Ceremony to award prizes and honourable mentions in Foreign Minister’s History Competition
09.03.2020
- Studies on Poland’s history are important, also in the context of foreign policy, inasmuch as they expand the knowledge of our country not only at home but also among our neighbours and foreign partners. Historical studies help us better understand our bilateral relations. The idea of building influence abroad is the guiding principle of the foreign minister’s annual history competition. We are pleased to embark on its successive editions with a view to promoting academic interest in Polish history. - said Minister Jacek Czaputowicz during today’s ceremony to award prizes and honourable mentions in the Foreign Minister’s History Competition.
This year saw the third edition of the Foreign Minister’s History Competition. The prizes were for research and popular research works published in 2018, in two categories: foreign language publications dealing with Poland’s history and Polish works on the history of Polish diplomacy. The main prizes have gone to Jacques Wiacek for Histoire de la 1re division blindée polonaise (1939-1945): L'odyssée du phénix and Dr Krzysztof Kloc for Michał Sokolnicki 1880-1967. Piłsudczyk-historyk-dyplomata. Honourable mentions have been awarded to: Dr Adam Koch for A Captain’s portrait, Witold Pilecki – martyr for truth, Jack Drecki for Ignacy Jan Paderewski, a pianist amidst the geysers, Prof. Paweł Kowal for Testament Prometeusza. Źródła polityki wschodniej III Rzeczypospolitej and Prof. Wojciech Materski for Węzeł polsko-białoruski 1918-1921. Dokumenty i materiały.
The prizes were awarded by the Foreign Minister at the request of the Historical Diplomacy Council. The works were reviewed by a competition board composed of recognised Polish scholars: Prof. Cezary Kuklo, Prof. Andrzej Chwalba, Prof. Marek Sioma, Prof. Jarosław Centek, Prof. Michał Kopczyński, Dr Anna Kalinowska, and Dr Paweł Libera.
A fourth edition of the competition is to be announced in 2020. It will be open to books published in 2019.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Press Office
Photo: Tymon Markowski / MFA
