METHODOLOGY
Application
Each company submits its application online. A company may submit more than one application - for all products it wishes to enter. Each product may only be submitted to one category.
Nominations
A 10-member jury of Bulgarian experts will nominate a total of 150 products created in Bulgaria across all sectors of the economy, presented in 5 categories. Each product is independently assessed by two experts.
Evaluation
Products are assessed against 10 distinct criteria. The names of the nominating jury members will be publicly announced at the same time as the nominated products are presented in November 2026.
Final Selection
A jury of five globally recognised international experts will conduct the final selection for the inaugural edition of 50 BEST PRODUCTS FROM BULGARIA. Individual jury members’s scores are not published.
Presentation
Through an exclusive English-language book, a limited-edition gold coin with QR code, an international ceremony and a pop-up exhibition the project presents the 50 outstanding products selected by the Bulgarian and International Juries.
Who may
apply
The inaugural edition of the national platform 50 BEST PRODUCTS FROM BULGARIA sets out to showcase what the Bulgarian economy has built over the past 37 years.
The selection is open to products created in Bulgaria or by Bulgarians – products distinguished by innovation, quality and sustainability, and either already present on international markets or holding clear potential to reach them.
Any company may apply, whatever its size, through our independent online platform. Each product is entered in one category only.
Entry is free of charge, regardless of how many products a company submits.
What matters to us is that the product carries a substantial and clearly recognisable Bulgarian imprint. The initiative recognises products made by companies with a genuine presence in Bulgaria, and products created by Bulgarians.
Applications are submitted in English, so that the international jury can assess them directly.
Eligibility
You are eligible to apply if you are:
- a legal entity registered in Bulgaria, or
- a company registered in the EU/EEA with genuine economic activity in Bulgaria - a team based in the country, and development, engineering, manufacturing or operations carried out here.
The product must have been developed or manufactured by the applicant.
Assessment takes into account clarity of ownership, transparency of structure and long-term commitment to development in Bulgaria. For products created by Bulgarians based abroad, international distinction and market presence carry particular weight.
A product need not satisfy every criterion at once. Small and early-stage companies are expressly encouraged to apply.
The product must be created or developed by the applicant. Manufacturing may be in-house or outsourced, including outside Bulgaria.
The applicant must have played a substantial role in bringing the product into being - through concept, design, technology, engineering or another decisive part of the process.
Offering, distributing or reselling a product created by another company is not in itself grounds for entry.
The product must exist in reality rather than as an idea or prototype, and must be manufactured in series or made to order.
Outside the Scope of the 2026–2027 Selection
Services fall outside the scope of this selection, as do hotels, retreat centres, resorts, restaurants and similar venues. Educational programmes and training courses are likewise outside the scope of the 2026-2027 edition.
What We Are Looking For
Products created in Bulgaria that stand out for their innovation, quality and sustainability, and that already reach international markets or have the potential to do so.
How to Apply
Applications are submitted online, through the initiative's independent platform at 50best.bg. Each product is entered in a single category. A company may enter more than one product, submitting a separate application for each.
Nominated Products Not Included in the Final Selection
Nominated products that do not reach the final selection in a given edition receive:
- Automatic consideration in the following edition, without the need to submit a new application - unless the company wishes to update its information or present a different product.
- An invitation to the Pop-up Pavilion and the initiative's travelling exhibition, under the status Nominated Product.
- An invitation to the initiative's events, including the official ceremony.
- Pro bono strategic support for 5 companies. 5 from the nominated companies that will not enter the final 50 will receive an international market development strategy and a financing strategy, prepared free of charge by our strategic partner, the Sofia Chamber of Commerce. The companies will be chosen by the team of 50 Best Products from Bulgaria and representatives of the Sofia Chamber of Commerce.
How Often the Selection Takes Place
50 BEST PRODUCTS FROM BULGARIA is held once every 2 years.
Member
International
Jury
Member
Bulgarian
Jury
best
products
from Bulgaria
Evaluation Procedure
Nomination Stage - Bulgarian Jury
The nomination stage is conducted by a Nominating Jury composed of 10 Bulgarian experts – two per category. Each of the two jury members assesses the products against 10 evaluation criteria using a scale of 1 to 10.
Scores are submitted independently through the evaluation platform.
Results for each category are determined by the automatic consolidation of both scores.
Based on the combined results, the 30 highest-scoring products in each category receive official nominations and advance to the International Jury for final evaluation.
Transparency and Integrity
The names of the members of the Nominating Jury are disclosed publicly alongside the announcement of the nominated products, ensuring full structural transparency. Neither of the two jury members within a given category is made aware of the other juror’s identity until the nominations are announced.
This structure guarantees independent expert assessment, eliminates the possibility of undue influence or coordination, and ensures a diversity of perspectives across each category.
The entire evaluation process is carried out online.
Final Selection - International Jury
The International Jury is announced at the same time as the open call for applications is launched. It comprises five internationally recognised Bulgarian and international experts, each responsible for a specific category and subject to stringent requirements of confidentiality and ethical conduct.
