Am I eligible?
To enter FameLab you must be at least 18 years old (and preferably up to 35) and studying or working in science. This includes private and public sector employees, technicians and anyone working in the fields of science, technology, engineering or maths. The competition aims to provide new opportunities for scientists to develop their skills as communicators.

Here is a more detailed description of eligibility criteria.

How do I enter?

• Download the registration form for the venue closest to you and send it to us by email to beautiful.science@britishcouncil.bg by the indicated deadlines. Please enter the city you will be going to in the subject line of your email (for example Sofia)

city	date	venue	deadline for application
Sofia	5 April	National Music School	4 April by email or last minute registration on 5 April at the venue - no later than 10.30
Russe	11 April	Plenary Hall, Russe Municipality	5.30 pm 10 April by email or LAST MINUTE registration on 11 April at the venue - no later than 10.30 am (please confirm by phone 0887 942 42 49)
Varna	13 April	Plenary Hall, Varna Municipality	5.30 pm 10 April by email or LAST MINUTE registration on 13 April at the venue - no later than 10.30 am (please confirm by phone 0887 942 42 49)
Plovdiv	19 April	Military CLub	17 April

• We will contact you by email to confirm the receipt of your application and inform you of the details
• Come to the audition closest to you and present any scientific topic to our panel of judges. (Don't forget to inviet your friends and family to come and watch and support you!)

What will happen at the competition?

• You will be given a maximum of 3 minutes in which to impress the judges. They are looking for exciting and engaging talks (in Bulgarian) that can be understood by a general public adult audience. Minimal props are allowed but there is no set up time or assistance. Power points’ presentations are not permitted.
• A public audience will be present.
• The judges will be able to question you after each presentation and will also give you feedback where possible.
• Twelve finalists (three from each city where the heats will take place) from the auditions will be chosen to go through to a masterclass on 1 and 2 May and then to the final on 9 May. At the final you will be asked to give a 5 minute presentation of a contemporary science topic that is different from previous auditions. The judges will be able to question you on the topic and give feedback. An audience will be present who will be involved in the selection process.

What exactly am I expected to do?
Do you want to see what FameLab UK contestants presented last year? Visit the FameLab UK website and watch the videos of finalists from 2005, 2006 and 2007. This will give you a good idea what is expected of you.

You can also watch the performance of the Bulgarian finalists from the competition in 2007.

If you want to talk to Bulgarian science communicators, please get in touch with Forum Democrit - they have offered to help anybody in their preparation for the competition! Write to democrit@gmail.com

What is FameLab looking for?
The aim of FameLab is to encourage scientists to inspire and excite public imagination with a vision of science in the 21st century. We are searching for the new faces of Bulgarian science who will be able to develop their ideas and presentation skills for a TV and non-specialist audience. At the auditions you only have 3 minutes to impress the judges by giving an entertaining and original talk that is scientifically accurate but also engaging to a non-scientific audience.

Who are the judges?
There will be leading figures from the world of science and media at the auditions and final. We will announce their names closer to the date of the competition.

What do I win?

• The 12 finalists will win a 2-day masterclass in science communication. You will work with UK and Bulgarian science communicators and media trainers to develop your media and presentation skills.
• The overall FameLab winner chosen at the Final in Sofia will attend the Cheltehnam Science Festival in the UK and compete in the FameLab International competition on 7 June 2008
• The winner and the two runner-ups will receive other prizes too.
• There will be a special Audience Award as well as other special awards
• You will definitely win the appreciation of the audience for you passion for science

If you are interested in FameLab - register now to make sure you don't miss the latest news… or the auditions! Good luck!

Do you have a question? Please contact us at beautiful.science@britishcouncil.bg.