What is “Budapest in 100 words”?
“Budapest in 100 words” is organized in 2019 for the sixth time. The story writing competition is for those who feel for the city so much that they just want to put it into words, though maximum into 100 ones. The appeal was first launched in Budapest in 2014 by the Mindspace team. We asked everybody to write about Budapest, to share what do they think or how do they feel about the city. The story can be about anything from a random thought that hits you on the subway, through a snapped moment on the street, to a fear or even an image from a dream. The call has only one important term: the story can not be longer than 100 words. The beauty of the whole contest lies in its simplicity. What does the city mean to its inhabitants or even those who only visited once or passed through it a couple times? What kind of stories, memories, feelings, impressions do they have related to the places, events or people of the city?
In the last five years, we have received more than 5000 stories. We are really glad that the stories were not only sent via email, but also by post: handwritten pages and words typed on old typewriters. This year was also characterized by exciting and stunning wordings, impressive contemporary illustrations and the beautiful, striking people and human destinies behind them.
The members of the jury are Juli Jakab, Kriszta Székely, Dániel Viktor Nagy and Pista Busa. The jury has the difficult task of selecting the best 100, the best 12 and the best 3 submissions. The best 100 stories are not only available online on the Mindspace website but also in printed, pocketbook version. The first three prize winners receive gratuity and from this year there is a special prize for the ones under 18 years old.
The best 12 pieces got illustrated by Hungarian graphic designers and were exhibited at a public gallery which was opened to the visitors. Moreover during the award giving ceremony the audience could listen to three musical composition which were inspired by and also worded the same as 3 stories out of the best 12.
The original idea of the contest was developed in Chile 15 years ago; it was called “Santiago in 100 Words”. In 2001, in Santiago, the Plagio, the Minera Escondida and the metro of Santiago worked in cooperation to launch this project, in which anyone could participate by submitting a story of maximum 100 words in connection to the city. In the following years, this initiative evolved to be the most important literary contest in the country.
For the Budapest edition, the core idea is also to connect literature with the city life within the framework of a dynamic project, as it was in Santiago. Besides the motivating power for the citizens to write their own stories, the project encourages and facilitates the citizens of Budapest to pay more attention to the urban environment while taking a little cultural break. The contest intends to provide opportunities to share feelings, adventures, thoughts, worries and wishes about our city.
