Hungary wins International Grave Digging competition on home soil… literally

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On September 6, 2025, competitors from across the globe met in Hungary for the eighth International Grave Digging Championships.

Although track and field events are usually the most-watched competitions, you might be surprised to discover that people compete in all kinds of unique activities.

Believe it or not, official competitions exist for all sorts of unusual skills! These include things like making beds, setting tables, rolling cheese downhill, a combination of chess and boxing, and even digging graves.

You won’t believe this, but Hungary actually hosts an annual International Grave Digging Championship! The Hungary Association of Cemetery Operators and Maintainers invites professional grave diggers from all over the world to compete.

Hungarian duo claim victory at international grave-digging contest

Since 2016, this event has challenged teams of two to dig a grave to precise measurements. The hole needs to be two meters long, 80 centimeters wide, and 1.6 meters deep.

Competitors also have a two-hour time limit to finish the project. They’re required to carefully refill the holes with the dirt, just like they would at a real gravesite.

According to Oddity Central, the grave-diggers are scored out of 10 based on how quickly and carefully they work, and how much attention they pay to the details of the job.

The International Grave Digging Championship was held this year for the eighth time, and a team from Hungary, Parakletosz Nonprofit Kft, won first place again. This is their second consecutive win.

László Kiss and Robert Nagy completed the task in one hour, thirty-three minutes, and twenty seconds. According to a statement from the MTFE, they attributed their success to the teamwork they naturally use in their jobs, rather than any specific practice.

According to Al Jazeera, the fastest time for the contest was an eye-popping 34 minutes total.

Although it may sound strange, the Championships are held to recognize the effort and athleticism involved in grave digging. They also aim to recruit new people into this increasingly rare profession, as cemeteries face challenges finding workers.

These days, when someone passes away, it’s usually big machines like excavators and backhoes that do the digging for graves. It’s kinda wild to think about, but that’s how it’s mostly done. Though, I’ve heard in some places, people still rely on good old-fashioned manual labor to get the job done.

The latest in a string of unusual competitions to gain attention online involves competitive eater Joey Chestnut, who recently won an eating contest by devouring 26.5 pounds of poutine.

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2025-09-18 20:48