The winners of the “Znajdź swojego Kuronia” (“Find Your Kuroń”) competition, organised by NEXT FILM, have been announced. The jury met on 26 May 2026 in Warsaw, assessing the submitted works and selecting the most compelling films from entries sent in from all over Poland.
The jury and the deliberations
The jury consisted of representatives of NEXT FILM and the European Solidarity Centre: Robert Kijak (chair, NEXT FILM), Kinga Burzyńska (NEXT FILM), Agata Wojciechowska (NEXT FILM), Magdalena Mistat (ECS), Patrycja Medowska (ECS) and secretary Joanna Jakubik.
The deliberations were held in person and included an individual assessment of the entries, a discussion of selected works and the selection of the winners by shared consensus. The jury was guided above all by relevance to the theme, substantive value and the form of expression.
The winners
First place went to the film “Jeden z wielu – Waldemar Bartosz” (“One of Many – Waldemar Bartosz”) by Julia Wiklina and Szymon Wojarski (No. 1 High School in Małogoszcz, supervising teacher: Agnieszka Wojarska).
The jury praised the apt and moving portrayal of a protagonist who, through his attitude, embodies the values close to Jacek Kuroń — solidarity, social sensitivity and responsibility for others. It also highlighted the maturity of the film’s reflection and its insight in showing the protagonist’s role in the local community.
An honourable mention went to the work “Pani Małgosia. Nasz Kuroń” (“Miss Małgosia. Our Kuroń”) prepared by Weronika Listewnik, Łucja Liss and Maria Ziemann (the University Catholic High School in Tczew, supervising teacher: Małgorzata Krzemińska).
The jury recognised the authors for their inspiring portrait of a protagonist who, through her actions, fosters empathy, responsibility and social engagement among young people, showing that real change begins with the individual.
The award ceremony
The award ceremony took place in Gdańsk, at the European Solidarity Centre (the competition’s content partner) — a place of particular symbolic significance for the ideas behind the competition.
The “Find Your Kuroń” competition was designed to encourage young filmmakers to seek out contemporary heroes who — like Jacek Kuroń — work for the benefit of others and engage in the life of their communities. This year’s award-winning works showed that there is no shortage of such figures, and that their stories can inspire generations to come.
