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An opinion piece published by Novinite received on Monday one of the special awards in a contest organized by the UNCHR, the Bulgarian Red Cross, and the State Agency for Refugees.
Themed "Together with Refugees", the contest is dedicated to the World Refugee Day celebrated on May 20. A total of six works were selected by a jury made up of representatives of the three organizations, public BNR radio, and the Council on Electronic Media (the latter represented by its chair, Mariya Stoyanova). The winning piece of Novinite, "Bulgaria's Migrant Hunters: Just a Symptom of Flawed Governance", had not been submitted to the contest by the website, but had been nominated by a reader.
Bulgarian Red Cross chair Hristo Grigorov and the UNCHR's new representative for Bulgaria, Mathijs le Rutte, were among the speakers at the event.
"Bulgarians are not xenophobic, they are a hospitable and good people," Grigorov said, replying to Le Rutte's suggestion that, while many in the country had been welcoming to refugees, others had openly raised fears about their potential role in society.
Stoyanova, however, admitted that the specific history of the Balkans, as much in the Soviet as in the Ottoman era, had resulted in "difficulties" before those refugees facing the Balkan realities for the first time.
In the "Broadcast Media" section, the big winner was Ina Galabova from NOVA TV for her report titled "How to Guard the Bulgarian Border?" One of the special awards went to Vasilena Grabcheva, also working for NOVA, for her report "Refugees in the Homeland" exploring the lives of people who arrived in the country decades ago. The second one was handed out to Polina Boteva (bTV) for her documentary titled "In the Mud" depicting the life of refugees in Idomeni.
"Refugees in Kanji?a" was the story that was singled out in the "Print" category, authored by Lora Fileva (Dnevnik.bg). The other special award, apart from the one given to Novinite, went to Georgi Angelov's analysis titled "Germany and 'Dublin' Saved Us from Refugees", published by Trud newspaper.
Earlier on Monday, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced that the number of focibly displaced people around the world had reached a historic high, with 65.3 million, or one in every 113, being either an asylum seeker, an internally displaced person (IDP) or a refugee.
Four years after the outbreak of war in Ukraine, integrating Ukrainian refugees into Bulgarian society remains a complex and pressing challenge
Nearly 6,000 Syrians applied last year to return voluntarily to Syria under a program financed by Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF)
As of November 30, 2025, over 4.3 million non-EU citizens who fled Ukraine were under temporary protection across the European Union, according to Eurostat
Only 13 people survived and dozens remain missing after a vessel carrying 74 refugees, mostly from Sudan, capsized off the coast of Tobruk in eastern Libya on September 13, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Municipalities across the Netherlands have signaled that they are running out of capacity to accommodate additional Ukrainians seeking temporary protection in the country
US President Donald Trump has indicated that Ukrainian citizens who sought refuge in the United States due to the ongoing conflict may be permitted to remain in the country until the war concludes
The Bulgarian scientific research vessel “Sts. Cyril and Methodius” (NIC 421) has returned to Varna, docking at the Marine Station and marking the official end of the country’s 34th Antarctic expedition
Holiday weather conditions are expected to remain mixed across Bulgaria, with alternating periods of sunshine and rain showers, according to the forecast
The Bulgarian Orthodox Church has decided that no official delegation will travel to Jerusalem this year to receive the Holy Fire, citing the ongoing tensions in the Middle East
Plovdiv will host the International Street Arts Festival 6Fest from April 20 to 26, 2026, turning the city into an open-air stage featuring performers from 11 countries across three continents
The Easter holiday getaway has officially begun in Bulgaria, with traffic leaving Sofia surging as thousands of people set off for the long weekend
Holy Thursday marks one of the most significant days in Holy Week, as Christians reflect on the final moments before the crucifixion of Jesus Christ
Aniventure Comic Con Returns to Bulgaria with Star Guest Christopher Judge!
Global Fuel Shock: Oil Jumps Over 40% Since Iran War Began
