“A human being is one who is capable of becoming more than he is.” Józef Tischner

RULES OF THE INTERNATIONAL ART AND LITERARY CONTEST – ADD SOME COLOR, GIVE IT YOUR VOICE: Roots and Wings

Co-organiser: Hieronim Łopaciński Provincial Public Library in Lublin, Poland

Lublin 2026

§ 1

1. The organizer of the contest is Hugo Kołłątaj High School No 6 in Lublin, Poland.

2. The co-organizer of the contest is Hieronim Łopaciński Provincial Public Library in Lublin, Poland.

§ 2

1. The aims of the competition:

1. Developing the artistic and literary sensitivity of young people and encouraging creative expression of thoughts, emotions, and experiences.

2. Deepening reflection on the identity of a young person, their cultural, family, and social roots, as well as on the process of growing up and searching for one’s own path.

3. Shaping an attitude of conscious dialogue with tradition and cultural heritage, while simultaneously supporting individuality and creative independence.

4. Encouraging self-reflection and critical thinking about the relationship between the past and the future, security and freedom, rootedness and the need for change.

5. Developing communication and interpretative skills, both in literary and artistic forms.

6. Strengthening young people’s self-esteem and sense of agency through opportunities to present their own creative work and express their views publicly.

7. Promoting attitudes of openness, empathy, and social responsibility, which are essential in the process of building a mature civic identity.

8. Education in values through the development of civic and patriotic attitudes.

9. Developing creativity.

10. Developing communication and argumentation skills.

11. Developing interests and talents in the field of art and literary forms.

12. Developing language skills, reading comprehension, and the ability to interpret written texts.

13. Promoting literary and artistic talents.

14. Shaping key competences, in particular cultural awareness and cultural expression.

15. Developing digital competences.

2. The rules of the contest are available on the school website: www.lo6.lublin.eu.

3. For any additional information write to Anna Zagórna-Bartnik at anna.zagornabartnik@lo6.lublin.eu.

4. Organizational team of the Contest: Anna Zagórna-Bartnik, Małgorzata Łukasiewicz, VI LO, Lublin, Poland.

§ 3

1. The Contest is addressed to students born between 2006 and 2010.

2. Contestants are to send previously unpublished works inspired by the theme of the contest.

3. Participants use their creativity to convey personal reflections on what the competition theme “Roots and Wings” means to them.

4. The guiding motto of the competition is the thought of Józef Tischner: A human being is one who is capable of becoming more than he is.

5. The competition is divided into the following thematic categories:

1. Artistic – a work (drawing, painting, photograph, or collage) presenting a unique perspective on the theme of human identity, based on tradition and the desire for personal growth. A short description must accompany the work.

2. Literary – a work on one of the given topics. Each topic may be realized in prose or poetry form.

6. Competition topics:

1. “Between Where I Come From and Where I Am Flying” (On identity, growing up, choices, and the tension between tradition and dreams of the future.)

2. “Roots That Hold. Wings That Call.” (On family, cultural, and emotional bonds—those that give strength, as well as those from which it is difficult to break free.)

3. “Home — a Place or a State of Mind?” (A reflection on the concept of home as a space, a memory, a relationship, or an inner sense of security.)

4. “Heritage” (On what we inherit from previous generations—values, stories, traumas, language, and culture—and what we choose to do with them.)

5. “When Wings Grow from Roots” (On how tradition, the past, and personal experiences become the foundation for growth, freedom, and creativity.)

6. “Who Am I When I Fly Away?” (On independence, change, departure, adulthood, and discovering oneself beyond the familiar world.)

7. Guiding questions for participants – literary works:

1. How do your roots shape your dreams and decisions?

2. What gives you strength and a sense of security, and what inspires you to set out on your journey?

3. What does your path toward independence and adulthood look like?

4. How do tradition and the past influence your choices?

8. Guiding questions for participants – artistic works:

1. How can the relationship between the past and the future be depicted visually?

2. How can you visually represent what gives you “roots” and what gives you “wings”?

3. In what ways can symbols, colors, and shapes tell the story of your identity?

9. Suggested artistic forms:

1. Poster / Graphic design (A symbolic interpretation of the motifs of roots and wings, identity, home, and freedom.)

2. Photography / Photo series (Portraits, places, or objects symbolizing the connection between the past and the future; photo reportages or artistic interpretations of the theme in the form of a short photo-cast.)

3. Collage / Mixed media (Combining images, texts, photographs, natural elements, or found objects; this form may symbolize the intertwining of roots with personal dreams and aspirations.)

