Who is the Bulgarian man of the year? The three nominees who made it to the top are Mancherster United striker Dimitar Berbatov, volleyball player and captain of the national team Plamen Konstantinov and Yavor Gurdev, theatre and film director, Bulgarian news agency BTA reported on October 6 2008.

Initiated by Darik Radio, the informal competition is based on the nominations sent by 200 Bulgarian journalists. For the first time since 1994, no politician has found place in the troika of shortlisted nominees.

A total of 118 most deserving men have been proposed, among which are the late conductor Vili Kazasian and late archaeologist Georgi Kitov, President Georgi Purvanov, the Education Minister Daniel Vulchev, and the Culture Minister Stefan Danailov.

Meglena Plougchieva, Bulgaria's Minister for EU Funds Management, has also found place in the chart, as obviously some people thought that she often behaves in a more masculine manner than most men do.

Darik Radio has said that the nominees are being judged upon possession of such qualities as knighthood, or the willingness to lose and yield to somebody else, which appears to be Bulgaria's biggest moral deficit.

There are also some nominations of bravery such as the police officer Victor Yanev saving a 20-year-old suicidal woman in Sofia. Or Anatoli Alexandrov from Pleven, who pulled out a  saleswoman from her burning shop.

Anyone interested could cast their vote for one of the top three nominees on www.manoftheyear.bg by October 30.

In the beginning of December, during a special ceremony, the winner will be awarded a unique sword and a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label whisky.