Celebrating 13 Years of European Code Week in Hungary
20/03/26
The 4th Code Week Hungary Conference
Through the EU Code Week Grants for Grassroots programme, local initiatives across Europe are supported in bringing coding and digital creativity to communities. In Hungary, the programme helped strengthen an already vibrant ecosystem of educators, libraries, and organisations working together to make digital skills accessible and engaging for learners of all ages.
The 4th Code Week Hungary Conference was the perfect stage to celebrate these efforts and highlight the impact of Code Week nationwide.
A Milestone for Digital Education
On 11 October 2025, Hungary celebrated the 13th anniversary of European Code Week in Budapest. The event brought together educators, librarians, IT professionals, university students, and digital education advocates from across the country. As a celebration of coding culture, the conference provided a platform to share innovative digital practices.
The conference welcomed all stakeholders committed to developing competencies in algorithmic thinking, coding, and programming for young children, students, and adults alike. The day opened with an inspiring video greeting from Günalp Turan of the Code4Europe Consortium. Keynote presentations then explored the link between coding, robotics, and cognitive development. Speakers also took a look back at the history of informatics education in Hungarian schools.
Innovation Across Communities and Libraries
The programme featured three parallel thematic sections with presentations from educators and institutions across Hungary. Topics ranged from robotics initiatives in small rural communities to best practices in programming and digital cooperation programmes supporting students with special needs. Presenters shared inspiring stories of escape rooms built around coding challenges, space-themed experience days, cross-generational coding mentorship, and the integration of educational robots into library environments. Libraries emerged as a particularly exciting theme, with multiple sessions showcasing how public and county libraries are using robotics to promote reading, engage communities, and redefine their roles.
The afternoon sessions brought further highlights, including a presentation on making programming a social cause and an overview of the Code Week 2025 Grant Programme by Hungary’s Code Week Ambassadors, Attila Főző and Zsolt Jánossy.
Nine parallel workshops offered participants immersive, “learn-by-doing” sessions. Highlights included:
- Sensor-based storytelling with floor robots.
- Environmental awareness through programming.
- Light games using BBC micro:bit and pixel art.
- Building self-operating robots from cardboard.
These workshops embodied the spirit of Code Week—making digital skills creative, fun, and accessible to everyone. Additionally, a dedicated exhibition area allowed tech companies and organisations to showcase the latest educational tools, bridging the gap between industry and classrooms.
Code Week Hungary Awards
A central highlight was the announcement of the Call for Code Week Hungary 2025 Awards. These awards recognized kindergartens, schools, and libraries for their innovative and inclusive programmes.
Winners received digital educational tools to further support their students.
Special categories focused on:
- Environmentally conscious activities.
- Lower-primary programming excellence.
- Creative use of tangible coding tools.
- Development of algorithmic thinking.
The conference also announced the Code Week Hungary Flashmob 2025 Competition. Schools were challenged to create large-scale visual displays, such as binary-coded signs or live pixel-art images. Four schools won prizes, including robotics kits and micro:bit devices.
The 4th Code Week Hungary Conference once again demonstrated that coding education in Hungary is thriving – reaching all children beyond traditional classrooms into libraries, community spaces, and special education settings. By combining expert knowledge, grassroots creativity, and cross-sector collaboration, Hungary continues to be a dynamic contributor to the European Code Week movement, inspiring thousands of learners to discover the joy and power of digital thinking.
These events were supported under the EU Code Week Grants for Grassroots initiative as a part of the Code4Europe project, funded by the European Union’s Digital Europe Programme.
