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Short story, presentation and infographic competition – Competitions commemorating László Buday are announced for the third time, 07/05/2025

In memory of Dr. László Buday, former director of the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (HCSO), a competition for short stories, presentations and infographics for students in grades 7-13 and higher education is launched by Csányi Foundation, HCSO, the Hungarian Statistical Society (MST) and the Hungarian Homeland-studying Association. The occasion of the competition is the 100th anniversary of Dr László Buday’s death. The first three winners will receive cash prizes and valuable prizes.

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the death of Dr. László Buday (1873-1925), a statistician and university professor born in Pécs, former director of the Hungarian Central Statistical Office and the first president of the Hungarian Statistical Society, a competition for short stories, presentations and infographics is launched by Csányi Foundation, HCSO, the Hungarian Statistical Society and the Hungarian Homeland-studying Association. The competition, which is now being held for the third time, is being launched this year in three categories. Primary and secondary school pupils in grades 7-13 and students studying at BA/BSc tertiary education level can apply with a short story related to the era of Dr. László Buday. Beyond this, pupils in grades 7-13 can submit a presentation on settlement statistics, while students participating in tertiary education are invited to submit an infographic on settlement statistics.

For the short story competition, the organisers are looking for entries on the following topics:

1. In relation to the age of Dr. László Buday and the 100th anniversary of his death: a story recapturing Hungary in the 1920s.

2. What would happen if Dr. László Buday were to fall into the present? What would Dr. László Buday's life and work be like at HCSO if he were alive today?

For the presentation competition, the organisers are expecting a PPT file of 10-15 slides and a short text analysis of 1,500-2,000 characters on one of the following topics in the field of settlement statistics:

1. Population and demography

  • Why is the population decreasing (or increasing) in our settlement? (Population change, emigration, analysis of birth and death data.)
  • How does the coexistence of young and old affect our community? (Ratio of old and young, connections between generations, social effects.)

2. Education and school life

  • How has the number of students changed over the years and what does this mean to us? (Analysis of school statistics, changes in student numbers, educational opportunities.)
  • More students - less attention? The impact of class size on learning. (Research, personal experiences, pros and cons.)

3. Health and lifestyle statistics

  • How sporty is our settlement? (Sports opportunities, physical activity habits of young people, health preservation on statistical bases.)
  • How has the role of healthy nutrition changed in young people's lives?

4. Statistics about our home environment (local, settlement statistics)

  • Analysis of the exhibits of a museum, or analysis and changes in the data from a local history association.
  • Other statistics on homeland studies in the area where we live.

The infographics competition for university and college students is open to infographics on settlement statistics for a settlement of the applicant’s choice (place of birth or residence, or other freely chosen place in Hungary).

The deadline for the submission of applications is 25 September 2025. The organisers will notify the successful applicants by 15 October 2025. The award ceremony will take place on 31 October 2025 at a conference held at the Hungarian National Museum, the headquarters of the Hungarian Homeland-studying Association. The first three winners of the short story and presentation competitions will receive cash prizes of 75,000 forints, 45,000 forints and 30,000 forints, respectively, while the winners of the infographic competition will be awarded cash prizes of 150,000 forints, 125,000 forints and 100,000 forints, respectively.

Detailed information (the files below are only available in Hungarian):

Call for applications – Short story competition (PDF)

Call for applications – Presentation competition (PDF)

Call for applications – Infographic competition (PDF)

Privacy policy (PDF)

Privacy statement for under 18s (DOCX)

Privacy statement for over 18s (DOCX)

Dr. László Buday was born on 27 October 1873. As a law student, he was assistant editor of Ország-Világ (Country and the World) and a staff member of Fővárosi Lapok (Journal of the Capital City). Before his later profession, he showed a keen interest in literature at a young age: in 1894 he published an independent book of poems entitled Versek (Poems) and in 1895 a novel entitled A Reformátor (The Reformer). He began his career at HCSO in 1896. He was director of the office between 1914 and 1920, and he was head of the Department of Statistics at the Royal Joseph University of Technology (now Budapest University of Technology and Economics) from 1920 until his death. In 1922, he played a leading role in the foundation of the Hungarian Statistical Society and, as its first president, in its initial operation. He worked on population, economic statistics and theoretical issues, and after the First World War he made desperate efforts to ensure the success of the Trianon peace negotiations.

 

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