The top three winners and two special prize recipients of the competition titled 鈥淗ungary and the Central European Region in the European Union, the European Union in the World鈥� received their awards in the Parliament.
At the award ceremony held on Monday, J谩nos B贸ka, Minister for European Union Affairs, emphasized in his speech that the very topic of the call reflects how the Parliament, the government, and the Hungarian representation of the European Commission all consider it important to approach our political environment consciously.
He stated that Hungary must consciously shape its place within the European Union, recognizing that in doing so it also shapes the Union itself. At the same time, the EU must consciously define its role in the world, as it thereby shapes global developments as well.
He stressed that neither our political environment nor our place within it is predetermined; rather, it is our responsibility to relate to it consciously and our opportunity to shape it according to our capabilities. 鈥淥ur fate is in our own hands鈥攄o not let anyone convince you otherwise,鈥� he said.
He also noted that, according to the jury, compared to previous years more submissions were likely created using ChatGPT or similar programs, suggesting that some applicants were motivated primarily by the prize money, while for others recognition remained the main incentive.
B贸ka encouraged the awardees to be bold, noting that their presence at the ceremony proves they do not shy away from challenges and possess exceptional talent, creativity, and intellectual energy. He described the task of critically examining human-made systems鈥攃utting through communication layers, institutional frameworks, and underlying myths鈥攁s one of the greatest intellectual challenges.
He argued that the European Union itself is such a human construct, surrounded by communication layers, institutional complexity, and built upon certain narratives. According to him, the awardees are already capable of critically engaging with these aspects, and, if they have the courage, they may even begin to question the 鈥渕yths鈥� of the EU.
He added that these narratives strongly shape the current debate on the EU鈥檚 present and future, and that meaningful discussion requires a more critical and conscious approach to them. In his closing remarks, he suggested that such an approach could transform the debate about the EU鈥檚 future into a more genuine political discourse.
G谩bor Zupk贸, head of the European Commission Representation in Hungary, highlighted that the EU, as a peace project, aims to ensure Europe鈥檚 long-term peace, political stability, and economic prosperity. He noted that the challenges of the 21st century require increasingly close cooperation to maintain Europe鈥檚 global influence, while also stressing the importance of balancing shared and national competences.
Kriszti谩n Kov谩cs, Director of Foreign Affairs at the Office of the National Assembly, recalled that when the competition was first launched more than thirty years ago, Hungary was still preparing for EU accession, whereas today it has already completed two successful EU Council presidencies.
He also stated that the first-place winner receives one million forints, the second-place winner 700,000 forints, and the third-place winner 500,000 forints, while the two special prize winners receive 400,000 forints each.
In the 2025 competition, first prize was awarded to Levente Nagy, a student of Business Administration and Management at the University of Debrecen; second prize went to Szandra S眉megi, a law student at the University of Szeged; and third prize to Daniella Stella Sztrein, a law student at K谩roli G谩sp谩r University of the Reformed Church in Hungary.
The first special prize was awarded to Attila Szegecs, a law student at P谩zm谩ny P茅ter Catholic University, while the second special prize went to Fruzsina D贸ra Vajda, a law student at the University of Debrecen.
