THE NATIONAL STUDENT COMPETITION IN CRIMINAL LAW GATHERS FUTURE LAWYERS AT VFU "CHERNORIZETS HRABAR"
07 february 2026
On 4 April 2026, on the eve of the Bulgarian Constitution Day, the National Student Competition in Criminal Law will be held at Varna Free University "Chernorizets Hrabar". The organizers of the event are the Lawyer's Club "Prof. Tamara Hinova" at the Student Council and the Faculty of Law of the university. For the second consecutive year, Varna Free University "Chernorizets Hrabar" is hosting the initiative, which strengthens academic traditions and creates opportunities for professional development of future lawyers.
The competition will bring together students from leading universities in the country, who will demonstrate knowledge and skills in the field of substantive and procedural criminal law. The main goal of the initiative is to promote legal culture, stimulate academic activity and create an environment for the exchange of experience and ideas between future lawyers from different higher education institutions. Last year, 12 teams from six leading universities in Bulgaria participated in the competition, which confirmed the interest and high prestige of the event.
The National Student Competition in Criminal Law is an important element of the policy of the Faculty of Law of Varna Free University "Chernorizets Hrabar" for the preparation of highly qualified specialists and maintaining high academic standards. The university has modern facilities, established lecturers and an active student community, which creates excellent conditions for holding prestigious academic forums.
The competition is intended for third- to fifth-year Law students. Each higher education institution can send up to three teams, each team consisting of four participants. Applications for participation are submitted online via a special form or by email to sustezanienpn@vfu.bg, with the deadline for registration being 27 February 2026.
The competition will be held in two rounds. Six teams ranked by the jury will be admitted to the second round. In the first round, participants will receive a case study that must be analysed and legally qualified within one astronomical hour. The use of collections of laws and case law on paper is allowed. After the time has elapsed, each team will present its decision to a jury consisting of a judge, a prosecutor and three habilitated lecturers.
In the second round, the teams will prepare a draft resolution and decide a case with appropriate argumentation in the field of criminal procedure law. The jury of the competition will be composed of leading experts in the field of law, including a judge from the Court of Appeal, a prosecutor from the District Prosecutor's Office and three habilitated lecturers from different universities. The evaluation criteria in the first round include accurate legal qualifications and clear argumentation, and in the second round, the ability to convincingly present the theses orally is added to them.
The teams ranked in the first three places will receive diplomas from Varna Free University "Chernorizets Hrabar", as well as prizes from the organizers and partners of the competition. Each participant will receive a certificate of participation issued by the university.
The competition will be held on the campus of Varna Free University "Chernorizets Hrabar" in Varna, located on the seashore, at about 10 minutes distance from the city and in close proximity to the Golden Sands Nature Park. The university has a dormitory, a cafeteria and a secure parking lot.
Further information about the event can be obtained from Vanesa Dragneva - Chairperson of the Lawyer's Club "Prof. Tamara Hinova" at the Student Council, by phone 0876 212 277 or by email sustezanienpn@vfu.bg.