Ipolyi Arnold National Folk Storytelling Competition
Cultural heritage
On behalf of the National Council of Csemadok, the Slovak Hungarian Cultural Institute is organizing a national folk storyteller competition in honor of the outstanding ethnographer and folklore collector of the Hungarians, Arnold Ipolyi, with the aim of getting to know, master and popularize Hungarian prose folk poetry and traditional storytelling. The professional partner of the competition is the House of Traditions Network – Slovakia. ; ; The initiator, the Slovak Hungarian Cultural Institute, first organized it in 2009 as part of the Danube Spring in Dunaszerdahely. Within a decade, it has become a recognized folk storyteller competition in the Carpathian Basin, as it annually activates about 700 folk storytellers among primary school children. ; ; It is organized as a two-round competition, with eight semi-finals followed by the national final, which will be held in Rožňava. The regional semi-finals have stable locations, and the local governments of the settlements undertake to organize them annually. ; ; The goal of the folktale telling competition organized in honor of the outstanding ethnographer and folklore collector of the Hungarians, Arnold Ipolyi, is to popularize the traditional presentation of the Hungarian folktale treasure. ; ; Main and professional organizer: Slovak Hungarian Culture Institute ; Professional organizer: House of Traditions Network – Slovakia ; Periodicity: annual ; Type of event: ascending. ; ; The competition was announced in five categories from the first grade (kindergarteners, lower primary school students, upper primary school students, high school students, adults), in which young people and adults of the age group according to these categories living in Slovakia can participate. ; ; The folktale telling competition was organized for the first time (2010) as a sub-event of the Danube Menti Tavasz. The second year was also organized in Dunaszerdahely, as the zero day of the DMT. In 2012, it was already implemented in Rožňava, reaching the threshold of its “adulthood”. Further indicators of development can be measured in the number of participants and the quality of the productions, but significant changes have also occurred in the interpretation and popularization of the genre. ; ; The competition is accompanied by the organization of professional training courses and forums on an annual basis. We note that the Eastern region was also included in the movement: with applicants from the Košice area, the Királyhelmec area, and a new regional selector. ; ; Structure: ; a. Selection competitions ; - Every year in May, 8 selection competitions are organized, where the jury appointed by the preparatory committee sends the competitors to the national final based on the specified quota. ; b. National final, located in Rozsnyó, is organized in June of every year. ; ; Methodology: ; - Jury: The selection competitions are evaluated by a domestic jury, who are provided with continuous methodology by the professional organizers. The national final is judged by renowned domestic, Hungarian and international experts. ; - Trainings: Since 2013, one-day professional training has been held once a year at two locations: Dunaszerdahely and Fülek, in which the preparatory teachers participate. ; - Folklore database: The professional preparation of competitors and trainers is supported by the text folklore database of our folklore database. The Slovak Hungarian Text Folklore Archive contains 253 data, its professional preparer is Norbert Varga, text folklorist. ; Between 2016. 01. 01 -2016. 10. 30, 2,767 visitors of the Slovak Hungarian Text Folklore Archive viewed 2,543 data. ; ; Entrants can compete in the following age categories: ; Category 1-3 – primary school students ; Category 4 – secondary school students ; Category 5 – adults ; ; Venues of the regional semi-finals: ; Western Slovakia: Bős, Zsigárd, Gúta, Ipolyszakállos ; Central Slovakia: Ragyolc, Bátka, Várhosszúrét ; Eastern Slovakia: Kisgéres ; ; Conditions for entry: ; Young people and adults living in Slovakia can participate in the competition. You can enter the competition with a folktale, folk legend, or other story chosen from among the genres of Hungarian prose folk poetry. ; The jury: The performance of the competitors is evaluated by a professional jury consisting of ethnographers, storytellers, and performers. ;
