Voting for the Bulgarian “Mayor of the Year” 2021 Awards has started

Citizens will be able to judge their mayor’s performance – be it good or bad

Voting for the Bulgarian “Mayor of the Year” 2021 Awards has started today. This is the ninth edition of the awards ceremony and Bulgarian residents will have the chance to support their favourite local leader. All but four of the 265 mayors in Bulgaria will take part in the vote.

Fostering a community of local leaders and good practices

Citizens can vote for their own mayor or chose another, effectively showing their support for or discontent with their local government. Voting will end on 13 October and anyone in Bulgaria over the age of 18, with access to the Internet, can take part.

To account for population sizes, municipalities are divided into three categories, based on the latest data provided by the National Statistics Agency. The mayors will be competing for seven awards and the winners will be announced on 15 October.

Here are the awards:

• Mayor of the Year;
• Mayor of the citizens;
• Smart City;
• Sports and youth initiatives;
• Urban environment;
• Tourism and culture;
• Green municipality.

Over the years “Mayor of the Year” has become an event that is something more than a simple awards ceremony. It has helped to grow a community of local leaders, sharing good practices and experiences while finding ways to collaborate and transcend regional boundaries. These awards have contributed to the creation of an informal network between local institutions that allows cities and citizens to establish a feedback loop of knowledge and expertise across the country.