Engage 1000 Bulgarian students in public speaking

Dear friends,

The 2025–2026 academic year has already proven to be one of growth, momentum, and international expansion for the BEST Foundation, bringing together hundreds of students across Bulgaria and beyond through a dynamic series of debate tournaments.

From November 8–9, the BEST Foundation hosted its first tournament of the 2025–2026 school year at FLHS “Lyudmil Stoyanov” in Blagoevgrad – Fall West Tournament 2025. A total of 231 high school students took part, supported by 75 volunteer judges, including 29 BEST alumni, as well as teachers and community members from across Bulgaria. Students from 18 schools in 12 cities across Western Bulgaria joined the competition. The excitement didn’t go unnoticed – the tournament was featured in national and local media, including Bulgarian National Radio – Blagoevgrad, Bulgarian National Television, and several regional online outlets.

Just three weeks later, we headed east for the Fall East Tournament 2025, held on November 29–30 at the University of Food Technology in Plovdiv. This event brought together 309 students and 114 volunteer judges, including alumni and American English Teacher Assistants. Participants represented 24 schools from 15 cities in Eastern Bulgaria, plus one independent debate team. We were thrilled to host 60 debate teams – 20 novice and 40 varsity – a significant increase from last year’s 47 teams (17 novice and 30 varsity). The growth speaks for itself!

We welcomed the new year with our third online debate tournament, Rowe Cup, on January 10. Interest was higher than ever, with applicants exceeding the traditional eight-team format. As a result, we expanded the competition to 10 teams and 33 debaters. The final round tackled a fascinating and thought-provoking motion: how death is perceived in Western/Christian societies (often associated with suffering, solemn rituals, and dark colours) compared to African/Caribbean cultures (where it may be marked by celebration, music, and vibrant colours).

This academic year also opened the door to more international opportunities. BEST competitors are now taking part in global online tournaments, challenging themselves against teams from around the world. A team trained by BEST’s Debate Department competed at Western WSDC, organized by the University of Western Ontario Debate Society, alongside 42 teams from Europe, North America, Africa, Asia, and Australia. Our students placed 27th in the Open category, 10th in ESL, and 4th in the Novice division overall — an impressive achievement considering that many competing teams were national representatives of their countries. Even more encouraging, this marks an improvement from last year’s performance in the same tournament.

The first regional event of 2026 — Spring West Tournament — took place on February 7–8 at 51st School “Elisaveta Bagryana” in Sofia. We welcomed 260 participants from 24 schools across 15 cities, all ready to showcase their skills before 85 volunteer judges. For the first time ever, we also had international participation in a regional tournament. Two teams from North Macedonia — one from Skopje and one from Delchevo — joined us and delivered a strong and memorable performance.

None of these events would be possible without our incredible community. More than 150 dedicated volunteer judges contribute their time and expertise each year, along with over 15 student volunteers per tournament who support on-site logistics. We are equally grateful to the 50+ chaperones who accompany students and ensure everything runs smoothly.

And, of course, at the heart of BEST are our amazing coaches — Fulbright scholars, American English Teaching Assistants, and Bulgarian English teachers — who work with students throughout the year to prepare them for competition and also serve as judges. Their passion, commitment, and belief in our students make all the difference.

We are now looking ahead to our next exciting milestones: the Spring East Tournament in Burgas on March 7–8, and our very first online speech tournament, organized by the BEST Speech Department.

Dear friends, thank you for your unwavering support.

These tournaments simply would not be possible without you.

We would be truly grateful if you could share our GlobalGiving link with your network and consider continuing your support through a small but regular monthly donation.

Your generosity creates a real, lasting impact in the lives of every student who steps into a BEST tournament room — and we are truly thankful to have you as part of the BEST family.

With heartfelt appreciation,

Vanya Zlateva 

Executive Director