Announcing the Winners of This Year’s “Get in the Picture! – New Talent of the Year” Contest

Budapest, May 30, 2025 – At the May 28 final of the “Get in the Picture! – New Talent of the Year” competition, visitors encountered an array of works, including a gateway installation bridging the 100-year legacy of Art Deco with the future, a contemporary stamp series echoing its iconic forms, a silent book and a floor lamp, makeup that reimagined the elegance of the era with youthful flair, and a versatile garment playing with luxurious fabrics designed to be worn four different ways. The call for entries, launched jointly by the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency (HFDA) and the Budapest Complex Vocational Training Centre (BKSZC), attracted an even broader spectrum of applicants this year, including vocational students aged 14 to 21 from the fields of fine and applied arts and beauty and cosmetics besides fashion and design. Nearly 50 entries were submitted by students in response to the call, out of which 12 teams advanced to the finals, where they had the opportunity to present their projects, created with the support of their mentors, before a distinguished professional jury and the programme’s ambassadors. However, the programme did not conclude with the award ceremony as the teams won further professional mentoring alongside the prizes. Winners in the fashion and design categories gained opportunities for high-profile industry exposure, while the top entrants in the fine and applied arts category were granted a chance to exhibit their work.

The Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency considers it among its key tasks to support and develop creative industry vocational training, strengthen career guidance for industry vocational students, broaden their creativity and professional skills, and manage talent. The “Get in the Picture! – New Talent of the Year” tender, announced in this context, invited young people to reinterpret the legacy of Art Deco through a contemporary lens this year.

Nearly 50 entries were submitted from 13 vocational training schools across the country by teams of 3-7 talented students currently training to become hairdressers, beauticians, decorators, graphic designers, carpenters, or even women’s and men’s tailors. The participants had complete freedom in choosing their methods, materials, and techniques; thus, some projects represented multiple disciplines within a single craft. After the pre-selection, three teams per category made it to the finals, realising their projects in about three months with the help of mentors appointed by the HFDA. In the finals, the students presented their completed works in front of the professional jury: Zsófia Jakab, Ministerial Commissioner for Creative Industry Development and Sectoral Coordination, CEO of the HFDA; Judit Osvárt, Editor-in-Chief of ELLE Decoration magazine; and Krisztina Maróy, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of GLAMOUR magazine and Glamour.hu. This year, major industry brands like DRK joined the initiative, rewarding the third-place teams with gift vouchers. In addition to the generous prizes on offer, the initiative was also supported by this year’s Ambassadors: Hedvig Jagasics, Founder and Owner of the Sugarbird brand; Attila Bálint Ferenc, Sustainability Expert at IKEA; Róbert Mascher, President of the Studio of Young Applied Artists Association; and Zsolt Kovács, CEO of Kallos Cosmetics.                     

In her welcome speech at the award ceremony, Zsófia Jakab highlighted: “The HFDA launched the tender in 2021 under the Vocational Training Development Support Programme to assist emerging talents in specific areas of the creative industries to get on the career ladder by various means. As part of this, the ‘Get in the Picture! – New Talent of the Year’ competition provides a unique platform for industry students where they can fulfil their potential, build professional relationships, and gain appearance opportunities, allowing them to showcase their creations to a broad audience. The competition's success is clearly reflected in the participation of students from four industry sectors this year, each showing their creative energies. Through their submitted works, the participants speak to their peers and generation directly, making a valuable contribution to elevating the prestige of the creative industries and ensuring the next generation of talent in the sector.”

Based on the jury’s decision, the winner in the fashion category was the Deconic team comprised of students from the Budapest Complex SZC Creative and Artisanal Vocational School, mentored by Daniella Sovány, designer of the fashion brand DAN!ELLE. The team transformed the aesthetics of Hungarian Art Deco architecture into a symmetrically embellished outfit featuring deep green, gold, and brick-red tones, with some elements produced using 3D printing technology.

In the design category, the Dekor Álom team took first place with a multifunctional floor lamp inspired by Art Deco-style buildings and furnishings. The unique feature of the Szolár Szálló (Solar Inn) is that its small floors, which mimic windows, cornices, and terraces, serve as the light sources. Their mentor, Fanni Hegedűs, a furniture maker and certified restorer, helped the students from Számalk-Szalézi Technical School and Secondary Vocational School to realise their project.

The Stamp Deco team made up of students from Budapest Complex SZC Creative and Artisan Technical School, took first place in the fine and applied arts category. Their collectible stamp block series, designed under the mentorship of Ákos Lipóczki, Associate Professor at MOME, reimagined modern buildings of European cities through the visual language of Art Deco. In addition, they created an educational booklet aimed at young people, illustrated with graphic elements, covering the history of stamps, their everyday use, and various trademarks.

In the beauty and cosmetics category, the Főnix (Phoenix) team, mentored by Zsófia Marencsák, beauty editor at GLAMOUR Hungary, took first place. Students from BKSZC Erzsébet Királyné Beauty Technical School evoked the spirit of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby by creating an elegant yet empowered female archetype. To present their work, they complemented the finished makeup and hairstyle with a photo series and video featuring period-appropriate silhouettes.

The HFDA considers talent management a priority and will continue to follow the students’ professional journeys and warmly welcomes the awarded teams to its future events, including Budapest Central European Fashion Week and 360 Design Budapest. 

2025 Winners of the “Get in the Picture! – New Talent of the Year” tender:

Fashion Category

1. Deconic, Budapest Complex SZC – Creative and Artisan Technical School
2. Pearl & Velvet, Budapest Complex SZC – Creative and Artisan Technical School
3. Charlestone Ladies, Budapest Complex SZC – Creative and Artisan Technical School

Design Category

1. Dekor Álom, Számalk-Szalézi Technical School and Secondary Vocational School
2. The Gatsby Crew, Budapest Complex SZC – Creative and Artisan Technical School
3. Formabontók, Budapest Complex SZC Kozma Lajos Woodworking and Creative Technical School

Fine and Applied Arts Category

1. Stamp Deco, Budapest Complex SZC – Creative and Artisan Technical School
2. Gertrude, Budapest Complex SZC – Creative and Artisan Technical School
3. Művész Négyes, Budapest Complex SZC – Creative and Artisan Technical School

Beauty and Cosmetics Category

1. Főnix, BKSZC Erzsébet Királyné Beauty Technical School
2. Flapper, Nagykanizsa SZC Zsigmondy Vilmos Technical School
3. Marlene, Budapest Complex SZC Erzsébet Királyné Beauty Technical School

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About the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency

The Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency was founded in 2018 to support every actor in the fashion and design industries in an efficient and structured way, following predetermined strategic pillars: professional coordination, enhancing Hungarian products’ availability and trade opportunities, educational development and manufacturing development. To realise these goals, HFDA organises domestic events each year, such as the region’s major fashion event, the Budapest Central European Fashion Week, or the 360 Design Budapest exhibition, which has received international awards. Besides, they provide Hungarian creators opportunities for participation and debuting at international professional events such as the Milano Fashion Week and the Maison & Objet design fair. Their primary tasks include strategic cooperation with professional organisations, increasing exports, and supporting Hungarian brands’ professional development with mentorship programmes.