2022 WISŁAWA SZYMBORSKA AWARD
COMPETITION TERMS AND CONDITIONS

§ 1

1. The Wisława Szymborska Award (hereinafter referred to as the Award) was established under the Statutes of the Wisława Szymborska Foundation (hereinafter the Foundation) and is given in two categories: annually for the most outstanding book of poetry published originally in the Polish language in the preceding year (first category); every two (2) years for an outstanding book of poetry translated into Polish (second category, optional, i.e. if the Award Committee decides to grant this award).
2. In both categories, the Award Competition (hereinafter the Competition) is organized and the Award is funded by the Wisława Szymborska Foundation.
3. The Foundation may grant the status of Award co-sponsor to other parties.
4. The Award is international in scope.
5. In the first category, the Award shall be given for the best book of poetry written by a living Polish author.
6. In the second category, the Award may be given every two (2) years to an outstanding book of poetry translated into Polish during the last two (two) years preceding the award year in this category. The Award in this category may be given for a book of poetry by a prominent author (whether living or deceased) that has been translated into the Polish language in an excellent manner.
7. In the current iteration, books submitted for the Award in the first category must be those published between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2021.
8. In the current iteration, books submitted for the Award in the second category must be those published between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2021.
9. Additionally, the list of books in the second category that were published between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2019 and previously submitted for the Competition and are eligible for the current iteration of the Award is available at https://nagrodaszymborskiej.pl/en/list-of-submissions/.
10. The Award comprises:
1) Wisława Szymborska Award Statuette;
2) cash prize to be determined for each category by the Board of the Foundation.
11. In the event that no Award is given in the second category, the cash prize shall not be added to the prize in the first category to increase it.
12. If the Award is given in the second category, i.e. for a book translated into Polish, the cash prize shall be divided into parts and awarded to the living author of the original book and the author(s) of the translation(s). The manner in which the cash prize is to be divided shall be determined by the Board of the Foundation, with the proviso that, in the event that the author of the original book is no longer alive, the part of the prize intended for that author shall not be added to the prize awarded to the author(s) of the translation(s).
13. No Award in either category shall be given on an ex aequo basis.
14. The following individuals shall be excluded from participation in the Competition as either authors or co-authors:
1) members or representatives of the Board of the Foundation or individuals authorized or empowered to represent any co-sponsor or co-organizer of the Competition;
2) members of the Award Committee.
15. The Competition shall be held in three stages:
1) In the first stage of the Competition, a short list of not more than eighty (80) books of poetry shall be selected by the Award Committee from all the submissions admitted in the first category. The short list shall be publicized by the Board of the Foundation;
2) In the second stage of the Competition, the Award Committee shall indicate five (5) books nominated for the Award in the first category and, every two (2) years, it shall announce the name(s) of the winner(s) in the second category or a statement on its decision not to give the Award in this category;
3) In the third stage of the Competition, the Award Committee shall indicate the winner selected from the five (5) books nominated for the Award in the first category.
16. In the first category, the Award Committee shall select the winning book in a three-stage procedure while in the second category the Award Committee shall select the winning book from all the translated books that have been properly submitted for the Competition. No nominations shall be made in the second category.
17. The exact dates of the successive stages of the competition shall be determined and announced by the Board of the Foundation.
18. Books may be submitted for the Competition by any natural person, juristic person or unincorporated entity to whom specific Acts of Parliament grant legal capacity if such a person or entity is of an opinion that the book deserves to be entered in the Competition, including, but not limited to, members of the Award Committee, authors, publishers, cultural institutions, and literary journals and websites.
19. The deadline for submitting books in the current iteration of the Award is 14 January 2022. For submissions made by post, the postmark date shall be decisive for meeting the deadline, and for submissions made directly to the Foundation office the date of receipt confirmed by the Foundation.
20. Books can be submitted for the Award Competition solely by post or personal delivery to the following address:
Fundacja Wisławy Szymborskiej, ul. Urzędnicza 20/6, 30-051 Kraków, Poland.
Those mailed as packages must bear the note “Nagroda im. Wisławy Szymborskiej” on the outside. The submission must contain:
1) written statement of submission of the book(s) for the Award Competition (the form can be downloaded here: Submission Form);
2) seven (7) copies of each submitted book in its print edition;
3) the submitted book(s) in PDF format (maximum file size: 15 MB) on a CD or other data storage device enclosed with the submission (unless emailed to: nagroda@szymborska.org.pl).
21. The Foundation shall not make the books (whether submitted in hardcopy or in PDF format) available to anyone for any purposes other than those relating to the work of the Award Committee and the selection of the nominees and the winner(s) in the Competition.
22. The books sent in as part of a submission for the Award Competition shall not be returned.
23. Only an individual who has given their consent may be nominated for the Award. Such consent may be delivered/given along with the submission of the book for the Competition or prior to the date of the announcement of the nominations for the Award in the respective iteration.

