“In the Footsteps of Wallenberg” – Student Competition 2026
The Raoul Wallenberg Association and the Raoul Wallenberg Multipurpose Vocational Training Institution of Semmelweis University organized their traditional competition titled “In the Footsteps of Wallenberg” for the 16th time, open to students from secondary schools in Hungary and beyond its borders.
The program was supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Municipality of Budapest, the Embassy of the Kingdom of Sweden in Budapest, the Federation of Jewish Communities in Hungary, the March of Life Foundation, the Holocaust Documentation Centre and Memorial, and the Raoul Wallenberg Foundation.
Teams of three students, accompanied by their teachers, were eligible to enter the competition; this year, a total of 70 teams participated in the contest. The semifinals took place in five cities: Győr, Veszprém, Cegléd, Debrecen, and Budapest.
A total of 12 teams participated in the finals held at the Goldmark Hall in Budapest, including two from beyond the border.
In his welcoming remarks, the representative of Mazsihisz emphasized: it is of paramount importance to preserve the memory of those Hungarian Jewish citizens who perished during the Holocaust. “It is essential to teach future generations what humans are capable of doing to one another—and that the consequences and losses of such acts affect us all,” he said.
The winners: first place went to the “Zachor” team from Dunaszerdahely, second place to the “Inquisitores” team from Győr (Győri SZC Baksa Kálmán Bilingual High School), third place to the team from Nyergesújfalu, and fourth place to the “Libertas” team from Miskolc.
What Makes the Students at Baksa Kálmán Successful?
Written by Dr. Attila Szilárd Tar, mentor
At the Győr SZC Baksa Kálmán Bilingual High School (until 2020: Krúdy Gyula High School and Technical School), we have a long-standing tradition of entering one or more teams in the “In the Footsteps of Wallenberg” national competition. I have been preparing teams for this exciting and highly multifaceted competition since 2016.
Over the past ten years, I have managed to reach the finals with five teams, and this year with two at once—one of which also competed last year already. Overall, it’s safe to say that the Baksa students are talented, as we’ve achieved two second-place rankings, one third, one fourth, one sixth, and one ninth so far, including this year’s result. The secret to success is hard to pin down. A lot depends on the teacher and on motivated, creative students. I am very lucky that my teams and I have always been able to work well together. I prepared them on the competition topics and the historical background, and they very skilfully completed the preliminary assignment (a short film) for the semifinals, followed by the joint assignment with another team for the finals.
The first hurdle is the regional semifinal. For this, we have to submit a short film on one of the contest’s themes (e.g., anti-Semitism, xenophobia, exclusion, tolerance, etc.). In the past, the short film had to strictly focus on the Holocaust, which is perhaps why we chose this topic for our films again this year. As always, Tibor Villányi, president of the Győr Jewish Community, was a great help in preparing the project. Of course, there were many other tasks to complete on-site during the semifinals. This year, my students competed from class 11A, with three teams totalling nine students. Two of my teams advanced to the finals in Budapest from the semifinals in Veszprém and Győr.
In the finals, each team had to present a concept in the form of a scene or a short film working together with another team. The “Inquisitores” team from Baksa, together with the students from Szentes, was assigned the concept of xenophobia, while the other team from Baksa, “Júdea,” staged a performance on tolerance with the students from Nagyenyed. Everyone did a great job; it was a pleasure to watch the performances. Of course, there were also four other tasks that ultimately determined the final rankings. The “Inquisitores” team came in second again, just like last year. Members: Emili Bálint, Júlia Bélyei-Horváth, and Lili Czébán. “Júdea” finished in 9th place. Members: Melinda Szabó, Lara Váradi, and Karina Wolfram. We will soon be going on the study trip to Poland that we won last year with the members of “Inquisitores.”
Congratulations to both teams from Baksa High School and their mentor!
See equally: The Pattantyús-Ábrahám Géza Technical Highschool (Győr) students in the footsteps of Wallenberg – 1 ; The Kálmán Baksa High School (Győr) students in the footsteps of Wallenberg – 2
Source: Mazsihisz (Introduction)
Cover photo: Sveriges Museum om Förintelsen
Ed. and translation: PK