This year, PR, creative, and digital agencies, companies, media, and government institutions have submitted over 200 applications—a record number for the annual BAPRA Bright Awards. The strong interest in participation highlights the value of PR communications, which continue to evolve at the same dynamic pace as the world around us.
The categories with the highest number of participants are “Consumer communications” “Event or Launch,” and “Initiative to create engagement for internal or external audiences.” The newly introduced “PR campaign integrating AI or other technology” category for 2025 has also received applications, demonstrating that AI technologies are already actively being integrated into PR services.
"The industry's interest in Bright Awards 2025 highlights the active role of PR expertise in business, as well as the growth of our association in recent years. At BAPRA, we will continue working towards the strong positioning of the PR profession among partners, businesses, and young talents to keep up with current trends and changes in the industry. Our goal is to demonstrate that PR communications play a crucial role in addressing the challenges we face every day." shares Iva Grigorova, Chairperson of BAPRA 2024–2026.
The international jury has already begun evaluating the applications in search of the best among them—those deserving of an award that recognizes their expertise, hard work, and creative dedication. This year, the jury is chaired by Boaz Paldi, Chief Creative Officer of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the driving force behind the “The Weather Kids” campaign—a global initiative for urgent climate action.
The awards ceremony will take place on March 27 at Hilton Sofia.
On the same day, March 27, BAPRA will host a PR event for association members, media, and corporate communication teams. International leaders in communications, who are also part of the expert jury for the awards, will be key participants. Alongside Boaz Paldi, the discussion stage will feature Dimitris Roulias, Managing Director of Out of the Box PR, and Jürgen Gangoly, Managing Director of The Skills Group, partner at Team Farner, and co-founder of agencyexperts.org.
They will discuss key industry topics, including the need for strategic communications in addressing global crises, the new media landscape, and the technological revolution transforming PR communications. The conversation will also cover the impact of social media and algorithms on public perception, as well as the future of the communications sector in the context of economic, political, and social changes worldwide.
The partners of the awards this year are Symbol Creative Awards,which recognizes innovation and creativity in the fields of marketing, advertising, and communications, Bulgarian Public Relations Association, Bulgarian Association of Communication Agencies (BACA), IAB Bulgaria, EACD Bulgaria, Association of Communications Specialists in Municipalities (ASKO) and BESCO.
Media partners are bTV Media Group, Capital and dnevnik.bg, 24 Часа, Darik Business Review, Enterprise magazine, Manager magazine, Tvoiat business magazine, BGlobal, b2bmedia.bg, InfluencerMedia.bg, Boulevardbulgaria.bg, RedLink.bg, Lider.bg.
