Drumroll, Please: Poland’s Most Significant Cultural Awards

Nagroda-Filmowa-Orly-pap_20160307_1RM.jpg, default, Janusz Gajos, Maja Ostaszewska, Małgorzata Szumowska, Agnieszka Smoczyńska and Kinga Dębska at the Polish Film Awards (Orły) ceremony in 2016, Polski

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Wajda wins an Eagle! Tokarczuk wins a Passport! Podsiadło wins a… Fryderyk? Sounds like very exciting news but what on earth are these Poles talking about? We’re here to introduce you to the Polish equivalents of an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, a Tony, a Booker and more!

Obviously, every country is honoured to boast as many Nobel Prize and Oscar winners as it possibly can (and, not to brag, Poland can and does). But, honestly, there is no need for us to claim all of the big international prizes, when we have perfectly wonderful and significant awards at home!

There are, of course, many Polish cultural prizes of all shapes and sizes, from local to pan-European. Here, we’ll focus on the crème de la crème, considered the most significant and prestigious. We are happy to explain what Eagles, Passports and Fryderyks are and why you should care about them, too – join us on the red carpet!

Culture

Paszporty Polityki

The Paszporty Polityki, or Polityka Passports, is a cultural award established in 1993 by the weekly magazine Polityka, which aims to recognise emerging and innovative artists across all cultural fields. For over 30 years now, the magazine has presented the awards in seven categories: literature, film, theatre, classical music, visual arts and performing arts, and – since 2016 – digital culture. In 2002, a special ‘Culture Creator’ award was launched, presented for achievements in promoting culture, and in 2024 the Readers’ Passport was awarded for the first time.

Notable winners you may recognise: Mirosław Bałka, Olga Tokarczuk, Andrzej Sapkowski, Leszek Możdżer, Krzysztof Penderecki, Aneta Grzeszykowska, Tomasz Stańko, Agnieszka Holland, CD Projekt Red, Jakub Józef Orliński

Gloria Artis Medal for Merit to Culture

The Gloria Artis Medal for Merit to Culture is an official state decoration awarded by the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage honouring outstanding contributions to, or protection of, Polish culture and national heritage.

Awarded in Gold, Silver and Bronze classes, the minister awards the medal on their own initiative or at the request of other ministers or heads of central government departments, provincial government officials or nationwide social organisations or associations carrying out statutory cultural activities, and heads of diplomatic or consular missions of the Republic of Poland.

Notable winners you may recognise: Magdalena Abakanowicz, Martha Argerich, Zygmunt Bauman, Ryszard Kapuściński, Wojciech Kilar, Hanna Krall, Stanisław Lem, Antonia Lloyd-Jones, David Lynch, Igor Mitoraj, Rafał Olbiński, Zbigniew Preisner

Film

Polish Film Festival in Gdynia (Lions)

Film is one of Poland's strongest contenders.. We all know autumn is upon us when the cultural scene starts gearing up for the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia. It’s the country’s biggest and most important local film festival. The most compelling Polish films of the year compete in Gdynia for the Golden, Silver, and Sapphire Lions, as well as an array of individual awards. Since 2005, the Platinum Lions have been presented for lifetime achievement and outstanding artistic accomplishments. The name of the awards comes from the coat of arms of Gdańsk, where the festival was held until 1986.

Before 1974, when the festival was established, the Polish film community felt there was a lack of an event that would bring Polish filmmakers together to celebrate Polish cinema, annually review domestic productions, acknowledge the hard work of peers and simultaneously be a space for networking – modeled on the most important European festivals, such as the Cannes Film Festival and Venice Film Festival.

Notable winners you may recognise: Agnieszki Holland, Krzysztof Kieślowski, Krzysztof Krauze, Paweł Pawlikowski, Andrzej Wajda, Krzysztof Zanussi

Polish Film Awards (Orły)

Established in 1999, the Polish Film Awards, also known as the Orły, or Eagles, honour excellence in Polish cinema. The National Chamber of Audiovisual Producers was the initiator and organiser of the awards and, since its establishment in 2003, they have been awarded by the Polish Film Academy. The Orły are considered the Polish equivalent of the Academy Awards (although we have plenty of those, too).

Throughout the years, the number of categories steadily grew, along with the growth of the industry and changing times. The awards are currently presented in 20 categories including Best Film, Best European Film, Best Documentary Film, Best Drama Series, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor and Actress in a Leading Role, Best Supporting Actor and Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Make-up, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Design, Breakthrough of the Year, an Audience Award and a Lifetime Achievement Award.

The award ceremony is now held under the auspices of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of Poland (earlier it was the Polish President!). And, fun fact: all artists who receive nominations are invited to become members of the European Film Academy.

Notable winners you may recognise: The Pianist (2002), The Wedding (2004), Katyń (2007), 33 Scenes from Life (2008), Gods (2014), Cold War (2018), Corpus Christi (2019), The Hater (2020), No Ghosts on Good Street (2025)

Literature

Nike Literary Award (Nagroda Literacka Nike)

Moving onto another of Poland’s strong suits: literature. Before going off to win more Nobel Prizes in literature, the Polish laureates are likely to have won a Nike Literary Award first. The Nike is Poland’s most prestigious literary award. Founded in 1997, it has been awarded each year for the best book of a single living author writing in Polish and published the year before – fiction or non-fiction.

A jury made up of nine literary experts chooses the winner. Nominations are announced in May of each year and seven finalists are selected come September. The final award ceremony is held in October.

Two of the award’s winners have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature: Czesław Miłosz and Olga Tokarczuk. Tokarczuk and Wiesław Myśliwski are the only individuals so far to have received the Nike Literary Award twice.

Notable winners you may recognise: Olga Tokarczuk, Wiesław Myśliwski, Czesław Miłosz, Tadeusz Słobodzianek, Tadeusz Różewicz, Stanisław Barańczak

Art

Jan Cybis Award

When it comes to art, there are currently so many prizes for so many particular genres of art that it is hard to name just a few. Therefore, this time, we will go by seniority. The Jan Cybis Award, named after the prominent Polish painter Jan Cybis, is surely one of the oldest and most prestigious awards in the field of art.

The award, established in 1973, marked the official launch of the Association of Polish Artists and Designers post-World War II.

Notable winners you may recognise: Józef Czapski, Jerzy Nowosielski, Erna Rosenstein, Paweł Susid, Wojciech Fangor, Leon Tarasewicz, Kōji Kamoji, Wilhelm Sasnal

Music

Fryderyk Awards

The same goes for music. Were you wondering what a Fryderyk could possibly be? Here’s the answer: named after one of Poland’s most prominent composers, Fryderyk (Frédéric) Chopin, the Fryderyki are Poland’s top awards for music (considered to be our local equivalent to the Grammys).

The awards are given in three sections: popular music, classical music and jazz, each of which is divided up into categories of its own.

One of the most interesting categories, however, is probably the now-defunct Best Foreign Album category, which offered a revealing reflection on Poland’s reception of international artists. Award-winning albums have included: Pink Floyd – The Division Bell, Queen – Made in Heaven, Rolling Stones – Bridges to Babylon, Madonna – Ray of Light, U2 – All That You Can’t Leave Behind, Red Hot Chili Peppers – By the Way, Prince – Musicology, Foo Fighters – Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, Erykah Badu – New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) and Adele – 21.

Notable winners you may recognise: Katarzyna Nosowska, Kayah, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Ewa Bem, Ewa Demarczyk, Urszula Dudziak, Wojciech Kilar, Czesław Niemen, Władysław Szpilman, Michał Urbaniak, Zbigniew Wodecki

Language English