Rural Entrepreneur of the Year Awards Presented

The nearly 300,000 rural micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises account for almost two-thirds of the domestic SME sector. In 2025, they provided jobs for nearly one million people, and their combined revenue was more than double that of SMEs in Budapest, according to data from OPTEN. This Wednesday evening, more than 300 rural entrepreneurs celebrated the Rural Entrepreneurs of the Year at the Rural Entrepreneurs’ Night powered by Volkswagen gala. The grand prize, the title of “Rural Entrepreneur of the Year 2026,” was awarded to a pair of siblings, Eszter Bittmann and Szilárd Bittmann, the founders of Lavender Tihany.

Enthusiasm for the competition remained high; this year’s contest received 200 entries from 143 businesses across 111 municipalities nationwide—more than last year. The jury recognized the most outstanding micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises in nine categories. In addition, two special awards were presented: the Media Award for Rural Entrepreneurs and the People’s Choice Award.

The Rural Entrepreneur of the Year Awards aim to shine a spotlight on the rural SME sector, whose economic significance is unquestionable. A joint analysis by the Modern & Stylish Rural Business Community (MSVK), which founded the awards, and OPTEN reveals that there are 297,017 rural and 163,482 Budapest-based micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises in Hungary—meaning that nearly two-thirds of the country’s SMEs are located outside the capital. In 2025, rural SMEs employed 983,544 people, nearly 27,000 more than in 2021. This represents more than one-fifth of total national employment (4,675,000 people, Hungarian Central Statistical Office, July 2026).

Their combined net revenue in 2025 approached HUF 38.9 thousand billion, which is more than double the HUF 19.0 thousand billion in combined revenue generated by SMEs in Budapest. Rural companies are also more stable: small businesses have been in operation for an average of 17.6 years, and medium-sized businesses for 18 years, compared to 15 and 14.2 years, respectively, for their counterparts in Budapest.