Poetry Unites is an international program, created for the Evens Foundation by Polish filmmaker Ewa Zadrzyńska.
The project’s goal is to promote poetry and poetry readers, in the hope that their enthusiasm will be contagious to thousands, if not millions, of their fellow European citizens.
Since 2006, the films have been broadcast on Polish Public TVP2 to millions of viewers.
From 2007 the Evens Foundation has been conducting the Poetry Unites contests for a best essay about a favorite poem.
In September 2008 the Evens Foundation launched the first nationwide Poetry Unites contest open to all school children in Poland. The contest premiered in Poland, then co-opted Germany and this year added Bulgaria. It is open to all school children.
The project promotes poetry through a series of five-minute-long films shown and distributed on television, the Internet and in theaters. Each film is based on a particular poetry lover who speaks about his or her life in the context of presenting a favorite poem. This project with a literary dimension reveals both similarities and differences between people. By offering intimate insights into the mind of another person, it contributes to mutual understanding among European citizens. The films bring together millions of people who would otherwise probably never have had contact with each other and therefore would never have seen how much they have in common.
The “Poetry Unites – My Favorite Poem” was inspired by the American Poet Laureate, Robert Pinsky, the author of the “Favorite Poem” project.Gala of the fifth Poetry Unites contest 2013
Young German, Bulgarian and Polish poetry lovers – winners of the 2013 Evens Foundation’s Poetry Unites – My Favorite Poem Contest were invited to Warsaw to attend the contest’s closing gala.
The Evens Foundation’s Poetry Unites contest for the best essay on a favorite poem’s gala took place on June 13th at the Kultura Theatre in Warsaw.
“I wish to congratulate the Evens Foundation for launching this wonderful initiative. I can hardly think of a more fitting place than Warsaw for this celebration. Poetry is carried in the air of this city and thrives throughout Poland” wrote Irina Bokova, the Director General of UNESCO in a letter which was read by Luc Luyten, the Chairman of the EF at the gala. Luc Luyten added: “Today, with ‘Poetry Unites – My Favorite Poem’ project, different young people of Europe can really feel united through poetry. This is important, since they are building the generation who will convey the message that the cultural and social variety of the European Union is a strength of which we are particularly proud.”
This year’s contest for a best poem on a favorite poem generated over 900 entries in three countries. Juries selected 8 winners.
Polish winners:
1. Mikołaj Grymowicz, (12) from Warsaw, an essay about the poem “A Song on The End of the World” by Czesław Miłosz.
2. Klaudia Zargaryan, (15) from Łódź, an essay about the poem “We are living, but can’t feel the land where we stay” by Ossip Mandelstam.
German winners:
1. Simone Gindl (13) from Munich, an essay about the poem “John Maynard” by Theodor Fontane.
2. Helena Kargol (15) from Berlin, an essay about the poem “Inge Bartsch” by Konstanty Ildefons Gałczyński.
3. Urim Jusufi (14) from Aalen, an essay about the poem, „Mein Leben” by an unknown author.
Bulgarian winners:
1. Ventsi Ventsislav Ivanov (12) from Sofia, an essay about the poem “Tintyavata” (“The Gentian”) by Valeri Petrov.
2. Stefan Genev (13) from Sofia, an essay about the poem “Malak Pencho” (“Little Pencho”) by Petko Rachov Slaveykov.
3. Viktoria Hristova Vasilkovska (16), an essay about the poem “Mirror” by Sylvia Plath.
The award was a 3 days visit to Warsaw and a 5 minute long film profile of each winner, directed by Ewa Zadrzynska. The 8 films in three-language versions had its premiere at the gala and are expected to be broadcast on Public TV in three countries.
The contest is conducted annually under the patronage of the Polish Ministry of Education.
This year’s contest was granted patronage of the Director General of UNESCO, Ambassadors of German and Bulgarian Republic and the Mayor of Warsaw, and was partially sponsored by the Polish Ministry of Culture and the City Hall of Warsaw.

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