Awards

Main Award: xtreme girl: Lena Peplińska and Laura Radzewicz, Hands turned into fingertips, fingertips spiraled into the chaos
The Jury has decided that the main prize goes to the work that has the capacity of creating spaces for reflection. It speaks to the complex entanglement between communication and automation, using the language of the generation and superfast growth of the verticality of technology. It is committed and conceptually coherent, with a clean installation taking into account the physicality of the viewer’s experience while engaging in the new media and configuring a space to work with the corporeal in the digital. It highlights the chaos that echos the technologies of dystopian futures and their gender and political entanglements. The dynamic video creates the universe which is borderless, hybrid, using the new technologies to critically address the hidden algorithms that organise cognition. Well thought-out sensory engagement in a work addresses the digital technology and the friction between the clarity of the physical and the opacity of the digital. The two-channel clear presentation reflects working in the tandem while addressing the internal information-loop and the limited attention span. The jury appreciates the collective process that is also a knowledge accumulation and evaluation that speaks to fragmented digital subjectivities. Cocreation is an important aspect of experimentation and the winner constructs a creative process that goes against individualistic approach, that also challenges the educational framework. And the prize goes to xtreme girl.

Honorable Mention: Piotr Maciejowski, Gold Under the Fingernail
The jury values the quiet strength and poetic honesty of Gold Under the Fingernail. In an era dominated by spectacle and digital trends, Piotr Maciejowski offers a deeply personal and material meditation on transformation, hope, memory, and care. Through a multi-format installation, he articulates a series of delicate gestures—each one a reflection of his relation to the urban and social landscape that surrounds him. His work avoids grand narratives, instead choosing to dwell in the overlooked details of everyday life. It is precisely this attention—this ethic of care—that gives the piece its resonance. We appreciate the artistic position that is timeless, goes against the acceleration and current hypes, notices and poetically relates to that which others miss.

Contemporary Lynx Editors’ Award: Igor Warykiewicz, I Can’t Talk.
The editors of Contemporary Lynx have chosen to honor Igor Warykiewicz for his bold and empathetic use of sound and intermedia forms to address the difficult and socially significant issue of addiction. His graduation project, I Can’t Talk. is a powerful 3D audio drama that immerses the listener in the intimate world of a fictional character – a person struggling with alcoholism – and gives voice to those whose stories often go unheard. Warykiewicz combines elements of audio art, art therapy, digital and traditional graphics, creating a multi-layered emotional and sensory experience. The narrative, based on an original script and developed in collaboration with professionals experienced in therapeutic and social work, gives the project a profound sense of social engagement and authenticity. We also appreciate the interdisciplinary nature and professional execution of the project – from the selection of voice actors, through scenography and spatial sound design, to visualizations created using traditional printmaking techniques. This project demonstrates that artistic media can serve not only as a form of aesthetic expression but also as a tool for empathy, dialogue, and social change. Igor Warykiewicz represents a new generation of artists who approach taboo topics with courage and sensitivity, seeking a modern language to express them – one that is sincere, technically refined, and deeply human.

NN6T Magazine Award: Piotr Kusiak, What Type of Incel Are You?
Based on artistic research into the complex world of frustration, loneliness, and conflicting, difficult emotions, this moving piece addresses one of the most pressing issues in contemporary, highly technologized societies. For his evocative combination of artistic research, virtual gaming, and a physical installation based on documentary materials, NN6T recognizes Piotr Kusiak, the author of What Kind of Incel Are You?

Format Art Magazine Award: xtreme girl: Lena Peplińska and Laura Radzewicz, Hands turned into fingertips, fingertips spiraled into the chaos
Format Art Magazine will publish an article about the winning graduation project that received the Main Award.