The Board of Trustees of the Dénes Huszty Foundation
in accordance with its founding charter
hereby issues this call for applications
1. In 2026, in its 25th year, the "Dénes Huszty public-benefit foundation"[1] aims to reward outstanding results by young acousticians — graduates working in the field, or students just completing their higher education, who are under the age of 35 at the time of application — whose work contributes to the universal development of acoustics. A further goal of the Foundation is to commemorate the life and work of Dénes Huszty, a leading authority in acoustics in the 1950–1979 period.
2. The Foundation is celebrating a double anniversary: in the year of this call (2026) it marks the 25th anniversary of its founding, while in the year the prizes are presented, January 2027, we commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Dénes Huszty, after whom the Foundation is named. In view of this exceptional jubilee and centenary, the Board of Trustees aims to award up to two Dénes Huszty Memorial Prizes in the 2026 competition. Each prize consists of an honorary certificate, an engraved memorial plaque, and a cash prize of 300,000 HUF. Recipients may choose to receive the prize either as cash or, in accordance with applicable law, as an in-kind benefit (e.g. conference participation fee, scientific publication fee, etc.).
3. Entries to the Foundation's 2026 competition must take the form of a submitted work.
4. Where eligible submissions are received for the 2026 call, the Board of Trustees intends to award the prize in accordance with the quality of the entries and the provisions of the founding charter.
5. Applications are open to graduates — primarily engineers, computer scientists, and physicists — submitting a summary of their independent work, articles published in field-specific journals, or a new paper (the submitted work), as well as to students completing their higher education who are preparing their diploma thesis. Applicants may hold degrees in other fields as well (e.g. medicine, teaching, linguistics, psychology), but their activity must fall within the broadly understood field of acoustics, including related specialisms.
6. Mandatory content and formal requirements for submitted works:
- A university thesis or diploma project may not be submitted as a direct, unaltered copy. The Board of Trustees accepts as a submitted work an independent paper with a scientific/engineering structure that summarizes the author's own research results (minimum 15 pages).
- A condition of eligibility is that the results presented have, in part or in full, already been presented at a Hungarian or international professional event, or have been published or accepted for publication in a field-specific journal. Proof of this (the published article, or the conference abstract/certificate of presentation) is a mandatory attachment to the application.
- The application may be accompanied by a professional recommendation from a recognized expert who knows the applicant's work directly (e.g. university supervisor, head of department, or professional manager at the applicant's workplace), addressing the novelty of the research and the extent of the applicant's own contribution.
7. For the 2026 call, works presenting the author's own new scientific results, theoretical or practical innovations, or developments may be submitted in the following three priority topic areas, with particular attention to advanced and novel acoustic applications of artificial intelligence (AI):
a) in electroacoustics, in the spirit of Dénes Huszty's work in electroacoustics and his research in systems methodology (with particular regard to the modelling, design, or modern signal-processing methods of loudspeakers, microphones, and acoustic networks, including AI-based solutions supporting these);
b) results achieved in applied acoustics research and development, including automotive, building, and mechanical-engineering acoustics, with a focus on the use of AI in complex acoustic design and optimization;
c) in vibration acoustics, as well as noise protection, noise reduction, and environmental sound exposure, with particular emphasis on sustainability and environmental considerations (e.g. acoustic optimization of green technologies and renewable energy sources, and the application of ecoacoustic methods and AI-based data analysis to monitoring biodiversity and the effects of climate change, contributing to the fight against global warming).
In its assessment, the Evaluation Committee — in addition to professional quality — will regard the following as significant advantages:
- Patent protection or patent co-authorship related to the submitted work, which carries particular weight in the evaluation, as a fitting tribute to the legacy of Dénes Huszty, who was the author and co-author of numerous significant industrial patents during his career.
- Publication of the research underlying the submitted work in an international or peer-reviewed Hungarian journal.
- The submitted work laying the foundation for, or forming part of, the applicant's PhD research.
In addition to the priority topics above, the Board of Trustees will also consider submissions from other specialist areas of acoustics.
8. The deadline for submissions: 15 December 2026.
9. Applications may be submitted in person at the Foundation's seat, at the offices of the Scientific Association for Infocommunications (HTE), 1051 Budapest, Bajcsy-Zsilinszky út 12., or by post. For postal submissions, the latest posting date is 15 December 2026. In every case, the full application must also be attached in digital form. Applications may also be sent as email attachments to palyazat@huszty.org. When sending by email, please request a read receipt. For questions about email submissions, call +36 1 336 0400.
10. Applications are assessed by an evaluation committee appointed by the Board of Trustees, which makes a recommendation to the Board regarding the award.
11. The official announcement of the results of the 2026 Dénes Huszty Memorial Prize competition and the award ceremony are planned for 18 January 2027, the 100th anniversary of the birth of Dénes Huszty, as part of a centenary commemorative session, with the representatives of the founders present. The Board of Trustees will announce the exact time and venue of the ceremony as set out in point 12.
12. This call for applications is published in the bulletins of the Scientific Association for Infocommunications and the Scientific Association for Optics, Acoustics, Motion Pictures and Theatre Technology, and on the websites of both associations and of the Foundation.
Budapest, September 2026
On behalf of the Board of Trustees:
Dr. Fülöp Augusztinovicz
Chair of the Board of Trustees
www.huszty.org
[1] Registered in 2001.