Debrecen4U December 5, 2025

The Várhalmi Ilona Award once again has been announced

This school year, recognition will once again go to those whose work not only teaches but also inspires and builds community.

Ilona Várhalmi, or as everyone knew her, Aunt Cila, the legendary artistic director of Ady Grammar School, passed away last February. Five cultural institutions, the Csokonai National Theatre, the Art Centre of the University of Debrecen, the Déri Museum, MODEM, and the Vojtina Puppet Theatre, established the Várhalmi Ilona Award in her memory.

The award has been announced again this year to honor educators who achieve excellence in arts education. Its purpose is to strengthen the professional and social esteem of the teaching profession and deepen cooperation between cultural institutions and teachers.

This year too, the award will celebrate those who not only teach but also inspire and foster community. The Várhalmi Ilona Award ceremony will be held at the end of January 2026, in connection with the Day of Hungarian Culture.

The following educators have been selected for the 2026 shortlist

• Bernadett Polonkai – Alsójózsai Kerekerdő Kindergarten, Debrecen

• Gáborné Bodnár – Debrecen Kinizsi Pál Primary School, Debrecen

• Gábor Kustár – Debrecen Reformed College Primary School, Debrecen

• Csilla Kiss Papp—Former deputy director of Medgyessy Ferenc Grammar School, Artistic Grammar School, and Technical School, currently head of the Education Department of the Igazgyöngy Foundation, school principal at AMI, Debrecen–Berettyóújfalu

• Márta Vajda – DSZC Construction Technology and Technical Vocational School, Debrecen

• Ildikó Molnárné Gál – Hajdúböszörmény Bocskai István Grammar School, Hajdúböszörmény

Ilona Várhalmi was the deputy head of the institution and artistic director of the Ady Endre Grammar School in Debrecen. She graduated from the Tóth Árpád Grammar School and later worked at the institution. She obtained teaching degrees in Hungarian and German, as well as a physical education teaching certificate, and later completed the doctoral program in theater theory at the University of Theatre and Film Arts.

In 2013, at the request of the city, she directed the musical “Légy jó mindhalálig,” which quickly became a popular performance. She was awarded the first Ady Ring of the Ady Endre High School, which has been voted on by the teaching staff since 2003 to select the teacher of the year. There is no theater in the country that does not have a former student of hers. By teaching numerous subjects, she was able to get to know the children from multiple angles, with whom she shared an especially close bond.

She mainly taught students in the drama program—available to them day and night, even on Saturdays or Sundays. At the founding of Ady Grammar School, she was entrusted with establishing the drama department. Since then, many of her former students have become nationally recognized actors. In 2021, she was awarded Debrecen’s Pro Urbe Prize.

Source and photo credit: debrecen.hu