The North American Association of Teachers of Polish (NAATPl) is pleased to announce the winners of this year’s NAATPl Student Project Award competition. The contest recognizes students’ original work that celebrates, promotes, and explores the Polish language and culture, encouraging creative submissions that demonstrate meaningful engagement with Polish cultural heritage.
This year, the NAATPl Student Project Award jury, composed of faculty from three major U.S. universities where Polish is regularly offered, selected the following winners:
- Leah Wawryka (McMaster University, Canada), for a project on the Lower Silesian region of Poland (2nd place)
- Eamon Maloney (Georgetown University, United States), for an essay and presentation on Julian Antonisz, Polish artist, filmmaker, and animator (3rd place)
Congratulations to our awardees!
Eligibility and Submission Format
The competition was open to high school and undergraduate students studying the Polish language in the United States or Canada. Submissions included a wide range of formats, such as written works, audiovisual projects, and interactive media.
Project Evaluation
All submissions were evaluated according to the following criteria:
- Relevance – Does the project reflect a meaningful connection to Polish language and/or culture?
- Originality – Does the project demonstrate creative thinking or a unique approach?
- Depth of research – Is the project informed by accurate and thoughtful content?
- Quality – Is the project well executed and polished?
- Impact – Does the project have the potential to inspire interest in Polish language and culture?
Each juror assigned scores on a 0–3 scale in each category, which were then combined to determine the final ranking. This year, the jury decided not to award the first prize based on the final ranking scores.
We would like to thank all participants for their submissions and engagement in this year’s competition. We encourage everyone to visit our website for updates on future editions of the NAATPl Student Project Award and other opportunities.
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