Debrecen4U November 9, 2026

Entrepreneur of the Year and Prima Awards Gala Held Again in Debrecen

The Hajdú-Bihar County organisation of the National Association of Entrepreneurs and Employers (VOSZ) held its Entrepreneur of the Year and Prima Awards Gala for the nineteenth time at Debrecen’s Kölcsey Centre on 7 November 2026, celebrating exemplary life stories, outstanding business achievements and memorable artistic performances.

As in previous years, the gala focused on the people and communities who create lasting value for the region through their expertise, perseverance and sense of responsibility. “Debrecen’s success and economic strength are built on cooperation: the collective achievements of large companies, small and medium-sized enterprises, education, science and culture,” Mayor László Papp emphasised in a post on social media. In his welcome address at the gala, the mayor also noted that the value of industrial production in the county had increased by 60 per cent this year, while export performance had doubled in just one year.

Károly Balogh, national co-president and county president of VOSZ, drew attention to the challenges facing local small and medium-sized enterprises. He pointed out that Hungarian companies must retain their employees while also modernising technologically, at a time when wealth tax and rising costs are reducing their room for manoeuvre. He stressed the vital importance of protecting capital invested in operating businesses.

The highlight of the gala was the presentation of the prestigious awards.

Hajdú-Bihar’s 2026 Prima Award winners

• Sports: Zoltán Hetényi, international goalkeeper for the DEAC ice hockey team
• Music: Gábor Subicz, trumpet player, composer and arranger
• Theatre, Film and Dance: Judit Schell, an actress whose career began in Debrecen
• Prima Audience Award: Piruett Dance Studio, accepted by its founder, Kitty Simonyi
• Other category winners: János Áfra (literature); Viola Fátyol and Zoltán Fátyol (fine and applied arts); Professor Dr György Panyi (science); Dr Zsigmond Lakó (education and public education); Zoltán Győrffy (architecture); and Zsolt Czeglédi (popular science and media).

Hajdú-Bihar’s 2026 Entrepreneur of the Year Award winners

• Industry: Róbert B. Áncsán (AR-Robotics Kft.)
• Agriculture: Péter Nagy (“Nagyné és Fiai” Hajdúsági-Tej Kft.)
• Commerce: Katalin Nagy (Sweet-Line 98 Kft.)
• Innovation: Attila AlGharawi (Xeropan International Kft.)
• Hospitality: Andrea Nagyné Kiss and István Nagy (Kiss-Virág Desszert Kft.)

The Responsible Multinational Company award was presented to Csaba Juhász, Managing Director of Harro Höfliger Hungary Kft.

In a statement, VOSZ emphasised that the award winners’ life stories demonstrate what people are capable of achieving, adding that everyone shares a responsibility to ensure that the next generation has the opportunity to follow similarly successful paths.

Source and photo credit: debrecen.hu