Budapest in 100 words - summary 2014

The Budapest in 100 words, the action, which is about your city in 100 words, was brought to Budapest by Mindspace Non-profit Ltd in corporation with the Plagio team from Chile. The 100 words in Budapest is for those, who are pleased to tell their feelings about the city. It could be about love, sadness, falling in love, woe, gratitude or apathy, anything that inspires you to create a writing, a 100-word artwork.

The Budapest in 100 words is the Hungarian version of the popular initiative, which has been moving the whole city for 14 years in Chile. The organizers invited entries for the competition, which you could participate with a maximum 100-word writing, on June 27th 2014. This day in the history of ‘in 100 words’ projects has become an important date. Not just in Budapest, but also in Mexico City, the action was started to run simultaneously on this day.

The real beauty of this initiative is through its simplicity. All the applicants had to do was sharing their stories connected to the city, where they live. What kind of stories, memories, feelings and impressions do they have about it, its spaces, happenings and people? In their own words. The winner stories were vividly illustrated by those professional illustrators, who the organizers entrusted. Through the competition in Chile the inhabitants could find the artworks everywhere. They were exhibited on public vehicles, you could see them on bills, postcards, T-shirts, and even read them in calendars.

To the Hungarian competition the writings could be sent between June 27th and September 7th, while 738 artworks were delivered all together.

The Hungarian project was not only for the citizens of Budapest, but also for people who live in this county whether they are foreigners or Hungarians. Moreover the Mindspace team tried to pass the call to the transborder Hungarians as well. A 3-member jury has chosen the 12 finalist. Each member is an important person in the cultural life of Budapest: Nóra Winkler, András Hajós and Szőllőssy Balázs, a member of the association for young writers, called FISZ.

The prize giving ceremony was held within the CAFE Budapest event series, in Bálna Budapest, on October 8th 2014. The organizers announced the winners, and three different music formation set to music 3 artworks out of the 12 finalists. Thus you could not just read, but also listen to these stories. The first, the second and the third best got a prize, the total value was 150 000 HUF.

The best 12 artworks were vividly illustrated by professional illustrators, and these pictures were exhibited as well. The illustrators: Cecília Simonyi, Norbert Nagy, Bogi Paulovkin, Kata Pap, Gabi Makhult, Anna Holló, Sarolta Szulyovszky, László Herbszt, Máté Orr, Rozi Békés, Írisz Agócs and Olgi Molnár. The vocational leader of the illustrators was Cecília Simonyi, who is the art director of the Pixis online publisher as well. Booklets were also made out of the 100 best stories, which could be taken over by the 100 authors in the book.

Mindspace team wishes to originate a custom with the Budapest in 100 words action. The Municipality of Budapest and BFTK Non-profit Ltd. were the strategic partners and supporters of initiative.