# Annual grave-digging competition in Hungary > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/annual-grave-digging-competition-in-hungary > Updated: 2026-09-12T20:04:48.000Z. Sources: 23. Developments: 2. The Hungarian Association of Cemetery Maintainers and Operators held its ninth annual grave-digging competition in the public cemetery of Nyergesújfalu. The event involved 19 two-man teams, totaling 38 competitors, who used manual tools such as picks and shovels to excavate a grave measuring 1.6 meters deep, 2 meters long, and 0.8 meters wide. Competitors faced challenges due to hardened soil resulting from a dry summer. While speed was a key metric, a commission also evaluated the qualitative shape of the final excavation. The winning pair, Róbert Nagy and László Kiss, completed the task in 1 hour and 21 minutes, sharing a prize of 200,000 Hungarian forints. According to József Varga, president of the association, the competition serves to increase visibility for the profession and attract new workers to the funeral sector. The event also aims to reduce social taboos surrounding death and highlights the necessity of manual excavation in narrow or crowded cemetery areas where machinery cannot be utilized. ## Timeline ### 2026-09-12: Gravediggers compete in manual excavation championship in Hungary Gravediggers competed in a manual excavation championship in Nyergesújfalu, Hungary, to promote the profession and showcase technical skills in difficult soil conditions. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/gravediggers-compete-in-manual-excavation-championship-in-hungary ### 2026-09-05: Nyergesújfalu hosts annual grave-digging competition in Hungary Professional gravediggers competed in a speed and style contest in Nyergesújfalu, Hungary, to showcase their skills and reduce death-related taboos. Winners Róbert Nagy and László Kiss took the top prize. 21 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/nyergesjfalu-hosts-professional-grave-digging-contest --- Cite as: Annual grave-digging competition in Hungary. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/annual-grave-digging-competition-in-hungary