Hungary’s contestants doing well at V4 Student Olympics in Economy

The Hungarian students did well in the final of the V4 Economics Olympiad taking place in Prague on 10 September 2019. The international contest hosted by the Czech National Bank was financed by the Visegrad Fund and involved five students each from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary competing in economics.

The 125 year old Hungarian Economic Association (HEA) entered into a cooperation agreement with Czech, Polish and Slovakian partner organizations in the spring of 2018 with a view to contributing to economic growth and development in the region through joint scientific conferences and professional programmes organized by the economic associations of the four Visegrad Countries. As part of the cooperation the international final of the Economics Olympiad launched at the initiative of the Czech party took place for the first time this year with the involvement of five secondary school students from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary each progressing through from the national finals.

In the international final Hungary was represented by three students from Zalaegerszeg (Zrínyi Miklós Secondary Grammar School) and two from Budapest (St Imre Cistercian Grammar School of Buda): András Ferenczy, Anna Gergály, Péter Mészáros, Bence Molnár and Balázs Pintér – Anna and Péter are due to start their first year at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME) in September. The team included a substitute contestant, Flóra Nacsa as well. Assistance for the Hungarian students to prepare for the competition was provided by members of the MNB Department of the Corvinus University of Budapest. The jury of the international final included Gyula Pleschinger, President of the HEA, member of the Monetary Council. The finalists were challenged with both written and oral tasks in English; the competition eventually yielded a winner from Slovakia, Jakub Kučerák.

For Hungary this year’s Economics Olympiad was a sort of trial. Competitions at county, regional and national level will be organized in the recently commenced academic year as well to find out who will represent Hungary in the final of the 2020 Economics Olympiad.

(Opening image: the Hungarian team in Prague)

The Economics Olympiad was sponsored by the