Gala of the 26th edition of the Znak and Hestia Award named after Fr Józef Tischner, at which the laureates of this year’s edition will be announced. The award is given for writing that continues Tischner’s “thinking in terms of values” and for social and pastoral initiatives.
Nominees in the writing category:
- Krystyna Czerni – “Cisza i zgiełk obrazów” (Więź): a account of twentieth- and twenty-first-century art, intended to encourage reflection on the spiritual dimension of contemporary art. The author presents a record of her dialogues with artists and their works.
- Jacek Kołtan – “Solidarność i nowoczesność. Przemiany pojęcia solidarności od rewolucji francuskiej do pokojowej rewolucji 1980 roku” (Europejskie Centrum Solidarności): a study of the history of the concept of solidarity, written from the perspective of a philosopher and political scientist.
- Krzysztof Łapiński – “Najmądrzejszy. Biografia Sokratesa” (Agora): a narrative about how the fate of an ancient philosopher affects people today, showing the influence of philosophy on our thinking about conversation, virtue and the meaning of life.
Nominees in the category “social and/or pastoral initiative”:
- Dr Paweł Grabowski – a doctor who, in 2011, initiated the first rural home hospice in Podlasie; since 2022 he has also run an inpatient hospice in Makówka (Hospicjum Proroka Eliasza).
- Marta Titaniec – a specialist in humanitarian aid and Christian–Jewish dialogue, committed to helping people who have been harmed, including by sexual violence; initiator of the project “Zranieni w Kościele” and the first president of the board of the Fundacja św. Józefa KEP.
- Fundacja “Ukraiński Dom” – for over two decades it has supported the Ukrainian community in Poland, helping foreign women and men integrate while preserving their identity.
The gala will be hosted by Justyna Dżbik-Kluge, a journalist with Polskie Radio and editor-in-chief of Czwórka Radia Kraków. The event will also feature the Tischner Lecture, delivered by Prof. Ryszard Koziołek.
Admission is by free invitation, available from 26 October 2026 at the NCK Box Office, at the reception of Radio Kraków, and as a download from kbfbilety.krakow.pl. Guests with mobility impairments are asked to contact the Audience Organisation Office in advance to arrange seating. The first and second rows of the NCK Stage audience area are equipped with an induction loop for hard-of-hearing guests. Information and reservations: tel. 12 644 02 66 ext. 55, e-mail: REZERWACJA@NCK.KRAKOW.PL.
The Award is funded by ERGO Hestia and the Fundacja Artystyczna Podróż Hestii. The organisers are Wydawnictwo Znak, Fundacja Znak, Artystyczna Podróż Hestii and ERGO Hestia; the co-organiser is the Nowa Huta Centre of Culture. Partners of the event are Radio Kraków, Tygodnik Powszechny, Kraków City of Literature UNESCO and KBF.