The nominees for the 2026 Prima Primissima Award have been announced. Out of more than 900 recommendations from professional and civic organizations as well as past laureates, the board selected 30 nominees across 10 categories, including Dr Ildikó Sándor and Miklós Végső.
Every nominee gets a Prima Award worth 8 million HUF. Ten of them will win the main Prima Primissima Award, which comes with a 20 million HUF prize. The gala will be held on December 4, 2026, at Müpa Budapest.
Teachers from the Hungarian Dance Academy were nominated in the "Hungarian Education and Public Education" and "Hungarian Folk Art and Culture" categories.
Sándor Ildikó (Fotó: Bege Dóra, Képmás)
Dr Ildikó Sándor – Ethnographer, Storyteller, University Lecturer
She earned her degree in Hungarian and Ethnography, and later her PhD, at ELTE’s Faculty of Humanities. An active participant in the táncház (folk dance house) movement since her university years, she is a founding member of the Tatros ensemble and the Guzsalyas dance house, and has been running the Kőketánc children's dance house since 1988. After spending 25 years at the Hungarian Heritage House, she is currently an associate professor at the Hungarian Dance Academy and a lecturer at ELTE, having also previously taught at the Liszt Academy of Music. She brings traditional folktales back to life through oral storytelling based on authentic transcriptions. Her work connects ethnography and teaching—making living tradition relatable through hands-on experience and sharing it as a vibrant community practice.
Miklós Végső and Gyöngyvér Hortobágyi
Miklós Végső – Folk Dancer
He graduated in the very first class of the folk dance department at the State Ballet Institute, and later earned a BA degree at the Hungarian Dance Academy in 2014. He was a principal soloist and lead dancer for the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble, and danced with the Kodály Chamber Dance Ensemble between 1984 and 1987. A recipient of both the Young Master of Folk Art and the Perpetual Golden Spur awards, his research and field collections focused on traditional dances from the Szatmár and Transylvanian regions as well as Romani dances. He has been teaching and choreographing for amateur folk dance groups since 1975, and served as an instructor and choreographer at the Hungarian Dance University from 1996 to 2024. The Harangozó Gyula Award-winning dancer currently performs with the Kispej lovam troupe.
