Awards in the Sybilla competition are granted across 10 categories, with approximately 800 museums in Poland eligible to submit their achievements. This year saw 220 entries. Led by Professor Jerzy Malinowski from the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, who specializes in modern art history, the competition committee awarded the Grand Prix along with 29 other prizes and distinctions across various categories, recognizing 17 museums from 10 cities. The top three awards come with financial prizes.
The winners of first place also receive a commemorative Sybilla statuette, crafted by Zofia Wolska. The name “Sybilla” alludes to the ancient oracle, paying homage to the historic Temple of Sybilla in Puławy, the cradle of Polish museology.
This year, the jury set a very high bar. In five of the 10 categories, no first place was awarded. In seven categories, no second prize was given, and in four, no third. However, some categories saw double awards for second or third place. Overall, there were 5 first prizes, 8 second prizes, 7 third prizes, and 9 distinctions.
Most awards went to Poland’s major museums. Warsaw museums received a total of six awards and distinctions, with the Museum of the Wilanów Palace receiving four, including the Grand Prix. Gdańsk received five awards and distinctions, while Kraków and Wrocław each received four, and the National Museum in Poznań garnered three distinctions. Museums from Gliwice, Malbork, Kazimierz Dolny, and Paczków each received one award or distinction, though none received a Sybilla.
Against this backdrop, the Regional Museum in Stalowa Wola stood out with one Sybilla and two distinctions.
Stalowa Wola won first place and a Sybilla statuette for its multimedia exhibition COP for the Future (curated by Lucyna Mizera, with collaboration by Krzysztof Adamek), in the highly competitive category of historical, biographical, and literary exhibitions, which saw 47 submissions. Stalowa Wola outperformed the National Museum in Wrocław, the Historical Museum of Kraków, Malbork Castle Museum, and the National Museum in Poznań.
In the category for educational and promotional programs, Stalowa Wola received a distinction for its educational program for visually impaired visitors, Gallery by Touch (scripted by Lucyna Mizera). Notably, last year, Stalowa Wola won first place in this category for the Tourist Trail of the Lubomirski Family Residences.
In the category of management and organizational achievements, the museum received another distinction for organizing the permanent exhibition Birth of Stalowa Wola 1938 (project led by Lucyna Mizera, curated by Aneta Garanty). Equal distinctions went to the National Museum in Kraków and the Gas Museum in Paczków. In this category, no first or third prizes were awarded, and the second prize went to the National Museum in Wrocław.
“It’s worth noting that two-thirds of our awards, including the Sybilla and one of the distinctions, were for ‘regional products’—projects closely tied to our region’s history, such as the Central Industrial District and Stalowa Wola itself,” says Director Lucyna Mizera. “The economic history of the Second Polish Republic and the Art Deco style we showcase at Hutnik have proven to be highly engaging not only for our visitors, who shower us with praise, but also for art historians and professors from Poland’s most prestigious universities, who served on the jury.”
This marks the third success for the Stalowa Wola Museum in this competition. Its first achievement was in 2002, when the Ministry awarded it second place for the adaptation and development of its building at Sandomierska 1, which now houses the Regional Museum in Stalowa Wola. The second came just last year when Director Lucyna Mizera accepted multiple awards.
