During 2005 a large-scale project, called “Year awards for contemporary Bulgarian Art of M-Tel”, was initiated. The project is totally financed by the biggest company for mobile communications in Bulgaria - Mobiltel. Its partner is Vitosha art gallery.

The ambitious assignment, which the project aims is to represent chosen authors among the most interesting art exhibitions of the Bulgarian painters to big Bulgarian and foreign publics audience. To achieve this goal the art events are being closely watched during the year not only in the entire country, but in big foreign galleries as well.

A jury with five members makes the selection. It has two permanent members - art critics Elisaveta Musakova and Dimitar Grozdanov and three painters that switch over each year. The choice of the exchangeable jury members is associated not only with their engagement with the Bulgarian art stage, but with their practice of teachers and organizers of events in the modern Bulgarian art world as well.

The exhibitions take place in different places each year in order to find a larger audience, not only in Sofia, but also in other cities in the country that keep successful policy in the sphere of culture and are becoming centers for manifestation of modern painters. The practice in the contest is that the exhibitions show works chosen from the workshops of the authors or ordered in accordance with the architectural environment of the art exhibition is held.

Traditionally three awards are determined at the closing of the event. The names of six more painters /in addition to the winners/, whose works are bought for the collection of Mobiltel, are traditionally announced as well. Important part of the project is the publishing of a catalog with detailed information about the painters and a CD with additional materials.

Good practice of the biggest mobile operator in Bulgaria is to award art works from the authors, which participated in the contest to his VIP clients. In that way the Bulgarian modern art finds financial support and a constant interest for the Bulgarian galleries and the authors.

In 2006, the exhibition with works selected among the authors nominated during 2005 was on a tour at Kunstlerhaus – Vienna, and the project extended beyond the borders of Bulgaria.

The works selected among the authors nominated during 2006 are with big dimensions and some of them are presented in urban environment. In 2007, the exhibition was held within the borders of Home of Art in National Palace of Culture.

In 2008 the third selection of creations from the “Year awards for contemporary Bulgarian Art of M-Tel” contest was in Plovdiv on 2000 square meters of area. The exposition was the first of its kind with such scale and it was arranged in part of the old tobacco storerooms on “Exarches Joseph 16” Str. and The Ancient bath - an exhibition hall associated with “Centre for modern art”. The special guest of the festival was the curator for video and photography of the prestigious festival - Art Basel 2008 - Marc Gloede. 45 authors of modern art participated with nine art installations, nearly 20 sculptural compositions, over 15 graphic works and of course many pictorial canvases. For the first time artistic photos were included.

In 2009 the exhibition competition takes place in Varna. For first time Varna Port Warehouse No 7 was turned into a modern art gallery for a month. There the ”M-Tel Contemporary Bulgarian Art Awards” exhibition competition for 2008 was opened for the fourth consecutive time. 45 Bulgarian artists working home and abroad display their art installations, sculptures, photographs and paintings within an area of approximately 2000 square meters.

Съорганизатор на изложбата е ГАЛЕРИЯ ВИТОША.