International Grave Diggers Championship: What's Inside This Incredible Challenge?

Hungary hosts a sporting event that few countries would consider hosting: the International Grave Diggers Championship . The eighth edition, set for September 6, 2025, pits professional cemetery workers against each other to see who can dig and fill a grave the fastest while remaining neat and tidy.

How does the international grave digger championship work?

Each team of two was tasked with a task: dig a grave two meters (about 6.5 feet) long, 80 centimeters (about 2.6 feet) wide, and 1.6 meters (just over 5 feet) deep, then fill it with about 2.5 tons of soil. Judges scored the work on speed, accuracy, and presentation on a 10-point scale. Of course, finishing quickly, which is a high score, meant clean edges and a neat burial mound.

The 8th International Grave Diggers Championship was won by László Kiss and Róbert Nagy from Hungary, who defended their title with a time of 1 hour 33 minutes and 20 seconds. In a statement reported by Oddity Central, the organizers said the pair attributed their victory to the habits they developed during their workday rather than any special training. The Russian team from the Novosibirsk Crematorium finished last, blaming the hot weather for their last place finish.

First held in 2016, the  International Grave Diggers Championship was only interrupted by the pandemic. The Hungarian Cemetery Operators and Maintenance Association created the tournament not for show, but to celebrate a profession that is often overlooked. Grave digging requires strength, precision, and mental toughness, but the people who do it often receive little recognition. The Grave Diggers Championship aims to change that, perhaps even convince the younger generation not to be afraid of the profession.

The competition takes grave digging out of the gates and allows people to see it firsthand. Spectators watch as contestants create straight walls in the ground, expertly tilling the soil and creating uniform mounds like any other landscape job. The competition reimagines everyday grave digging as a task that requires technique and precision. In addition, the practitioner needs not only strength, but also dexterity.

Beyond the spectacle, the event is a reminder that the most basic of tasks in caring for the dead – digging graves – still relies on humans. The championship does not demean or make fun of the work. Instead, it recognizes the workers who do the work, giving them a platform to showcase their efforts, even to be celebrated.

The event concluded with medals and trophies, symbols that meant more than the objects themselves, as they recognized skill and perseverance in a profession most people never even thought of.

Marvin Fry

Update 26 September 2025