Jury and mentors

Csáki Csaba is a Golden Wreath master painter and a dedicated practitioner and teacher of the painting, decorating and paperhanging trade. In addition to his master craftsman's examination, he earned a vocational teacher's degree at the Budapest University of Technology, and for decades he has worked to combine the traditions of the trade with the latest international trends.

Family heritage and his own business

His commitment to his profession has deep family roots: the craft has been passed down through generations of his family. His father also worked as a painting instructor, and the next generation of the trade is already being carried on by his son. He has run his own business since 1997, so he knows every level of the trade first-hand, from day-to-day contracting to the master craftsman's examination.

Outstanding works

• Saint Gellért Parish, Budapest – marbling of 42 columns
• Danubius Hotels – painting and wallpapering in 9 hotels over 20 years
• Wedding Hall on Bakáts tér – ornamental painting
• Gundel Restaurant – painting, wallpapering, gilding

Talent development at international level

Over the course of his career, talent development and the systemic renewal of vocational training became his main mission. Since 2011 he has served as an official expert in the WorldSkills Hungary Programme run by the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MKIK). With the strong professional support of PPG Trilak Kft. – Trilak Painting Academy – he prepares young Hungarian talents for the world and European championships of skilled trades, WorldSkills and EuroSkills. Competitors trained under his guidance regularly add to the international reputation of the Hungarian painting trade with podium finishes and medallions of excellence.

Next generation and examinations in Hungary

He also plays an active role in training and assessing the next generation in Hungary: he is the permanent competition manager of the finals of the Outstanding Student of the Trade Competition (SZKTV) and head of its judging committee, giving him a direct influence on the quality of practical examination tasks and requirements. His key goals are to honour the history and traditions of the trade, to strengthen partnerships between Hungarian schools and market players, and to open the trade widely to the world.

Recognition

In recognition of his work, he received the Prima Award in 2023.

Horváth József started his career as a painter and decorator in 1990; today, as head of the PPG Trilak Painting Academy, he passes on his knowledge. He works in a field where practical experience and the latest technological innovations go hand in hand.

Professional career

He soon proved his commitment to the trade: he passed his master craftsman's examination in 1998 and joined the PPG Trilak team at the end of 1999. In the first years he supported the sales department, and from 2010 – building on his technical expertise – corporate training, professional courses, competition preparation and product development became his main responsibilities. He passes on his knowledge to painting professionals, resellers, partners, students and teachers in online and in-person training sessions focused on modern use of materials, technological progress and high-quality workmanship.

Competitions and international success

Professional competitions hold a special place in his career. Selecting and preparing competitors for the first WorldSkills 2011 painting competition, and the road from there to the first medallion of excellence at EuroSkills 2012, was a defining professional experience. Since then, every young person competing in an international skills competition has been a source of motivation and inspiration for him, whatever their placing. As he puts it: we keep the flame of competitions alive – carrying it forward with our knowledge, our experience and mutual support, setting an example for professional, industry and economic stakeholders.

Kovács László Zoltán lives and works in Kecskemét. He has been teaching as a Master Teacher for twenty years, from vocational school training all the way to master craftsman training, while successfully running his own business for more than 12 years.

Teaching and professional public life

He is a board member of the Bács-Kiskun County Chamber of Commerce and Industry and a member of the Sector Skills Council for Construction. As a chamber expert, he has also contributed to developing national professional requirement systems and examination tasks. For more than 15 years he has been involved in the work of the guild as president and vice-president, playing an active role in the process that made the trade once again an activity requiring a professional qualification.

Competitions and assessment

He also has extensive experience in competitions and assessment: for several years he assessed the work of tomorrow's masters as a member of the jury of the Outstanding Student of the Trade Competition, and he regularly evaluates the masterpieces produced during master craftsman examinations with an expert eye.

Ujvárosi Ildikó started her career with a degree in civil engineering and project management experience gained in a multinational environment; today she works as a master painter – Hungary's first female master painter and decorator. For her, professional recognition is not a title but a responsibility. At the 2025 Painter of the Year competition she won first place in the facade painting category and second place in the decorative painting category.

From engineer to master

Systems thinking, consistency in quality and responsible decision-making became the foundation of her professional work during her years as an engineer and project manager. Her dedication to hands-on work led her to the practical side of the trade: she trained as a painter and decorator while immersing herself in the world of decorative techniques and special surface finishes. Her knowledge, reinforced by a master tiler's examination, enables her to carry out complete bathroom renovations, bespoke decorative walls indoors and outdoors, microcement and other seamless finishes, furniture and surface coatings, as well as terrace and interior floor solutions on her own.

Approach

For her, the aesthetics of a surface always rest on sound technical foundations: the coating system, material compatibility and long-term durability come first. In their family business, she and her husband jointly design and carry out interior renovations – from concept to completion.

Competition results

• Painter of the Year 2025 – facade painting category: 1st place
• Painter of the Year 2025 – decorative painting category: 2nd place

Kondor Valter started his own business from scratch six years ago. He won the Painter of the Year title twice – in 2024 and 2025 – in the interior surface finishing category, and joined the professional jury as the reigning champion.

Professional career

He built his business from scratch six years ago. In his own words, it was one of the hardest periods of his life, both physically and mentally: the road was marked by many sacrifices and constant learning and development, day after day. He learned the trade from his father – and is still learning from him today. He first won the Painter of the Year title in the interior surface finishing category in 2024, and defended it in the same category in 2025.

On competing

Two consecutive wins in the same category are not about a single lucky job: they show that the quality is consistent, backed by the same preparation and high standards year after year. Having come from the competitors' side himself, he knows exactly what it means to put together an entry and present it to a panel of the trade – and he brings this experience to the jury table.

On the jury

He considers it a special honour to move from the winners' side to the jury table and to take part himself in assessing the best in the trade.

Competition results

• Painter of the Year 2025 – interior surface finishing category: 1st place
• Painter of the Year 2024 – interior surface finishing category: 1st place

Posztós Károly sees training the next generations of painters at the vocational school in Karcag as his calling. His commitment has family roots: he regards his father, who introduced him to the world of construction at a young age, as his first master. For him, the trade is not a stop along the way – it is his life. At the Painter of the Year competition he supports the entrants as a mentor.

Teaching career

After five years of teaching in primary school, he returned to vocational training, where he is still actively involved in examining, inspecting training places and reviewing professional textbooks. As a teacher, he passes on not only knowledge but also integrity, professional self-esteem and responsibility.

Innovation in practice

As the developer of the SZOBAFESTŐ TANANYAG digital learning system, he provides up-to-date, freely accessible teaching materials for his colleagues. In this way he not only teaches – he also supports the renewal of teaching methods nationwide.

A community builder

Since August 2023 he has been a board member of the Hungarian National Guild of Painters, Decorators and Paperhangers (SZMTOI). His aim is to strengthen the links between schools and the painters' guild and to keep developing the digital teaching material. Equal opportunities are particularly important to him: he works to ensure that every student – including those in partial-qualification training – has a real path for development.

Mentoring the entrants

At the Painter of the Year competition he is available to entrants as a mentor: he helps them prepare their entry, from choosing the category to putting together the work to be submitted. Anyone entering the competition for the first time is welcome to approach him with their questions.