is an international essay-writing contest organized by
A2 kulturní týdeník (the Czech Republic),
Magyar Lettre Internationale (Hungary),
Tygodnik Powszechny (Poland) and
Revue K&S (Slovakia). The first contest was organized in 2007 under the theme of "Central European City". Among the topics suggested by the organizers were ghettos, cycling in the city, children of the street, squats, walls and fences, hypermarkets, suburbs, suburbanization, new architecture, ecology, former factories, homelessness, industrial zones, the "nouveau riche", graffiti, etc.
The international jury selected 12 finalists from V4 countries (their essays translated into English and the original versions follow below). Out of the 12, the three following essayists won the contest:
Jan Štolba (Czech Republic) with his essay
The Absent City (Sentimental Improvisations) won the first prize, the Polish finalist
Kamil Kruszewski received the second prize for his essay
Where Is the City that Does Not Exist? and
Transitional Places (or Bars in ruins, retro-gardens and nostalgia cafes in Budapest at the dawn of the 21st century) by
Márk Áron Éber (Hungary) received the third prize.
© 2007, Márk Éber and Dora Szego, Ágnes Kapitány and Gábor Kapitány, Kamil Kruszewski, Maria Lipnicka, Radoslav Passia, Sylva Poláková, Levente Polyak, Jan Štolba, Tamás Tofalvy, Alexander Tölle, Radoslav Tomáš, Martin Vlachynský.
© 2007,
A2 kulturní týdeník (Czech Republic),
Magyar Lettre International (Hungary),
Tygodnik Powszechny (Poland) and
Revue K&S (Slovakia).
