JOHN ATANASOFF AWARD
The John Atanasoff Award of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, named after the creator of the first electronic computer - the famous scholar of Bulgarian descent, John Atanasoff, was first awarded in 2003 in support of the personal achievements of young Bulgarian researchers working in the fields of informatics and information technology. Among the John Atanasoff laureates are leaders in world renowned research institutes and corporations, developing solutions in the areas of computer linguistics, robotics and cryptology.
John Vincent Atanasoff was born on 4 Oct 1903 near Hamilton, New York. His father Ivan Atanasoff was a Bulgarian emigrant and was born in the village of Boyadzhik, Yambol, in 1876. His parents die in the climax of the April revolution in Bulgaria. In 1889 Ivan Atanasoff, 13-year-old boy by then, emigrates to America with his uncle.