The 11th edition of the Patria Nostra Historical Film Competition – Western Region, featuring the Final Gala in Warsaw

We are delighted to announce that Olgierd Geblewicz, Marshal of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, has assumed Honorary Patronage of the 11th edition of the Patria Nostra Historical Film Competition – Western Region. This is an extremely valuable honor for us and a sign of recognition for the Competition’s mission, which is to promote Polish history among young people. The Patria Nostra History Competitions have been organized since 2016. Initially a private initiative, the decision to establish a Foundation was made in 2017 as the Competition grew. As the organizer of the project, the Patria Nostra Foundation is guided by activities aimed at preserving Polish tradition and fostering national awareness, as well as supporting culture, the arts, and educational and upbringing initiatives. These activities are directed at elementary school students and secondary school students aged 12 to 19. Students in this age group typically already possess the necessary technical skills and understanding of the assigned topics to complete the competition task. The group of students is led by a supervisor, who is usually a teacher. Participation in the competition provides teachers with an opportunity to explore extracurricular topics in history and information technology with their students. The competition is open to youth from the following provinces: West Pomeranian, Lower Silesian, Greater Poland, and Lubusz. We estimate that approximately 50 teams will enter the competition, each consisting of four students plus a group supervisor, for a total of about 200 participants. The 11th Edition of the Western Region History Film Competition, which is the subject of this application, involves school students creating a 60-second computer animation or film. The competition entries present important events from Polish history. The animations and films created for the Contest will be produced using various techniques, ranging from static images to machinima, i.e., animations based on computer game engines. Teams of four, supervised by a history or computer science teacher, will participate in the Contest. Teachers’ participation in the competition provides them with an opportunity to explore extracurricular topics in history and information technology with their students, with a particular emphasis on techniques useful in film production—such as animation and editing. The themes of the competition entries are diverse and cover many periods in Polish history. The Final Gala will take place on November 16, 2026, in Warsaw at the Polish Army Museum.