The Award for contemporary art BAZA is unique for Bulgaria. It is a grant for travel and residency in New York City for one and a half months. Each year one Bulgarian artist aged under 35 becomes the BAZA winner. He or she is chosen after a two-stage competition.

The award winner’s stay in New York comprises a programme of meetings with curators, visiting galleries and art institutions, collaborations with artists from other countries as well as the opportunity for an exhibition or presentation of the artist’s own work. The widening of the professional contacts is also due to the fact, that BAZA is part of an awards-network in more than 10 countries in Central and Eastern Europe (YVAA), which function on a similar principle.

In Bulgaria BAZA exists since 2008, when it was initiated by Maria Vassileva and founded by the Institute of Contemporary Art – Sofia. The award winners get the opportunity for a solo exhibition at the ICA Gallery in Sofia after finishing their residencies. Partner of the project is the Sofia City Art Gallery which provides the space and support for the exhibition of the nominees. Curator of the exhibition is Daniela Radeva.

Members of the 2014 jury are: Iara Boubnova, Maria Vassileva, Galina Dimitrova-Dimova, Kalin Serapionov and Sasho Stoitsov. For the second year in a row in the jury take part also an international curator, who is Vilcek Foundation Fellow. In 2014 this is Lumi Tan, critic and curator, currently working for one of the oldest and most prestigious art spaces in New York – The Kitchen.

The BAZA award winner for 2014 is Zoran Georgiev.