Access to Information Programme (AIP) presents its annual awards for contributions to freedom of information on the occasion of International Right to Know Day. The ceremony takes place at Peroto Literary Club in the National Palace of Culture (NDK), with the participation of citizens, journalists, representatives of civil society organisations and public institutions.
The 2026 awards are presented in the traditional six categories.
The full justifications for all 27 nominations can be found on the dedicated Right to Know Day website:
Category: Citizen Who Has Made the Most Active Use of Their Right to Information
The Golden Key Award goes to:
Stoycho Stoychev, who requested information from the Head of the National Security Service (NSS) concerning the security arrangements provided to Member of Parliament Delyan Peevski. After the NSS refused his request, Stoychev submitted a new application. This was also denied, on the grounds that the requested information constituted state or classified information.
Following an appeal against the refusal, with the assistance of AIP, the Administrative Court in Dobrich ordered the NSS to disclose the information. As a result, the question repeatedly raised by politicians, journalists and citizens - "How much did the security arrangements for Delyan Peevski, paid for by the state budget, cost?" - finally received an answer.
Honourable Certificate of Merit:
Vasilena Kiara Dimitrova, a medical student and co-founder of the Future in Bulgaria Initiative Committee. She uses the Access to Public Information Act (APIA) to shed light on public spending in the healthcare sector, requesting information from the Ministry of Health about the remuneration of senior administrative officials and political appointees. Dimitrova analyses the data she receives, makes it publicly available and places it in the context of the salaries and working conditions of young doctors. Her work demonstrates how citizens can use the law as an effective tool for public oversight.
Category: Non-Governmental Organisation That Has Made the Most Active Use of Its Right of Access to Information
The Golden Key Award goes to:
The Bulgarian Helsinki Committee (BHC) for its consistent and targeted use of the APIA in conducting research that uncovered alarming data on the scale and outcomes of the use of special surveillance devices (SSDs) against magistrates.During the first stage of its investigation, Justice Under Surveillance: Special Surveillance Devices as a Tool for Pressuring Judges, Prosecutors and Investigators, the BHC submitted access to public information requests to several institutions, including the Prosecutor General and the Supreme Judicial Council. In the second stage, the organisation sought information from the Military Court of Appeal, the State Agency for National Security, the Ministry of Interior and other institutions. Through these efforts, including legal challenges against refusals issued by some of the institutions, the BHC managed to collect data that would otherwise have remained scattered across different institutions and inaccessible to the public.
Honourable Certificate of Merit:
Together Foundation, for its active use of the APIA to obtain information on issues of significant public interest to the residents of Plovdiv and smaller settlements. These include the progress of repairs to the city's ring road and the quality of drinking water in Rodopi Municipality.
Association Initiative for Equal Opportunities, for actively seeking information from the Social Assistance Agency under the APIA on cases concerning the implementation of the Child Protection Act, including successfully bringing two court cases against the agency's refusals to disclose information.
One example of its work is a successful court case following the agency's refusal to disclose information about the ethnic background of parents recorded in social reports prepared in proceedings under the Child Protection Act.
Category: Best Journalistic Campaign or Publication Related to the Right of Access to Information
The Golden Key Award goes to:
Vasilena Dotkova, Factcheck.bg, for her work uncovering data on actual natural gas deliveries and payments under the contract between Bulgargaz and the Turkish state-owned company BOTAŞ.
The issue is of considerable public importance, as it concerns the expenditure of public funds by a state-owned company, the country's energy policy and national security.
Honourable Certificate of Merit:
Spas Spasov, Dnevnik, for his investigation into the Ministry of Interior's activities concerning the protection of witness Plamenka Dimitrova, who accused Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev.
Following a successful court appeal against the Ministry's refusal to disclose information, the case also established favourable judicial practice. According to this ruling, for a refusal based on classified information to be lawful, it is not sufficient for the information to fall within the scope of the Classified Information Protection Act. A procedure for formally designating it as classified must also have been carried out.
Emilia Dimitrova, Za Istinata (For the Truth), for her active use of the APIA in her daily journalistic work, as demonstrated by her investigations into:
- The BGN 1.4 million paid by the Ministry of Health for incomplete and substandard renovation work at the State Psychiatric Hospital in Sevlievo.
- A private care home for elderly people in the village of Yavorets, Gabrovo Province, operating without a licence.
- The unclear status of the Municipality of Sevlievo's "secret PR" activities.
- The absence of doctors in more than 60% of the night emergency medical teams in Sevlievo.
- The new, non-functional website of the Ministry of Culture.
Category: Institution That Has Organised the Provision of Information to Citizens Most Effectively
The Golden Key Award goes to:
The Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water – Plovdiv, for its consistent transparency policy and the excellent organisation of its public information services.
The Inspectorate combines the proactive publication of information online with well-organised and accessible content and the prompt and thorough processing of access to information requests.
At the same time, it strives to implement practical measures to further enhance transparency, including feedback surveys and the regular publication of responses on the Access to Public Information Platform.
Category: Institution That Fails to Fulfil Its Obligations Under the Access to Public Information Act and Violates Citizens' Rights
The Padlock Anti-Award goes to:
The Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water – Haskovo, for its repeated practice of demanding payment for access to information concerning the activities of the Maritsa 3 Thermal Power Plant and environmental oversight.
The Inspectorate has demanded the following fees:
- BGN 100 for partial access to information in 2024 (Decision No. 21/03.12.2024).
- BGN 50 for providing information electronically in 2025 (Decision No. 22/08.08.2025).
- EUR 500 in 2026 (Decision No. 10/12.06.2026).
The Inspectorate classifies the requested information as "specially processed", despite the fact that it concerns environmental data to which everyone is entitled, without having to demonstrate a specific interest. In this year's request, the applicant explicitly asked for the information to be provided electronically, a method of disclosure that is always free of charge. Furthermore, a fee of EUR 500 constitutes a significant barrier to public oversight.
Category: Most Absurd and/or Amusing Case Related to Access to Information
The Tied Key Anti-Award goes to:
The Council of Ministers, for its decision and subsequent actions to close down the Commission for Disclosure of Documents and for Establishing Affiliation of Bulgarian Citizens to the State Security and the Intelligence Services of the Bulgarian People's Army (the Dossier Commission). By order of Prime Minister Rumen Radev, an interdepartmental working group was established to prepare legislative amendments that would abolish the Commission and transfer its responsibilities to the State Archives Agency.
The full justifications for all 27 nominations can be found on the dedicated Right to Know Day website: http://www.righttoknowday.net/nominations/2026/
Interviews with the awarded will be published on AIP's newsletter, as well as on the landing page of the Right to Know Day website.
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The statements and opinions expressed herein are solely those of the Access to Information Programme and do not necessarily reflect the views of the America for Bulgaria Foundation or its partners. The International Right to Know Day campaign is carried out within the framework of the project Access to Information as a Guarantee of Democracy, implemented by the Access to Information Programme (AIP) with the support of the America for Bulgaria Foundation.