§2

1. The members of the Award Committee for each iteration of the Award shall be appointed annually by the Board of the Foundation. A maximum of seven (7) members may be appointed to the Award Committee.
2. Award Committee membership shall expire (i) when the relevant iteration of the Award is closed; (ii) upon a member’s resignation; (iii) upon a member’s forfeiture of legal capacity or death. In the event of (ii) or (iiI) above, the Board of the Foundation shall appoint a new member of the Award Committee.
3. The Chair of the Award Committee shall be selected from and by its members during the first session of the newly appointed Committee, failing which the Chair shall be appointed by the Board of the Foundation. The Chair of the Committee shall direct its work and chair its sessions.
4. The Award Committee shall make its decisions in the form of resolutions, adopted by ordinary majority of votes. In the event of equally divided votes, the Chair shall have the casting vote. Committee sessions may be held by teleconference.
5. A minimum of two (2) sessions of the Award Committee shall be held during each iteration of the Award.
6. A member of the Award Committee who is not attending a session may submit their proposals in writing to the Chair of the Committee, relevant to the goal and subject matter of the session.
7. The Award Committee shall adopt resolutions under these Terms and Conditions, with the proviso that its decisions regarding nominated authors and Award winners shall be made in its unrestricted discretion, directed by the principles of general equity and the nature of and the values represented by the Award. In the event of a resolution being adopted by the Award Committee in violation of these Terms and Conditions, the Board of the Foundation may decide to repeal such a resolution.
8. The members of the Award Committee shall be bound by the principle of confidentiality with respect to its sessions and resolutions. The Committee members shall not make the books that have been supplied to them in PDF format as Competition entries available to anyone outside the Committee.
9. The Board of the Foundation shall appoint an Award Secretary for each iteration of the Award. The Award Secretary’s responsibilities shall be to:
1) prepare information materials for the members of the Award Committee;
2) take minutes of the Award Committee sessions;
3) maintain ongoing contact with the members of the Award Committee in order to keep them informed of the meeting dates and agendas, perform all activities and do all acts involved in the ongoing work of the Committee and in the implementation of the resolutions adopted by the Committee;
4) acquaint the Award Committee with the script of the Award presentation ceremony.
10. The Award Secretary shall have no voting rights with regard to the selection of nominated authors and Award winners.
11. The Award Committee, acting in concert with the Board of the Foundation, shall have the right to appoint an expert, should additional consultation be required.

§ 3

1. The Award shall be presented every year at the date to be set by the Board of the Foundation.
2. The exact date of the Award presentation shall be publicly announced ahead of time and communicated to the Award nominees by the Award Secretary.
3. The venue of the presentation ceremony shall be in Krakow.

§ 4

All tangible and intangible rights in any way attaching to the Award, including but not limited to the logo and the name of the Competition, shall belong to and be owned by the Wisława Szymborska Foundation.

§ 5

These Terms and Conditions shall apply to the Competition in which the 2022 Award will be given.