Hungary honours ten folk artists with Master of Folk Art award

The Hungarian Government has conferred the Népművészet Mestere (Master of Folk Art) award on ten folk craftspeople and tradition keepers for 2026, recognising their work in preserving Hungarian and national-minority folk culture. The decision was taken by Government Resolution 1264/2026. (VIII. 24.) Korm. határozat, published in the Magyar Közlöny (issue 116) of 24 August 2026.

The award is granted annually by the Government to honour outstanding practitioners of folk crafts and living folk traditions. The 2026 list covers a wide range of trades and regions, from woodcarving and basket-weaving to folk dance and song, and includes both Hungarian and national-minority tradition keepers.

The ten laureates

The Government awarded the prize to the following ten masters:

• Bálint Tibor, bujkakészítő (maker of the kalotaszeg “bujka” headdress) from Türe;
• Balogh István, woodcarver from Onga;
• Csoltói József, German national-minority tradition keeper from Ágfalva;
• Erdélyiné Horváth Gabriella, folk embroiderer and weaver from Győr;
• Gâtu Clara, tradition-keeping folk dancer and folk singer from Magyarfalu, Moldva;
• Gregor Balázs, szakajtókötő (basket weaver) from Nagykörű;
• Hotyek Attila, cooper (kádármester) from Erdőbénye;
• Terényi Gyöngyi, leatherworker from Áta;
• Vincze István, folk dancer from Melegföldvár, Mezőség;
• Vizoli Demeter, tradition-keeping folk dancer and singer from Gyergyóalfalu.

Crafts and living traditions

The laureates represent the breadth of Hungarian folk heritage, spanning both material crafts and intangible traditions. The list includes makers of traditional dress and household objects — the kalotaszeg bujka, woven textiles, baskets, barrels and leatherwork — alongside performers who keep regional dance and song repertoires alive, including practitioners from the Hungarian communities of Moldva and Mezőség in present-day Romania.

The inclusion of Csoltói József as a German national-minority tradition keeper underlines the award’s role in honouring the folk culture of Hungary’s recognised national minorities as well as the majority Hungarian tradition.

Signature and publication

The resolution was signed by Dr. Ruff Bálint György, Deputy Prime Minister, and appears in the IX. Határozatok Tára (Register of Decisions) of the gazette. It was published alongside other state honours and judicial appointments in the same issue of the Magyar Közlöny.

The award carries particular weight as a state recognition of living heritage: by honouring craftspeople and tradition keepers each year, the Government signals the continued value placed on folk culture as part of Hungary’s national identity. For the laureates and their communities, the distinction provides public recognition of decades of work in keeping regional crafts, dress, dance and song alive for future generations.

Source: Magyar Közlöny, issue 116, 24 August 2026, IX. Határozatok Tára, p. 4030 (official reference: 1264/2026. (VIII. 24.) Korm. határozat).