Budapest, October 5, 2000

On October 5, Péter Hidy, Chairman of the Culture Transmitters' Association presented the White Rose Award for 2000 to Elek Straub, Chairman-Chief Executive Officer. MATÁV was honored for creating excellent conditions for the transmission of culture and for its outstanding sponsorship activity. MATÁV, as the biggest sponsor of culture in Hungary, spends hundreds of millions of forints each year on sponsoring culture - focusing on classical music, theater and fine arts.

The Culture Transmitters' Association was founded in 1990 with the objective of raising the standards of Hungarian culture through moral support. The Association registers and analyzes the best cultural performances and presents them to its members as a benchmark. Dedicated transmitters of culture are committed to the protection of values. They regard quality, culture and openness as values to be protected. The Association's task is to participate in the creation and preservation of the freedom of communication and the transmission of values. Its members include librarians, archivists, museum curators, cultural event organizers, adult educators, editors and teachers.

Each year the Association presents a White Rose Award to the best participants in the transmission of culture. The Association's General Meeting decided on the recipients of the White Rose Award for 2000: György Bolgár, journalist, István Gazda, science historian and the editorial office of "Campus", a university journal in Pécs.

The White Rose Sponsorship Award - given this year for the first time - was presented to MATÁV for creating excellent conditions for the transmission of culture and for its outstanding sponsorship activity. The award was presented by Péter Hidy, Chairman of the Culture Transmitters' Association to Elek Straub, Matáv's Chairman-Chief Executive Officer.

MATÁV, as the biggest sponsor of culture in Hungary, spends hundreds of millions of forints each year on sponsoring culture - focusing on classical music, theater and fine arts. As another example of its culture sponsorship the Matáv Gallery was opened today in the assembly hall of its headquarters with an exhibition of the paintings of Ernő Tóth. Works of contemporary artists will be presented in the Matáv Gallery in five exhibitions each year.