Blessed Stephen Sándor
Award
SDB
“In the person of Stephen Sándor, we honor the example of a man who carried out his work with faith and love.”
— Cardinal Péter Erdő, Archbishop (October 19, 2013)
Blessed Stephen SÁndor Award
Establishment and Purpose
The Blessed Stephen Sándor Award was established by the Hungarian Province of the Salesians of Don Bosco, named after Saint Stephen, following the beatification of Stephen Sándor. It was first awarded in 2014, to recognize educators and youth workers who serve young people with exceptional dedication and in the spirit of Don Bosco’s educational principles.
The award’s namesake, Blessed Stephen Sándor, was a Salesian religious brother and martyr deeply committed to the education of Hungarian Catholic youth.
Blessed Stephen SÁndor Award
Presentation of the Award
The award is presented annually during the Provincial Don Bosco Celebration. It is handed over by the Provincial Superior of the Salesians of Don Bosco, Hungarian Province.
Blessed Stephen SÁndor Award
Award Recipients
Pál Horváth and Katalin Dér
Katalin Sólyomváriné Kovács
Loretta Bakonyi and Károly Bécsi
Szilvia Vachajáné Kisgyőri
Péter Simon
Judit B. Varga and Márta Borbás Ferencné
Katalin Édl Ignácné
Tímea Wierlné Kárász
Béla Jónás
Lukács Tamásné and Enikő Rózsáné Czigány
Attila Koblencz and Béla Molnár-Gál
Ambrus Lux
Blessed Stephen SÁndor Award
Nature of the Award
The award consists of a bronze commemorative medal bearing the portrait of Blessed Stephen Sándor, and a certificate.
It carries no financial prize, but represents moral recognition and high esteem within the Salesian community.
Blessed Stephen SÁndor Award
The Artist
The medal was designed by Virág Szabó, sculptor.
She was born in Budapest on April 1. She studied at the Hungarian University of Fine Arts, graduating in 2003, the same year she received the Grand Prize at the 3rd International Contemporary Medal Biennial in Portugal. A year later, she won the Prize for Young Artists at the 29th FIDEM International Medal Exhibition.
Between 2001 and 2016, she received 21 awards, including the Grand Prize of the First International Medal and Sculpture Competition for Youth, which earned her a solo exhibition in New York.
Her Hungarian awards include prizes from national medal biennials, and in 2015 she received a Ministry of Human Capacities Award for her “Papal Medal Series.”
She has held solo exhibitions in the Miskolc Gallery, Szolnok Artists’ Colony, and abroad in Rome and New York. She has participated in over 100 group exhibitions. Her works have been acquired by major national and international museums. One of her angel-themed works was purchased by the British Museum in London (Cloakroom, 2007). Her works are also in the collections of the Hungarian National Gallery, the Sopron Museum, and the Petőfi Literary Museum.
