Ministry contest “Każdy gest ma znaczenie” for school volunteer clubs: entries by 15 November

What the ministry announced

On 21 October 2026 the Minister of Education and the kuratoria (regional education authorities, each led by a kurator oświaty) launched a nationwide contest, “Każdy gest ma znaczenie”, for school volunteer clubs (szkolne koła wolontariatu) in primary and secondary schools. Its aim is to promote volunteering and encourage pupils to join these clubs.

Taking part is free and voluntary. Entries are accepted until Sunday 15 November 2026 at 23:59.

What has to be prepared

Pupils from the volunteer club, working with teachers, prepare one of two kinds of entry. It must show one action carried out at the school between 1 January and 15 November 2026 for other pupils or for the local community.

• a video of up to 60 seconds in landscape 16:9 format, published publicly on YouTube (it must stay available until 31 March 2027); a phone is enough to film it;
• or a photo collage (an art piece with photos) up to A3 size, sent as a scan or photo of at most 2 MB;
• plus a justification of why this action was chosen (up to 1,800 characters including spaces), the school entry form, and statements on copyright and consent to use the participants’ images.

Who enters and how the contest runs

The entry is sent by the head teacher or a person they authorise, by e-mail or online, to the kuratorium for the area where the school is located. Each school may enter only one piece, and it may not take part in other contests.

In the regional stage each kuratorium picks three videos and three collages by 26 November. In the national stage a ministry panel awards first, second and third places in each category, and the minister may add a special prize. Results are due by 5 December on the ministry website, and the winning volunteers and their teachers will be invited to a closing event in Warsaw in December. The rules do not say what the prizes will be.

What pupils and parents can do

If your child is in a school volunteer club, ask the club’s teacher or the class teacher (wychowawca) whether the school plans to enter. There are less than two weeks left until 15 November, and a video needs image-consent forms, which parents sign for pupils under 18.

Entering the contest does not by itself bring points in secondary-school admissions. Regular volunteering does matter for pupils in year 8, though: social activity, especially volunteering, recorded on the primary school leaving certificate (świadectwo) is worth 3 out of 200 points when applying to a liceum, technikum or vocational school. For comparison, a certificate with distinction (the “red stripe”, czerwony pasek) gives 7 points. NaukoMapa’s guide to secondary-school admission points shows how to add everything up.