Organised by the Hungarian Confectioners' Guild, the annual event showcased the country's finest artisan ice creams, with judges assessing entries for quality, craftsmanship and creativity.

A total of 72 ice cream varieties were entered, but one competitor emerged as the clear standout.

Annamária Molnár, from the Mikrokosmos ice cream parlour in Budapest, dominated the competition with several award-winning creations.

The main contest took place in Category A, which is reserved for traditional confectioneries and artisan ice cream makers.

The rules were strict: competitors could use only natural ingredients, a traditionally cooked milk base and entirely homemade toppings.

Molnár claimed the competition's highest honour with her ice cream, "Soléa", which impressed the expert judging panel and earned both the gold medal and the Ice Cream of the Year 2026 Challenge Cup.

Her success did not end there. She also received the Nivea Prize for Artisan Ice Cream, the professional organisations' Special Prize and the Visit Hungary Special Prize for her other entries.

Younger visitors also chose one of her creations as their favourite. Her ice cream "A király kedvence" ("The King's Favourite") received the Kajla Special Prize, awarded by the children's jury.

The remaining top places in Category A also featured impressive entries. The silver medal went to Ágnes Böröczky-Asztalos of Margaréta Fagyizó in Balatonszemes for "Incanto della nocciola" ("Hazelnut Enchantment"), which also won the Audience Choice Award.

Bronze was awarded to Balázs Baranyi of Hisztéria Cukrászda in Tápiószecső for "Napcsók" ("Sun Kiss").

One of this year's new additions was the Edible Forest© category, which challenged contestants to create ice cream using ingredients sourced from Hungary's forests while emphasising sustainability and local produce.

Competitors experimented with an unusual range of ingredients, including pine shoots, tree sap and spruce bark.

Once again, Annamária Molnár came out on top, winning the category with "Vadbogyós törökméz" ("Honeycomb Toffee with Wild Berries").

The silver medal in the Edible Forest category went to Jenő Vadócz of Promenád Kávéház in Balatongyörök for "Bükki hajnal" ("Dawn in the Bükk Mountains"), while Ágnes Pokoraczki of Bahama Kézműves Fagyizó in Újfehértó took bronze with "Bogyóka" ("Little Berry").

The competition also included the "M" (Free From) category, highlighting ice creams made without added sugar, gluten, lactose or milk protein.

The category demonstrated that dietary restrictions need not come at the expense of flavour. Jenő Vadócz won the gold medal with his refreshing creation, "Bergamott kertje" ("Garden of Bergamot"), which also earned the special prize awarded by the First Hungarian Order of the White Table.

Photo: Hungarian Confectioners' Guild/Facebook

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