The European Commission is awarding students from the National Academy of Art for jewellery created from waste materials
2025.06.11
12 June 2025 (Thursday), 4:00 pm, Terrace Gallery
New Academic Building, National Academy of Art, 1 Shipka Street, Sofia
The Head of the European Commission Representation in Bulgaria Ms Yordanka Chobanova and the Rector of the National Academy of Art Prof. Georgi Iankov will award the distinguished students in the UPCYCLE competition, part of the European Union campaign #ForOurPlanet.
The competition was attended by students from the departments Metal, Woodcarving, Ceramics, Porcelain & Glass Design, and Fashion Design at the National Academy of Art, who worked in the Jewellery Studio of the Department of Metal, under the supervision of Assoc. Prof. Mirena Zlateva, PhD, and Prof. Dimitar Delchev.
The European Union's campaign #ForOurPlanet aims to address climate change and preserve the Earth's biodiversity. This year, its focus is on circular economy–not only recycling, but also sharing, re-using and, above all, artistically transforming waste or discarded materials into something new and valuable.
Annually, every EU resident generates an average of 170 kg of packaging waste, 130 kg of food waste and 11 kg of electronics and electrical waste. Only 38% of this waste is recycled.
Jewellery is more than glitter and status–it carries messages, reflects memories and feelings. Modern jewellery pays more and more attention to the inner world of the artist and their connection with time and nature, and can be created from any material: metal and stone, recycled plastic and polymers, forgotten or accidentally found objects.
We believe that the initiative emphasises the role and importance of every participant in society in the mission to protect our home–the Earth. The Academy's students make their contribution to this mission by creating contemporary jewellery items that give new life to otherwise unnecessary and discarded objects.
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