On 16 May 2025, the Zahariy Zograph National Painting Prize was presented at the Prof. Vasil Zahariev City Art Gallery in Samokov. The jury awarded this year’s prize—a statuette of Zahariy Zograph by sculptor Georgi Chapkanov—to painter Prof. Ivaylo Mirchev, and it was presented to him by Angel Dzhorgov, Mayor of Samokov Municipality.
During the ceremony, awards were also given out to children who had competed in the children’s drawing contest. The awards were presented by Prof. Aksinia Džurova, Jury Chair, and art historian Assoc. Prof. Boris Danailov.
On 22 April 2025, the ‘13 Centuries Bulgaria’ National Endowment Fund had made a donation to Samokov Municipality, with the express wish that it be used to support the National Children’s Drawing Competition, part of the Zahariy Zograph National Painting Prize. The funding was used to buy materials for the young competitors.