In addition to three German young people, two students from Széchenyi István University won prizes in the essay competition organised by the Hungarian-German Association for Youth on the 35th anniversary of the Pan-European Picnic. The prestige of the competition is reflected in the fact that the awards were presented by the President of the Association in the presence of the Presidents of the two countries.

The Pan-European Picnic is one of the emblematic events of the regime changes in Central and Eastern Europe. On 19 August 1989, a large number of people gathered near Sopron in the spirit of the idea of a Europe without borders, and then, taking advantage of the programme, hundreds of East German citizens broke through the border gate and fled to the West. This became a symbol of the fall of the Iron Curtain and indirectly contributed to the fall of the Berlin Wall a few months later.

The 35th anniversary of this historic moment was recently commemorated in Sopron, organised by the Hungarian-German Youth Association and the Hungarian office of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. The event gave seventy young people from six countries the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of history. As part of the programme, the results of an essay competition organised by the association were formally announced. There were 21 entries presented, assessing the historical significance and impact of the Pan-European Picnic. The themes of cultural understanding and civic participation dominated, with eight essays on each, while four essays on the Picnic itself and one on EU membership were submitted.

At the ceremony, the prizes were presented by the Presidents of the two countries, Dr Tamás Sulyok and Frank-Walter Steinmeier, together with Dr Erzsébet Knáb, President of the Hungarian-German Youth Association. "We believe that every meeting, every joint activity that we enable between German and Hungarian young people contributes to building a bridge that we Germans and Hungarians will cross together, hand in hand, in the spirit of partnership", stressed Dr Erzsébet Knáb, who is also the founding president and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Széchenyi István University Foundation. The awards were presented at the Summer Academy, where participants also discussed the impact of historical events such as the Pan-European Picnic on today's generation.

A jury of renowned, highly respected German and Hungarian personalities awarded prizes to three German and two Hungarian young people. The latter two are both students of Széchenyi István University, although there were entries from a number of Hungarian higher education institutions: Máté Kónya, from the International Studies degree programme, was awarded second prize, while Borbála Illés, studying Law, won a special prize.

The five winners of the essay competition, including Széchenyi István University students Máté Kónya (fourth from left) and Borbála Illés (fourth from right), received their awards from Dr Tamás Sulyok, President of the Republic of Hungary (first from left) and Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of the Republic of Germany (second from right), and Dr Erzsébet Knáb, President of the Hungarian-German Youth Association (far right).

"I am grateful to the Hungarian-German Association for Youth for its long-standing commitment and success in fostering relations between the two countries through youth involvement and high-quality events. I am very happy to have been part of this effort at the Summer Academy organised in the context of the anniversary of the Pan-European Picnic. I would like to thank Széchenyi István University for the student-centred, high-quality education that contributed to my current achievement. And as a Sopron citizen, I particularly appreciate the fact that the cultural richness and historical significance of our city is brought to the fore through such prestigious events," said Máté Kónya.

"For me, the Summer Academy and its highlight, the Memorial Day, were both a challenge and a life-changing experience. It was a tremendous opportunity to meet so many people thinking together, working for a common goal and to relive this historic event in such a great community. I am grateful to all those who participated in making it happen, without whom I would not have realized how important it is for me to build bridges not only between nations, but also between the goals that shape our future", said Borbála Illés.

The Hungarian-German Youth Association awarded valuable prizes to the participants of the essay competition. The first prize winner received €150, the second €100 and the third €50. In addition, the top three winners each won a five-day Interrail ticket to travel around Europe.

The students of Széchenyi István University, Máté Kónya and Borbála Illés also took a selfie with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.