Anna Prancheva from the Institute of Polymers at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences is the winner of the Union of Bulgarian Chemists’ Award for “Outstanding Young Scientist in the Field of Polymers”, named after Prof. Ivan Shopov. for 2026. At an official ceremony held on March 4 in the conference hall of the Institute of Polymers, the award was presented by the founder of the award, Prof. Ivan Shopov, and the chairman of the Union of Chemists in Bulgaria, Prof. Venko Beshkov. This year marked the 23rd edition of the competition.

Anna Prancheva participated in the current competition with a scientific article published in 2025 in the prestigious Journal of Polymer Science. The publication, entitled “Hyaluronic Acid-Coated Complexes of Cationic Polymeric Micelles and Serratiopeptidase – Preparation, Characterization, and Enzyme Activity,” focuses on the development of new nanocomplexes based on cationic polymeric micelles and the proteolytic enzyme serratiopeptidase coated with hyaluronic acid.

Anna Prancheva works as a chemist at the Institute of Polymers at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, in the scientific field of “Polymer Biomaterials” at the “Functional and Nanostructured Polymers” laboratory. In 2018, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski.” She is currently studying for a master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy – Sofia, Faculty of Chemical and Systems Engineering. Anna Prancheva has co-authored five scientific publications in prestigious international journals. She received an award for best oral presentation at the 16th scientific session “Young Scientists in the World of Polymers” 2025.

Krum Alexandrov from the Institute of Polymers at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences was awarded a certificate for his outstanding performance in the competition. He participated with a scientific article published in 2025 in the Pharmaceuticals journal. The study, entitled “Design and Characterization of Thermosensitive Niosomes as Platforms for Daunorubicin Delivery,” examines the development of thermosensitive niosomes designed for the targeted delivery of daunorubicin hydrochloride. Krum Alexandrov presented the results of his scientific work in 2025 at seven scientific forums, winning two awards for best poster presentation at the 21st “Polymers” National Symposium 2025, Kazanlak, Bulgaria, and at Polymat 2025, Zabrze, Poland, and an award for best presentation at the 16th “Young Scientists in the World of Polymers” scientific session.

In the photo, from left to right: Prof. Ivan Shopov, Anna Prancheva, Prof. Venko Beshkov