To the Reader

I’ve been a journalist all my working life. For more than forty years, in the editorial offices of Reader’s Digest, hundreds, thousands of pages of text passed through my hands and my heart. I worked with scores of leading journalists and writers from around the world; I interviewed remarkable people from all walks of life, I was touched by some of the gravest social, economic and political problems of our times.
It is for this reason that, shortly after 1989 when my wife Yvonne and I founded the Free and Democratic Bulgaria Foundation, the natural thing for me was to choose journalism as one of the areas in which we would work. I was led not only by my sincere desire to share my professional experience with Bulgarian colleagues but also by my firm conviction that a truly free and quality press is the sound foundation of every vibrant and dynamic civil society.
So it came to be that ten years ago, in the autumn of 1994, we announced the establishment of the “Panitza Excellence in Journalism Prizes”. We wrote down in our by-laws that the prizes would be given ‘for outstanding achievements that have contributed to elevating the intellectual, moral and professional level of Bulgarian journalism’ and would be received by journalists who have demonstrated ‘a high level of professionalism, objectivity, accuracy, honesty, courage, enthusiasm and/ or had powerful impact’.
The profession welcomed our initiative and responded to it, I believe, with an open mind. We selected the Jury, advertised the competition and got down to work. I will not dwell now on separate incidents or on our doubts as to whether we were on the right track, or on the numerous moments of satisfaction that we experienced. I will only say that we worked with much faith, enthusiasm and openness, while aspiring in an honest and transparent way to promote, with regard to Bulgarian journalism, the values that we built into our competition. We set the bar high and we never lowered it!
Did we achieve our goals? The answer rightfully belongs to you! You hold in your hands the collection of the winning materials – from among a total of 1,723 submissions by 905 authors – received during the ten years of the competition. This is the most complete and objective document that allows you to asses our initiative. As I now look at the proofs of this fat volume I dare say that I am proud of our choices over the years and I stand by each and everyone of them. The competition deservedly promoted eminent figures from journalism, literature and the sciences. But I was even more enchanted when we managed to discover talented young writers, and to encourage many other colleagues who were taking their first steps in journalism. Naturally, I also remember those who did not win a prize over the years, but I hope that participating in the competition was not a vain effort for them. I thank all of them warmly and believe that they have been, and continue to be, our allies and supporters!
I owe deepest and most sincere gratitude to my colleagues from the Executive Council and to the members of the Jury! Year after year they dedicated their time and energy selflessly to the thick folders of materials, while their names and professionalism guaranteed the quality of the competition. Some of them became my friends for life and they resurrect, every day, my faith in the bright future of Bulgaria.
With this anniversary and the publication of the volume, the Free and Democratic Bulgaria Foundation announces the termination of the “Panitza Excellence in Journalism Prizes” Competition. I am writing these lines with my head held high because I believe that a baton has been passed on to the Bulgarian journalistic community through the numerous other competitions born in the last few years. I wish them the greatest success.
I am also writing these lines inspired by the decision that the “Panitza Prize” will continue to exist, in a different form, to recognize not just journalists but also those many decent, honorable compatriots working in different fields for the good of our country but who remain too often unknown and unsung [It will be known as the “Panitza Civic Honor” Prize].
Such has been, and remains, the true meaning of the “Panitza Excellence in Journalism Prizes”

December, 2004
Dimitry Panitza,
Chairman of the Free and Democratic Bulgaria Foundation