The winners of the third "Poetry Unites" contest in Poland

Five young poetry lovers and talented essayists were awarded prizes in the third edition of the "Poetry Unites - My Favorite Poem" contest for best essay in Poland. The contest was open to all schools of all grades in Poland. It was launched under the patronage of Polish Minister of Education Katarzyna Hall on October 1st, 2010 and called for submission of essays about the participants' favorite poems.

The Jury, headed by Adam Zagajewski, prominent Polish poet and professor of Philosophy at the University of Chicago, selected the winning essays from among 149 entries. The winners and their work will be featured in short films of the ongoing Poetry Unites TV program and were invited along with their teachers to the gala event concluding the contest, which has been successfully promoting the reading of poetry and the art of essay writing among young Poles since 2009.
The gala was held in Warsaw on 16 June 2011.

The TV series features short films with profiles of poetry lovers, and has been broadcast on the Polish Public TV once a week for the fifth year. A total of 40 short films have been produced and aired to date. The contest is organized in co-operation with the Ministry of Education and Gazeta Wyborcza, a leading Polish daily.

This year's winners are as follows:
1. Dybowski Artur, 9, Second grade of Jan Paul 11nd Elementary School 11 in Siedlce. The essay was written about a poem by Julian Tuwim and is called "Dżoncio".
2. Fulara Kinga, 17, Second grade of Starachowice High School, "Secret" by Bolesław Leśmian.
3. Konopka Helena, 13, First grade of Startowa Junior High, Mgr. Anna Piwkowska, "Orphanage" by Ewa Lipska.
4. Merecik Anna, 17, Third grade of Kazimierz Morawski High School No 11 in Przemysl III LO, "The Letter to Marc Chagall", by Jerzy Ficowski.
5. Urbański Wiktor, 11, Fifth grade of Elementary School No 12 in Elblag, "Love and Death" by Wojdecka Anna.

Ten essays were awarded a special diploma:

1. Andrzejewska Zuzanna, 14, kl. IV, Elementary School 12 in Elblag, "Elephant" by Julian Tuwim.
2. Litwinowicz Zofia, 17, L. Kruczkowski High School in Bydgoszcz, "Daltonists" by Ewa Lipska.
3. Łuniewicz Anna, 16, Junior High School 15 in Poznan, "Tears in the Theatre" by Stanisław Barańczak.
4. Kałużny Michał, 13, Elementary School 47 in Szczecin, "The King of Elves" by J.W. Goethe.
5. Krutnik Mikołaj, 17, Sniadeckich High School in Bydgoszcz, "nothing, God" by Ryszard Krynicki.
6. Nowak Joanna, 12, Elementary School 12 in Elblag, "It's simply a dog" by Barbara Borzymowska.
7. Płoska Michalina, 17, J. Grodzka High School in Leczyca, "Campo di fiori" by Czesław Miłosz.
8. Radosz Joanna, 18, High School 5 in Torun, "The ballad about a train" by K.K. Baczyński.
9. Wójcicki Aleksander, 18, High School 46 in Warsaw, "Unspoken words" by Czesław Miłosz.
10. Vogt Aleksandra, 15, Startowa Junior High in Warsaw, "So little" by Czesław Miłosz.