As in previous years, the competition launched in 2025 called for the creative reinterpretation of images taken at our research institute. Contestants had to retain the lines and forms of the original images but were required to recreate them artistically by adding colour and using a technique of their choice.
Interest exceeded all expectations: by the deadline, a total of 89 entries had been received from various parts of the country. Based on the jury’s decision, the 12 most outstanding artworks are featured in our institute’s 2026 wall calendar. In addition, we awarded prizes to three artists from the primary school age group (under 14) and to three from the adult age group whose works, although not included in the album, demonstrated exceptional skills.
Artworks featured in our wall calendar:
· 1st place: Lilien Mangó: “Mental space” (Tömörkény István Grammar School, Art School and Technical College, Szeged)
· 2nd place: Luca Szablár (Mórahalom)
· 3rd place: Lilla Laky: “Birth” (Grammar School, Art School and Technical College, Pécs)
· 4th place: Nagy Viktória: “Eyes” (Tömörkény István Grammar School, Art School and Technical College, Szeged)
· 5th place: Petra Basarić: “Stardust and cream” (Bolyai Secondary Grammar School and Dormitory for Gifted Students, Zenta /Senta, Serbia)
· 6th place: Mirella Hengl: “Sea whirlpool” (Grammar School, Art School and Technical College, Pécs)
· 7th place: Gréta Kruzslic: “Light in Science” (Bethlen Gábor Reformed Church Grammar School and Szathmáry Residence Hall, Hódmezővásárhely)
· 8th place: Lili Sipos: “The mysteries of the sea” (Bethlen Gábor Reformed Church Grammar School and Szathmáry Residence Hall, Hódmezővásárhely)
· 9th place: Petra Basarić: “Internal storm” (Bolyai Secondary Grammar School and Dormitory for Gifted Students, Zenta /Senta, Serbia)
· 10th place: Dorottya Simonffy: “Chaos before the collision” (Tömörkény István Grammar School, Art School and Technical College, Szeged)
· 11th place: Dorka Barta (Madách Imre Hungarian-English Bilingual Primary School)
· 12th place: Hedvig Sütő: “The little prince” (Medical School, Szeged)
Winners in the under-14 category:
· 1st place: Dóra Bene (Szikra School, Szeged)
· 2nd place: Levente Pál Bartha: “At the wrong place at the wrong time” (Bálint Márton Primary School and Secondary Grammar School, Törökbálint)
· Place 3: Mia Gyenese: “Mother Fox” (Bálint Márton Primary School and Secondary Grammar School, Törökbálint)
Winners in the over-14 category:
· 1st place: Dóra Batke: “What’s behind the door?” (Baár-Madas Reformed Church Grammar School, Budapest)
· 2nd place: Édua Vesztergombi: “Water bugs” (Baár-Madas Reformed Church Grammar School, Budapest)
· 3rd place: András Erőss: “Chemistry lesson óra” (Baár-Madas Reformed Church Grammar School, Budapest)
At the award ceremony held on 30 January 2026, Katalin Varjú, the Science Director of our institute, welcomed the invited contestants, their teachers, and parents, explaining that the idea for the ELI project first arose in 2005–2006. Before 2010, the institute’s current location was an abandoned, dilapidated area. After the remains of the former Soviet barracks were cleared away, construction began in 2014. Many people worked hard to build this beautiful research institute so that research could begin in 2024. The long-term plan is to build several other institutes around us and create a so-called science park. “We feel lucky because every now and then we are visited by Nobel Prize winners, and their presence has a motivating effect on our researchers,” Katalin Varjú emphasized. She also pointed out that the institute conducts research that can yield results relevant to society. We use lasers to study the interaction between light and matter, analyze chemical reactions and chemical bonds, and accelerate particles.
Regarding the competition, Katalin Varjú pointed out that we found not only the artworks but also the titles to be very imaginative.
Lilien Mangó, a student at Tömörkény István Secondary Grammar and Art School and Technical College in Szeged, entered the competition with her work entitled “Mental Space” and won. The student, who specializes in ceramics, first chose another of the eleven images published in the call for entries, but soon realized that it did not touch her deeply enough. Then she spotted another image and immediately felt that it was the right choice. “I saw the human brain, thoughts and images. Eighty minutes later, the artwork was ready,” recalled Lilien, who, despite specializing in ceramics, prefers drawing (whether on paper or digitally). She is fascinated by how different her styles are in the two worlds.
After the ceremony, the participants had the opportunity to view the exhibition showcasing all of the submitted works. Our guests were also given access to areas of our institute that are rarely open to the public, and they were able to visit Focus, our interactive visitor space, where they could witness spectacular physical experiments.
Our Science Director also pointed out that anyone who would like to learn more about what happens at the institute should attend our open days. We look forward to welcoming interested visitors on 15 May, the Day of Light, and on 25 September, at our Researchers’ Night event, where we will demonstrate how exciting the world of science is through informative lectures and experiments.
This autumn, our research institute will once again announce the “Art in Science” competition.
Congratulations to all the winners!
Photos: Gábor Balázs