Valya Balkanska
Balkanska received numerous awards throughout her career as a folk music singer. One of her favourite recognitions is a golden statuette from the Art Olympiad in Los Angeles in 1997. In 2002 the Bulgarian president honoured her with a Stara Planina medal, considered the highest national award. In the same year she also received the Golden Lyre award by the Union of Bulgarian Musicians and Dancers. Balkanska became an awardee of the Golden Phenomenon prize for helping the popularization of Bulgarian folk music and culture and for the same reason she was the first Bulgarian to be honoured by UNESCO as a "citizen of the planet".