Hungarian grave-digging contest pits 38 competitors in Nyergesújfalu

Thirty-eight competitors grabbed picks and shovels on Saturday in a grave-digging contest at a public cemetery in Nyergesújfalu, northern Hungary, racing to carve out the quickest and most stylish burial plot. The event drew 19 two-man teams and served as a showcase for the grave-digging trade, according to the Hungarian Association of Cemetery Maintainers and Operators, which organized the contest.

The summer-baked soil at the cemetery proved a difficult adversary. Teams worked under the sun, digging to contest specifications of graves 1.6 meters (5½ feet) deep, 2 meters (6½ feet) long and 0.8 meters (2.6 feet) wide.

Róbert Nagy and László Kiss won the title with a time of 1 hour, 21 minutes. The pair shared a cash prize of 200,000 Hungarian forints (about $640).

Speed is the main thing here, not the beauty. When you have to dig a grave for a funeral, you have to be very careful about the exact dimensions and to make sure that it is beautifully carved.

Nagy and Kiss made their comments after the win.