Hungarian Comics Association

I have been taking part in the work of the Hungarian Comics Association since 2013. I have been a board member since early 2014.

The HCA is a small cultural organization, basically a group of comic enthusiasts who would like to do something for comics in a country where readership is really small. We organize two events yearly: the International Comics Festival in spring, a one-day event visited by 1700 people in 2019; and a smaller scale fair, Hungarocomix in December.

International Comics Festival, Budapest

  • 2020 – festival director
  • 2019 – festival director of the festival that is now 5-day long instead of a one day event. Responsible for all cultural events, location, guests, programs, marketing, and press
  • 2018 – responsible for cultural programs, Facebook, guests and press
  • 2017 – member of the organizing board, responsible for cultural events, guests, roundtables, translations, programs with Hungarian artists.
  • 2016 – I was responsible for all cultural events.
  • 2015 – Drawing for Hungarian artists was organized this year, too – apart from many other things. See the program of the 11th Festival here.
  • 2014 – I was responsible for the programs involving Hungarian artists. We organized a common drawing with several artists, and select comics were published as a supplement of Műút Litarary and Art Journal 45 (2014). Program of the 10th Festival.

Alfabéta Prize for the Best Comics

The HCA is responsible for the Alfabéta-Prize, the only yearly prize for Hungarian comic artists. I have been member of the preselection committee and the jury since 2013. Any comics published in Hungary can be nominated for Alfabéta, which is usually advertised in two categories: best long comics and best short comics. The preselection committee consists of five devoted Hungarian comics journalists, who read through all the nominated works. They agree on a shortlist of five titles in each category, and each of them invites two people (artists, academics, art historians, publishers) to the extended jury. The final jury of 15 members decides on who gets the prize.

Here is a list of people who have won the Alfabéta since I am also involved in the process:

2020

  • Best Long Comic: A Vízitündér 1 by Maria Surducan and Anna Júlia Benczédi
  • Alfabéta Extra for the Best Collection: Minden belefér by Gergely Oravecz

2019

  • Best Long Comic: Új új képregények by Zoltán Koska.
  • Best Short Comic: A sorok között by Gyula Németh

2018

  • Best Long Comic: Nyugat + Zombik by Olivér Csepella.
  • Best Short Comic: Noname by Miklós Felvidéki.

2017

  • Best Long Comic: Kittenberger: Fabriqué en Belgique by György Somogyi, István Dobó and Szabolcs Tebeli.
  • Best Short Comic: A gepárd pöttyei by Nóra Vincze.
  • Best Webcomic: A walesi bárdok by János Arany and Dániel Csordás

2016

  • Best Long Comic: 5Pallos vol 1. Written and drawn byGábor Molnár.
  • Best Short Comic: Idő kérdése written and drawn by Dániel Csordás.

2015

  • Best Long Comic: Az Ellopott Futár. Based on the novel by Jenő Rejtő. Written by Ferenc Kiss. Drawn by Zsolt Garisa.
  • Best Short Comic: A Vonal.  Written by Máté Matuszka Máté. Drawn by Áron Kálmán.
  • Special Recognition for the Best Webcomic: Inkább a Halál. Written and drawn by Imre Papp.

2014

  • Best Long Comic: A munka gyümölcse. Written by Ádám Pádár. Drawn by Gábor Molnár.
  • Best Short Comic: Szekerce és Szemerce kalandjai I. Written and drawn by Gábor Molnár.

The Great War Comics (2014-2015)

I was part of the jury of The Great War Comics competition in 2014 and 2015. The yearly competition invites to submit short comics on a given event that happent during WWI a hundred years ago.

Members of the jury:

Krisztina Babos, historian
Tamás Pintér, historian
Ferenc Pollmann, historian
Eszter Szép
Robert Vass, comics creator and delegate of the Hungarian Comics Association

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