What do you want the world to know about Sofia?
The Credo Bonum Foundation and Multi Kulti Collective are excited to announce a new open call for visual artists in the style of The Sofianer project. Selected covers will become part of our new initiative - a deluxe hardcover bilingual book, The Sofianer, aimed at both Bulgarian contemporary art enthusiasts and international tourists. Let’s showcase the most beautiful, fun, well-known, unknown, and intriguing sides of Sofia together!
About The Sofianer Book
The success of The Sofianer project over the past three years has inspired us to follow in the footsteps of Paris, Tokyo, and Milan by publishing the first The Sofianer book. We are planning a high-end, bilingual hardcover art edition - a true collector’s piece. Spanning nearly 100 pages, it will include not only the most outstanding works created so far but also new ones that we are looking forward to receiving from you in this contest. In addition, the book will feature texts by renowned intellectuals, poets, and journalists. The release date is set for September 17, Sofia Day - a true gift FROM and TO the city!
About the Competition
As always, we seek illustrations that capture the authentic and diverse essence of Sofia and the lives of its residents - through every season, in every corner of the city, from all perspectives. We welcome creative, sincere, humorous, and ironic interpretations of the question: “What do you want the world to know about Sofia?”
Selection Criteria
- Artistic value
- Compliance with the competition guidelines and aesthetic direction
- Originality of the idea and authentic representation of Sofia’s spirit
- Diversity of perspectives and visions of Sofia
This year, the jury will be looking for high-quality works worthy of inclusion in a book. The focus will be on themes and subjects that haven’t been illustrated before. The National Theatre, The National Palace of Culture, the metro, street cats, and pigeons have been depicted many times - meanwhile, numerous sites have yet to inspire artists. We are looking for the untold stories and hidden faces of Sofia.
Basic Guidelines:
- Retro or contemporary style
- Edgy, but humorous
- Sugar-coated, romantic, fairytale-like, and cozy
- More irony and humour
- Everyday mishaps
- Surprises
Suggested Themes:
- People of Sofia - who is the “Sofianer”?
- The guards in front of the Presidential building
- Central Department Store (TZUM)
- The National Library
- The “Little Five Corners”
- Chitalnyata
- The Military Club
- Ariana Lake
- The Women’s Market
- Lion’s Bridge
- The Central Railway Station
- The Flea Market
- The Bells Monument Complex
- Vrana Palace
- Boyana Church
- Pancharevo Lake
- The Airport
- Sofia’s traffic
- Bench parties
- Typical foods and drinks
- Interiors of notable buildings (The National Palace of Culture, the National Theatre, museums, etc.)
- Iconic Sofia cafés and bars
- Sofia’s urban festivals (A to JazZ, KvARTal Festival, Rivers of Sofia, The Big Table, etc.)
- Key historical events in Sofia
- Ancient Sofia - archaeological finds, ruins, the Largo
- Beautiful old Sofia houses
- Communist-era Sofia
- Sofia from above
Special Collaboration: Sketches of Sofia
This year, we are joining forces with the wonderful photography project Sketches of Sofia by Ivan Shishiev, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary. With 17,221 published photographs, 31 solo exhibitions on three continents, and three books, this project has inspired many artists for their The Sofianer covers. We strongly encourage participants to browse The Etudes’ archives for inspiration! Should you choose to use Mr. Shishiev’s photography as a basis for your artwork, kindly indicate this explicitly.
Submission Guidelines
The competition is open to artists, illustrators, cartoonists, graphic designers, and other creators of all ages and nationalities, who have lived in Sofia at some point or feel a connection to the city. We welcome artists from all social and cultural backgrounds, including marginalized communities. Each participant may submit up to 3 entries. By submitting, the author guarantees that the work is their own intellectual property. AI-generated works will not be considered.
The jury of The Sofianer will award three first prizes, each worth 500 BGN.
Selected artworks will be awarded in-kind compensation. Each artist featured will receive 3 free copies of the book and will be widely promoted on the project’s website and social media channels. Additionally, selected artists may be invited to, should they wish to do so, create The Sofianer merchandise (posters, postcards, magnets, mugs, T-shirts, tote bags, etc.). Further discussions on the latter will commence after the competition has concluded.
The Sofianer is a registered trademark. While the artists retain the rights to their images, they cannot sell them under The Sofianer brand.
Technical Requirements
- Images must be A4 format, vertical orientation, following the classic The New Yorker cover layout.
- Entries must include the title The Sofianer (available for download in EPS and PDF format).
- Submit JPEG files up to 10MB per image (selected artists must provide high-resolution files for printing at a later date).
- Email subject line: "[APPLICANT’S NAME] – The Sofianer"
- The email should include a short bio, a portfolio link, and a brief description of the illustration’s concept (in Bulgarian or English).
- Send entries to info@sofianer.com as attached files (max total size: 20MB).
About The Sofianer
The New Yorker magazine, with its signature urban spirit and classic aesthetic, has sparked a global movement where cities around the world create their own imagined covers. This has given rise to The Parisianer, The Tokyoiter, Le Montrealer, The Brusseler, The Milaneser, The Shanghairen, and others - projects that inspire local artists and illustrators to depict their cities in the timeless style of The New Yorker. These covers serve as love letters to their cities - not by highlighting famous landmarks and tourist attractions, but by capturing their unique, authentic spirit.
Sofia joined this global initiative in 2022. Since then, The Sofianer has released three editions (2022, 2023, and 2024), accompanied by three open-air exhibitions that have drawn tens of thousands of visitors. More than 300 established and emerging artists have participated, submitting over 500 works. The initiative has reached a wide audience through over 60 media features in leading outlets and a growing community of more than 6,000 followers on social media.
Deadline: 15 May 2025 (extended deadline)
If you want to put up a poster for the open call in your office, coworking space, university, school, or other suitable space, you can download an A3 size PDF here.
The Sofianer book is co-funded by Sofia Municipality, Culture Programme, and the Bulgarian-American Credit Bank.