The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics and the Union of Bulgarian Matematicians hosted the official award ceremony for the Bulgarian medal winners at the international Australian Mathematics Competition in 2012 and 2013.

Guest of honor at the event was the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Mr. Rosen Plevneliev, and Her Excellency Mrs Jenny Bloomfield, Australia's Ambassador to Bulgaria. The celebration was also attended by the President of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Academician Stefan Vodenitcharov. 

The Australian Ambassador Ms. Jenny Bloomfield presented medals to five young Bulgarian mathematicians who participated in the international competition - Gregorian Pirindev, Emilian Rogatchev Daniel Atanasov, Alexander Tenev and Nguyen Chi Zung.

The President of the Republic of Bulgaria Mr. Rosen Plevneliev presented gold medals and certificates to Kostadin Garov and Emilian Rogatchev who earned perfect scorein the latest international competition in 2013. Dr. Dimitar Valtchev received by the President a certificate of scholarship from the Australian Government for scientific research at the University of Adelaide.

"Bulgaria can clearly and explicitly state that it has one of the most powerful mathematical schools in the world and this is evidenced by the excellent performance of  our students at a global platform - the Australian Mathematics Competition" said the President Rosen Plevneliev.

The Director of the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics, Prof. Julian Revalski, opened the ceremony by noting that for more than 40 years the Institute, together with the Union of Bulgarian Mathematicians, is putting hard efforts in discovering and developing young talents. "Mathematics, which is known for its versatility, serves as a bridge of friendship between Bulgaria and Australia," said Prof. Julian Revalski.

Acad. Peter Kenderov, President of UBM, emphasized that in each of the 20 years in which the Australian Mathematics Competition has been held in Bulgaria, our children have always won medals. "When one learns to solve mathematical problems, he has learned to solve any problems," said academician Kenderov.

The Ambassador of Australia Ms. Jenny Bloomfield also stressed that the success of the Bulgarian students is now traditional. "I extend congratulations to the winners of this year. Their hard work, perseverance and striving for excellence are an example to us all."

"The awards we are giving today are a recognition of the achievements of distinguished students, but not only for them but for their teachers, families and the community in which they live. They are also a testament to the determination and success of all Bulgarians," were the words Ms. Jenny Bloomfield addressed to all guests at the ceremony.

The ceremony was attended also by the Deputy Prime Minister Mrs. Daniela Bobeva who pointed out that "mathematics is the eternal link between ignorance and wisdom, between man and nature. Nothing would have existed without mathematics."

"There is creativity and harmony between numbers," said Mrs. Bobeva. "Everything is in your hands, but mostly in your minds," she said to the young mathematicians.

Special greetings were sent by the the President of the National Assembly Mihail Mihov and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria Plamen Oresharski.

About the Australian Mathematics Competition:
The Australian Mathematics Competition is an international math competition in English for students from 3rd to 12th grade. This competition is one of the largest of its kind in the world (it involves 38 countries, every year about half a million students participate, mostly from Australia, New Zealand and Oceania). The competition is organized by the non-for-profit Australian Mathematics Trust. Problem authors are among the most experienced mathematics teachers in Australia. The problems feature interesting and attractively presented mathematical ideas, combined with exclusive clarity and precision. The test papers are designed for five age groups, 30 problems for each group.

About the Bulgarian participation:
Following the initiative of the Union of Bulgarian Mathematicians and the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, the Australian Mathematics Competition was first piloted in the fall of 1989. In 1992 the Bulgarian students started the regular participation and since then researchers from the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics have taken part both in the preparation of problems and the organization of the competition in Bulgaria.

From 1994 until 2011 Bulgaria has won 51 medals.