The International Jury independently evaluates only the 30 nominated products in each category, applying the same 10 criteria and the same scale from 1 to 10.
Guiding Principles
The nomination system ensures independence at all stages, a clear distinction between nomination and final selection, automatic consolidation of scores at the nomination stage, expert deliberation at the final selection stage, and the complete absence of paid participation or external influence.
This is not a ranking – it is a curated selection based on scores determined by both juries. Individual evaluator scores for specific products are not being published.
The selection constitutes a curated choice made by the Bulgarian and International Juries from the submitted applications.
Code of Ethics
Independence
Jury members act independently and do not represent any institution, company, or sponsor.
Conflict of Interest
Jury members are required to declare any potential conflict of interest prior to the commencement of the evaluation process. A member with an identified conflict of interest shall abstain from evaluating the relevant product.
Confidentiality
All applications, jury deliberations, and evaluation processes are confidential until their official public disclosure.
Transparency
Trust in the project rests on the transparency of the process, the expertise of the recognised individuals serving as members of the Bulgarian and International Juries, and the independence and autonomy of the evaluation platform
Equal Treatment
All products are evaluated on an equal and impartial basis.
No Paid Participation
Participation in 50 BEST PRODUCTS FROM BULGARIA is not conditional upon paid presence, sponsorship, or financial contribution. The selection process cannot be influenced by commercial or institutional interests.
Respect and Professional Conduct
Jury members engage in the process with respectful, constructive, and professional dialogue. Discrimination or bias of any kind is not tolerated.
Code of Ethics
Independence
Jury members act independently and do not represent any institution, company, or sponsor.
Conflict of Interest
Jury members are required to declare any potential conflict of interest prior to the commencement of the evaluation process. A member with an identified conflict of interest shall abstain from evaluating the relevant product.
Confidentiality
All applications, jury deliberations, and evaluation processes are confidential until their official public disclosure.
Transparency
Trust in the project rests on the transparency of the process, the expertise of the recognised individuals serving as members of the Bulgarian and International Juries, and the independence and autonomy of the evaluation platform
Equal Treatment
All products are evaluated on an equal and impartial basis.
No Paid Participation
Participation in 50 BEST PRODUCTS FROM BULGARIA is not conditional upon paid presence, sponsorship, or financial contribution. The selection process cannot be influenced by commercial or institutional interests.
Respect and Professional Conduct
Jury members engage in the process with respectful, constructive, and professional dialogue. Discrimination or bias of any kind is not tolerated.
Deadlines
Application
Each company submits its application online. A single company may submit multiple applications - one for each product it wishes to enter. Each product may only be submitted to one category.
Evaluation
All applications will be assessed against 10 criteria by an independent nominating jury. The names of the jury members will be disclosed publicly alongside the presentation of the nominated products in May 2027. The final selection for the inaugural edition of 50 BEST PRODUCTS FROM BULGARIA will be made by a jury of five internationally recognised international experts in the period October - November 2026.
Award Ceremony
The selection and the publication will be formally presented at an official ceremony to which all nominees for 50 BEST PRODUCTS FROM BULGARIA will be invited, as well as guests from foreign diplomatic and trade missions, relevant institutions, business representatives, investors, and influential public figures.
THE BOOK
Exclusive print publication with a digital version, presenting a two-stage selection of innovative Bulgarian products from all fields.
COIN
Limited Edition gold coin with collectible value and a QR code providing access to the digital edition of the book.
A Pop-Up Exhibition
An exhibition in Sofia presenting nominated and awarded products live, allowing the public to see and experience them beyond the pages of the book - and also purchase them.
A Travelling Exhibition
A mobile exhibition that will travel across the country, visiting both small and large towns and cities.
Deadlines
Application
Each company submits its application online. A single company may submit multiple applications - one for each product it wishes to enter. Each product may only be submitted to one category.
Evaluation
All applications will be assessed against 10 criteria by an independent nominating jury. The names of the jury members will be disclosed publicly alongside the presentation of the nominated products in May 2027. The final selection for the inaugural edition of 50 BEST PRODUCTS FROM BULGARIA will be made by a jury of five internationally recognised international experts in the period October - November 2026.
Award Ceremony
The selection and the publication will be formally presented at an official ceremony to which all nominees for 50 BEST PRODUCTS FROM BULGARIA will be invited, as well as guests from foreign diplomatic and trade missions, relevant institutions, business representatives, investors, and influential public figures.
THE BOOK
Exclusive print publication with a digital version, presenting a two-stage selection of innovative Bulgarian products from all fields.
COIN
Limited Edition gold coin with collectible value and a QR code providing access to the digital edition of the book.
A Pop-Up Exhibition
An exhibition in Sofia presenting nominated and awarded products live, allowing the public to see and experience them beyond the pages of the book - and also purchase them.
A Travelling Exhibition
A mobile exhibition that will travel across the country, visiting both small and large towns and cities.