Not all prestige comes from Budapest
In January of 2026, I got to compete in the first round of The National English Competition of Barcs. To be fully honest, I wasn’t truly ‘Giving it my all’ since I was already doing many other English language and other competitions, and yet, of the 636 people in my category, I managed to get into the top 25, thus moving on to the 2nd (final) round.
This was also when I was told that this final round would be in-person in Barcs, situated south, at the Croatian border, right between the towns of Csokonyavisonta and Nagydobsza, two more places that I’m sure you’ve also never heard of.
We had to arrive a day earlier than the competition to get there on time, and while I originally wasn’t overly enthusiastic about this revelation, I was given a dorm room shared with 2 others, with whom I got along very well.
We woke up at a leisurely 7, having to register by 9. The very first task after the opening ceremony was a simple listening exercise; one about a podcast episode with Emma Thompson, and one on the research of tectonic plate movements.
The second task had been announced right after qualifying for the Final round, that being: having to read a book in English, for which I chose Ernest Hemingway’s ‘A Farewell to Arms’. Partly because it is one of the books taught in the American curriculum, but also due to Hemingway being such an influential writer; despite his many flaws. It ended up being a truly thought-provoking book, which made the fact that they were focused more on the author than the story a bit disappointing.
During the closing ceremony, we didn’t get to know the total number of points I had achieved, yet I ended up placing 3rd in my category of 25 people, being awarded quite a large sum of bookstore gift cards among smaller knick-knacks. Perhaps I could’ve gotten a higher placement if I put more effort into the first round, but I’m satisfied with this result. Besides, third place is often less frustrating than second either way.
7.9/10 Would recommend, especially for anyone good at speaking English, and looking to receive some academic recognition for it, or even for anyone just looking to test out their capabilities. It truly is an all-rounder competition.
Not to mention how much one can discover about literature during the preparation process, especially if their teacher is just as invested in the reading material.
written by Tóth Tamás Zétény (class 9B)