Young Historians Honored at the “Collective Portrait of the Century” Competition Finale

The grand finale of the nationwide "Collective Portrait of the Century" competition took place on June 22, 2026, at the historic Palace of the Commonwealth in Warsaw. Organized by the KARTA Center Foundation in partnership with several distinguished institutions, including the Kosciuszko Foundation, this event celebrated the achievements of young history researchers and the enduring friendship between Poland and the United States. The competition was inspired by the centennial of the Declaration of Admiration and Friendship for the United States, a unique document created in 1926. Students aged 13 to 19 were challenged to identify individuals whose signatures appear in the Declaration and reconstruct their life stories through original research and creative presentation. The jury faced a difficult task, as contestants combined meticulous archival research with modern digital tools to uncover and tell compelling human stories hidden within the pages of history. The competition's top honor, a once-in-a-lifetime educational trip to Washington, D.C., was awarded to Filip Glanc, Julia Kandzia, and Paweł Strzelski of Primary School No. 4 in Lubliniec, named after the 74th Upper Silesian Infantry Regiment. Their project "A Man of Many Talents: The Story of Józef Gorgosz" reconstructed the life of an extraordinary craftsman and self-taught artist, presenting his story through a film created with the support of artificial intelligence tools that brought original archival photographs to life. During the gala, Professor Grażyna Czetwertyńska, President of the Kosciuszko Foundation Poland, addressed the audience and underscored the vital role of rigorous, evidence-based historical research in shaping national identity and preserving collective memory.