I have been awarded the Pro Cultura Urbis Prize in 2025
The long-established Pro Cultura Urbis Public Foundation of the Municipality of Budapest was founded in 1999 to protect the city’s cultural values and to support the creation of new ones. The awards are granted annually by the PCU Board of Trustees to outstanding preservers and shapers of culture.
Based on the decision of the Board of Trustees, the recipients of the Pro Cultura Urbis Prize in 2025 are:
Luca Patkós – in recognition of her work to preserve Budapest’s visual and applied arts heritage, in particular for the implementation of the “Cső!” neon-rescue project. As a graphic designer, she has drawn attention to urban icons such as illuminated signs and neon lettering: through projects such as “Neon Hunting in Budapest” and “Light-Up Posters”, she has documented and reimagined the city’s luminous and visual atmosphere. The proceeds from her work are used to restore once-iconic but now decayed neon signs.
Hajnalka Somogyi – a key figure of Budapest’s contemporary art scene, honoured for founding the OFF-Biennále, an independent, grassroots art event. Somogyi is the first Hungarian to be included in the ArtReview Power 100, a list of the most influential figures in international contemporary art. The OFF-Biennále she initiated has since become the most significant independent cultural event in the region, sensitively addressing social issues, women’s roles and climate anxiety, while creating new community and institutional models within contemporary art.
Wilhelm Droste – for his work exploring and preserving the traditions of Budapest’s café culture. Droste is a well-known literary historian, writer and translator who has lived in Hungary for more than three decades. He is dedicated to preserving and reinterpreting the coffeehouse culture of Pest. His initiatives include Három Holló (Three Ravens) Café, named after Ady’s favourite historic coffeehouse once located on Andrássy Avenue. Három Holló operates not only as a café but also as a venue for cultural events, literary programmes and community activities, playing an active role in Budapest’s cultural life.
The Board of Trustees and the Tradition
The eight-member Board of Trustees of the Pro Cultura Urbis Public Foundation is chaired by writer and literary historian Krisztián Nyáry. Its members are: András Csejdy, publisher and founder of the Margó Literary Festival; Anita Libor, journalist; Dávid Merker, co-founder of Hosszúlépés. Járunk?; Ervin Nagy, actor; Gábor Pápai, cartoonist; János Schiffer, former Member of Parliament and former Deputy Mayor of Budapest; and Árpád Tóth, founder of the Budapest Neon Gallery.
In the year of its establishment, the PCU Prize was awarded to writer and President of the Republic Árpád Göncz, film director Miklós Jancsó, visual artist Éva Köves, and the staff of Fonó. Since then, the award has been presented to many outstanding Budapest-based figures, including art dealer and art historian Tamás Kieselbach; photographer Lenke Szilágyi; cultural manager Viktória Rozgonyi-Kulcsár; film director Gábor Zsigmond Papp; DJ Zsolt Palotai; and art historian Tünde Topor, editor-in-chief of Artmagazin, as well as to the Nyitott Műhely Foundation and Cirko Film – Másképp Foundation.
Photos: Márton Merész