The teaching award went to art historian, curator and lecturer Kinga German, who has taught at MOME since 2005. Her approach is focused on giving individual attention, supporting students in finding their own paths, and continually developing new approaches to teaching. During the pandemic, she revitalised campus life by creating and coordinating the Emotions site-specific installation series. From 2021 to 2023 she led Digital Didactics in Art Education, an EU-funded project that produced an open-access repository of teaching materials using apps and lesson plans to foster digital creativity in online learning. Her curatorial work has also gained international recognition: at the Hungarian Pavilion of the 2015 Venice Biennale she collaborated with visual artist Szilárd Cseke and her students on a project shaped by principles of participation and design communication, which went on to win a Silver A’ Design Award. As she noted, receiving the Aurum Futuri Award shows her that, even after nineteen years, her work as a teacher is still meaningful. “I was moved by the support of my former students in accepting István Povedák’s nomination”, she said. 

The research award went to design culture researcher and aesthetic theoretician, assistant professor at MOME, and head of the Theoretical Studies programme Ákos Schneider. In recent years he has explored new ways of approaching the theory and philosophy of contemporary design, offered critiques of user-centred design, and has helped establish speculative design and posthuman thought in Hungarian discourse. He earned his PhD at MOME’s Doctoral School in 2022, the same year his first book, The Limits of Human-Centred Design, was published. In 2023 he co-led the Future Potentials Observatory – Innovation and Design Horizons research project, and in 2024 co-chaired the Speculative Perspectives section at the international Cumulus conference. Between 2015 and 2023 he was co-editor of Designisso, a student-run platform devoted to design. “This award provides with me with reassurance that what I do matters, and that it is visible within the community I’ve belonged to for almost a decade. It is a huge honour, and it gives me the motivation to carry on”, he said. 

A video interview with the two awardees offers a closer look at their careers and outlook. Any MOME citizen can nominate candidates for the Aurum Futuri Award, which was established jointly by the university and the Foundation for Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design. A key consideration during selection is for the candidate’s work to have a tangible impact within the teaching and student community. This year’s recipients show how essential individual attention, fresh thinking, and a critical eye – qualities that help shape our shared knowledge and culture over the long term. 

While the teaching excellence award recognises MOME lecturers who excel not only in their scientific and professional work but also in their teaching practice, the research excellence award highlights the value and significance of the university’s research activity. Honouring outstanding educators and researchers is especially important, as they are the ones strengthening the intellectual and cultural life of the university, delivering new insights in design, art and science, and fostering the development of entire fields through creative and systematic research methods. Just as importantly, they pursue mentoring and innovation in teaching, contributing to the core values and culture of MOME itself. 

Watch the interview with the awardees HERE.