The International Competition "Karst under Protection - a Gift for Generations" has been launched for the fifth time. The organizers are the Experimental Laboratory of Karstology at the National Institute of Geophysics, Geodesy and Geography - BAS and the Foundation Center for Karstology "Vladimir Popov". The current edition is included in the program of the International Year of Caves and Karst, announced by the International Union of Speleology under the motto "Explore, Understand and Preserve". The Shumen Plateau is typically karst, abounds in karst forms and is an inspiration to many local artists. How to participate in the competition?
It is held in 5 traditional categories. Students up to 12 years old can individually or as a team submit a drawing or work with natural materials, a multimedia presentation or a video clip, and students over 12 years old, in addition to the listed types of works, can participate with a computer game, website, essay, card or comic. In the category for teachers, the topics are: "My unusual lesson" and "Our student project". Students participate with a scientific essay, multimedia presentation, video clip, computer game, website, drawing, painting, cartoon, comic, grotesque or art installation. For nature lovers, participation is without age restrictions, they can participate with a photo composition (from 3 to 5 photos), film, painting, cartoon or comic. The format, materials and technique of the artistic works are at the choice of the participants. It is mandatory to provide the author's data - name, age, place of study/teaching, address, e-mail and contact phone number, title of the work, name and location of the objects and localities presented in the work, a brief description of the idea implemented in the work. The information must be presented in Bulgarian, Russian or English. Only original author's works that have not participated in other competitions will be evaluated. The works will not be returned. The deadline for participation is April 29, 2022. E-mail address: karstcomp@abv.bg. Postal address: 1113 Sofia, NIGGG-BAS, Str. "Acad. Georgi Bonchev", block 3, Karst Competition. The works admitted to participate in the competition are evaluated by an international jury. By June 5, 2022, the international jury will evaluate the received works in each category. The authors of the awarded works will receive certificates and prizes, and the winner of the Grand Prize will receive an invitation to participate in a specialized excursion to unique karst regions of Bulgaria.
The results of the competition will be published on June 12, 2022 on the website http://prokarstterra.bas.bg/competition, as well as on the IYCK website http://iyck2021.org/index.php/events. The official announcement and awarding of the winners will be in September 2022 at a solemn ceremony at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in Sofia. The program also includes the official opening of an exhibition with the best competition works selected by the international jury. The awarded competition works will be published on the websites of the scientific network ProKARSTerra (http://prokarstterra.bas.bg) and the International Year of Caves and Karst (http://iyck2021.org/index.php/events), as well as in various specialized publications. The awarded works from the fifth edition of the competition will be included in the traditional traveling exhibition "Karst under protection - a gift for generations".