Every year， “gravediggers” from around the world gather in Hungary to participate in the local annual “Grave Digging Competition.”
Grave digging as a competition? Is this a niche field?
Yes， you read that right. This is an international competition organized by the Association of Hungarian Funeral Directors and Operators (MTFE)， which every year invites skilled gravediggers from across the globe to participate.
The first competition was held in 2016， and this year marks the 8th edition (with no events in 2020 and 2021). It was recently held on September 6th in Szekszárd， Hungary.
The reason behind organizing such an unconventional competition， according to MTFE， is not to be sensational but to express respect for the often overlooked and unsung work of gravediggers.
While modern tools can assist with excavation， in many densely populated cemeteries where graves are closely spaced， heavy machinery like excavators cannot be used. This necessitates a significant reliance on manual labor.
Therefore， digging graves before burial is a legitimate profession within the funeral industry in many countries， and the competition is essentially a test of this skill.
The organizers hope that by hosting this skills competition， gravediggers will have an opportunity to gain recognition， which in turn could attract more young people to enter the profession.
This year’s champions were Hungarian contestants László Kiss and Róbert Nagy. According to the competition rules， they worked as a team to excavate a standard-sized grave (2 meters long， 0.8 meters wide， and 1.6 meters deep). They then refilled the grave according to the requirements， completing a whole funeral plot.
Their entire process took 1 hour， 33 minutes， and 20 seconds. This marks their second consecutive victory.
Beyond speed and endurance， this competition also places significant emphasis on the aesthetic quality of the grave site.
Judging criteria include the accuracy of the grave’s dimensions， the straightness and neatness of the excavated earth walls， the proficiency of soil handling， the orderly placement of excavated soil， and the quality of the final refilling. These details are all integral to the evaluation.
Spectators were present during the competition， highlighting that the work of a gravedigger is far more than just moving dirt; it’s a highly technical and demanding skill.
Unfavorable weather conditions can also impact performance.
The team that finished last was from a crematorium in Novosibirsk， Russia. They attributed their less-than-ideal results primarily to the prevailing hot weather， to which they were not accustomed.
In Conclusion
Indeed， skills competitions similar to this have long existed and are often global in scope. The most prominent among these is the WorldSkills Competition， widely regarded as the “Olympics of skills.”
Even for the most ordinary occupations， exceptional proficiency can lead to participation.
The range of skills covered is vast， encompassing areas such as tiling， automotive repair， carpentry， plastering， electrical installation， interior design， hairdressing and beauty， and culinary arts.
A particularly memorable case was the widely reported “Bricklaying Champion” Wu Yuanzhou， whose success helped many to fundamentally reconsider their preconceived notions of labor-intensive jobs like “carrying bricks” or “laying bricks.”
The bricklaying category at the WorldSkills Competition (44th， 45th， 46th， and 47th editions) has seen China consistently win four gold medals， reinforcing the sentiment that even seemingly mundane jobs can be a source of pride and achievement.
