The Balint Balassi Memorial Sword Award is a European literary award given in Budapest since 1997. Its original name is Balassi Bálint-emlékkard. This award honors the 16th century Hungarian poet Bálint Balassi. Each year, the award is given to a Hungarian poet who has shown outstanding talent and to a foreign poet who has done excellent work translating Hungarian literature, including Balassi’s works. The sword is a replica of the sabers used by 16th century Hungarian cavalry during fortress sieges. It was created by a modern swordsmith. The award is presented annually on February 14, which is also called Bálint’s Day. The event takes place at the Hotel Gellért in the city of Buda.

The advisory board

The new award was created by Pal Molnar, a journalist. His colleagues include Gabriella Lőcsei, a journalist; József Zelnik, a writer; and András Rubovszky, a hotelier. Additionally, all previous award winners automatically join the board. This means that most board members are from the literary field.

Global focus

At first, only Hungarian poets were awarded the Balassi sword. However, since 2002, a foreign literary translator has also been honored each year. After this change, the organization began to see the Balassi sword as a prize with European importance. Later, poets from Asia and America also received the award, making it a prize with worldwide significance.

Balassi Mass

Since 2008, the Balint Balassi Memorial Swords have been blessed during a Balassi Mass held a few days before the award ceremony. On January 25, 2013, about 300 Hungarians attended as Bishop Laszlo Kiss-Rigo blessed the two swords during a Mass held at Saint Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna.

The prize itself

In addition to a sharp, dangerous weapon made by József Fazekas, the winners receive a diploma, a special porcelain statue from the Herend company, and a bottle of wine. The wine is chosen during a national tasting competition the year before, and this winning wine is allowed to have the label "Balassi's sword."