runners have been nominated by journalists from Sofia and around the country.

The "Man of the Year" contest is marking this year its 21th anniversary while Darik radio organizes it for the fourth time in a row.

The winner will be announced at a special ceremony, held on January 5, at the so-called Youth Drama Theater in downtown Sofia.