4. Painting / Illustration (An abstract or realistic interpretation of the competition theme.)

5. Comic / Narrative illustration (A short graphic story, e.g. a narrative about growing up, searching for one’s place, relationships with the past, and dreams of the future.)

10. Suggested literary forms:

1. Poem (Metaphorical, reflective, or symbolic; particularly well suited to working with the imagery of “roots” and “wings.”)

2. Short story (Realistic or metaphorical; a narrative about growing up, choosing one’s path, leaving and returning.)

3. Essay / Personal essay (Reflections on identity, home, heritage, freedom, and responsibility.)

4. Letter (e.g. addressed to ancestors, to one’s future self, to family, or to one’s place of origin.)

5. Interior monologue (A record of the thoughts of a person standing on the threshold of change, decision, or “flight.”)

6. Diary / Journal entry (A personal form portraying the process of growing up and searching for one’s own path.)

7. Parable / Short allegorical form (A universal story with a moral, based on symbols.)

8. Poetic prose (Combining narrative with the language of poetry; particularly well suited to the theme of the competition.)

11. Original literary forms as well as combinations of forms are also permitted, provided that they remain consistent with the theme of the competition.

12. Each student may enter the competition in only one category: artistic or literary.

13. In the artistic category, participants may submit visual art works created using any technique. A short description indicating the source of inspiration must be attached to each illustration.

14. In the literary category:

1. Entries may be written in Polish or English.

2. Students of Polish schools abroad may submit works written in Polish.

3. The maximum length of the submitted text is two A4 pages, typed in Times New Roman, font size 12, with 1.5 line spacing.

15. The competition consists of two stages:

1. the school stage, conducted at the school level; the school committee selects a maximum of five best works to advance to the second stage;

2. the international stage, in which works submitted by schools will be evaluated by a jury appointed by the Competition Organizer.

16. Group entries will not be evaluated in the competition.

17. The submitted works will be evaluated by a competition jury appointed by the Organizer. The jury will include representatives of the Hugo Kołłątaj 6th Upper Secondary School in Lublin, the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, the Hieronim Łopaciński Provincial Public Library in Lublin, and the Hieronim Łopaciński Municipal Public Library in Lublin.

18. The evaluation will take into account:

1. compliance of the work with the competition theme;

2. artistic value, creativity, and originality of the submitted work;

3. stylistic and linguistic correctness of the literary work.

19. The winners of the competition will receive material prizes and commemorative diplomas.

20. The jury reserves the right to award additional prizes and distinctions.

21. The decisions of the jury are final.

§ 4

The school committee sends the chosen entries for the Contest recorded on a CD via traditional mail in a sealed envelope. The envelope should be addressed: International Art and Literary Contest, VI Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Hugona Kołłątaja w Lublinie, ul. Mickiewicza 36, 20-466 Lublin, Poland. Alternatively, entries can be delivered in person to the school's secretary office or sent via email to the address: poczta@lo6.lublin.eu.

1. The work submitted should include:

1) in the artistic category: a scan of an illustration in JPG format with a minimum image size of 1920 x 2460 pixels, along with a brief description of the source of inspiration,

2) in the literary category: a literary text in pdf, doc or docx format,

3) report from the school stage of the Contest (Attachment 2),

4) Signed documents:

a) parental consent for underage students;

b) copyright statement and personal data disclosure consent,

c) information clause

2. Works sent by mail need to be on a CD. The CD must include the contestant’s name and the information about the category of the contest.

3. Works sent by e-mail should be named with the author's surname, the name of the school and the location (e.g. Kowalski Jan, VI LO, Lublin).

4. Incomplete entries (for example not containing a signed information clause or any other necessary attachments) and sent after the deadline will not be evaluated. ‘

5. For entries sent by mail, the postmark date determines the submission date. For entries submitted via email, the date of receipt in the inbox determines the submission date.

§ 5

1. Submission of works to the competition is simultaneously a declaration that the student:

1) is the author of the submitted illustration/text and holds unlimited copyrights to it, and that the submitted illustration/literary work has not been published or awarded in other competitions,

2) accepts the rules of the Contest,

3) agrees to the free use of the submitted works at any time and in any form, for promotional purposes by the organizers, partners, and sponsors of the competition.

§ 6

1. Competition schedule:

1) Announcement of the Contest: March 9, 2026,

2) Submission of entries: by March 31, 2026,

3) Submission of the works selected by the jury in the school stage by April 30, 2026,

4) Announcement of the results: May 13, 2026.

2. The Contest results will be published on the Organizer’s website: www.lo6.lublin.eu as well as on the school Facebook fanpage.

3. The winners will be notified by e-mail.

4. Prizes and diplomas will be sent by post to the school attended by the winning student.