The Witold Pilecki International Book Award for historical books. Applications accepted only until the end of June! - Instytut Pileckiego

The Pilecki Institute is accepting applications for the Witold Pilecki International Book Award until the end of June. The competition, now in its sixth year, is organized with the participation of the Patron’s Family and in partnership with the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum.

It is open to books that were published in 2025 and fall into one of the following three categories: scholarly historical books; historical reportages or biographies; and books documenting the manifestations and relics of 20th-century totalitarian systems in the modern world. Publications in Polish, English, French and German are accepted.

– We are convinced that the history of the 20th century, shaped to a large extent under the influence of two totalitarianism systems, continues to have a very strong impact on our contemporaneity”, observes Karol Madaj, Director (acting) of the Pilecki Institute. – That is why today, for the sixth consecutive year, we will select and identify the best books dedicated to this history, firmly believing that they will help us understand not only the past, but also the present. Although the patron of the Institute and the Award, Witold Pilecki, was first and foremost a soldier, he was also a witness to the German Nazi genocide and the author of the Auschwitz report, in which he disclosed the truth about the concentration camp – a horrific element of the Nazi machinery of crime – to the world. For this reason, Pilecki himself and his life’s work are an inspiration for all three categories of the Prize: the scholarly, the journalistic, and that which is devoted to crimes to which we are witnesses now, but whose origins stem directly from the totalitarianisms of the 20th century – stresses Karol Madaj.

Significantly, as its name implies, the Witold Pilecki International Book Award is an “international” prize. Works published in Polish, English, French and German may be submitted. The Chapter of the Award Committee will choose the initial batch of nominated books from which Winners and Honorable Mentions will be selected; their titles will be made public in September. The Winners of the competition will be announced and the prizes and honorable mentions awarded at a Gala that will be held towards the end of the year in the lecture theater of the Pilecki Institute. 

The authors of the best books will receive commemorative statuettes and cash prizes. Winners in the first two categories will receive prizes of 50,000 Polish zlotys, while the winner in the third category will collect 25,000 Polish zlotys. Honorable mentions carrying cash prizes of 5,000 Polish zlotys each will also be awarded in all three categories.

Categories

Scholarly historical book – the best monograph or synthesis on the experience of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe of confronting the Nazi German and Soviet totalitarianisms in the 20th century, with a particular emphasis on Poland. When evaluating books submitted in this category, good documentation, original interpretations and attractive messaging are particularly appreciated.

Historical reportage – a book that offers readers an engaging story about the experience of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe of confronting the Nazi German and Soviet totalitarianisms in the 20th century, with a particular emphasis on Poland. In addition to classic historical reportages, biographies, memoirs and accounts of witnesses to history may also be submitted in this category. When evaluating submissions, a respect for sources, good composition and narrative credibility are especially appreciated.

Documenting the manifestations and relics of 20th-century totalitarian systems in the modern world – a book that bears witness to the criminal activities of totalitarian, post-totalitarian and authoritarian systems with 20th-century roots in the modern world. Formally, the 20th century ended more than two decades ago, however it is evident that today’s world is in some spheres still deeply rooted in the previous century, and many of the criminal acts that we are now observing are a direct result of the functioning of totalitarian systems before 1989. The book that will receive the award may therefore be: (i) a story about the dramatic fate of populations afflicted by wars and armed conflicts, (ii) a stigmatization of instances of intentional and persistent violation of human rights by totalitarian systems dating back to the previous century, or, finally, (iii) a presentation of life in the shadow of totalitarianisms that are still in existence.

Chapter of the Award Committee

The Chapter of the Award Committee comprises eight members. Three permanent members represent the institutions of the Organizer (the Pilecki Institute) and the Partner (the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum), and the Pilecki Family. The remaining members of the Chapter are selected annually by the Director of the Pilecki Institute.

Permanent members

• Associate Professor Patrycja Grzebyk, Professor of the University of Warsaw – on behalf of the Director of the Pilecki Institute, as representative of the competition Organizer;
• Doctor Piotr Cywiński – Director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, as representative of the competition Partner;
• Krzysztof Kosior – great-grandson of Cavalry Captain Witold Pilecki, Patron of the competition, as representative of the Pilecki family.

Members appointed by the Director of the Pilecki Institute

• Professor Agnieszka Bieńczyk-Missala
• Andrzej Brzeziecki
• Professor Padraic Kenney
• Professor Anna Mazurkiewicz
• Professor Claudia Weber

 Secretary of the Chapter – Iwona Jabłońska from the Pilecki Institute.

How should a book be submitted to the competition?

Applications for participation in the competition can be submitted by authors, publishers or private/natural persons, and organizational entities devoid of legal personality by sending an electronic version of the book to the Pilecki Institute using the following e-mail address: nagroda@instytutpileckiego.pl

When submitting an application, it is necessary to indicate the competition category in which the book is being entered.

The deadline for submission of applications will elapse on 30 June 2026.

The detailed regulations of the competition and the application form are available on the Pilecki Institute website.