NEWS AND EVENTS

On September 15, 2025, in Chieti, Italy, the 21st edition of the prestigious international Jules Alemmand Trophy competition took place, where Irina Valkova, a graduate of the Faculty of Dental Medicine at the Medical University of Sofia, won the grand prize.

The competition brought together dental medicine students from Spain, Portugal, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Romania, Turkey, Greece, Kazakhstan, Germany, France, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Poland, Hungary, and Denmark. In each country, a strict preliminary selection is conducted by a local jury, with only the best-prepared student advancing to the international stage.

The contestants completed two practical tasks: an aesthetic restoration of a central incisor using the layering technique, and an aesthetic restoration of a natural molar.

The winner, Irina, was awarded for a two-month professional internship at the University of Chieti, Italy, where she will have the opportunity to further develop her skills and work side by side with leading specialists in the field of dental medicine.

Irina Valkova is part of the Biomimetics Student Club, led by Prof. Dimitar Filchev. Her preparation for the competition was guided by Dr. Ivaylo Ribagin – founder of the competition in Bulgaria, Dr. Aleksandar Bonchev, and Dr. Galena Mateeva.

The award is both recognition of the high standard of education at the Faculty of Dental Medicine of MU–Sofia and further proof of the talent and professionalism of young Bulgarian dental practitioners.