This year's edition of the Crystal Feathers competition for journalists has been decided. Six journalists received the first prize and a statuette, while the jury also awarded 17 honorable mentions. This year, as many as 334 materials were submitted to the competition in four categories, among them press and Internet articles, radio broadcasts, as well as television materials and podcasts.

The purpose of the competition is to award journalists whose work has contributed to building public awareness of the dangers of the increasingly common diseases of civilization, such as cardiovascular disease, depression, cancer and diabetes, as well as to promote pro-health attitudes and the reduction, or even elimination, of risk factors.

In the category "Heart disease - a growing threat", the highest recognition of the jury and the first place was won by Anna Wilczyńska-Ciupa from TVN24 for the material entitled "How to recognize a heart attack. Campaign <Don't fail>" and Natalia Miller from the daily press title Rzeczpospolita for the article entitled "Problem of great importance."

Honorable mention was given to:

Slawomir Zagorski of OKO.press for the article "To the heart hug the dog. Why hundreds of thousands of Poles die at their own request and how to change it?"
Katarzyna Pinkosz of wprost.pl for the article "Teenager with hypertension has 6 more years. Prof. Litwin: The heart is remodeling".
Anna Jarosz from the editorial board of Health Services for the article "Stroke in children and adolescents" (article available in full HERE)
Malgorzata Wisniewska of STUDIOMED TV for the "Two Hearts" broadcast.

In the category "Heart Diseases - a Growing Threat", the committee evaluating the works included:
Prof. Tomasz Grodzicki, MD - Head of the Department of Internal Medicine at the University Hospital in Cracow, editors Artur Wolski of Polish Radio Program 1 and Dorota Romanowska of Newsweek - winners of last year's edition of the competition, and Katarzyna Urbańska of Servier Polska.

The winner of the first prize in the category "Depression - break the taboo" was Magda Roszkowska honored for the article "On Monday at 8.20 am I got a text message: "I beg you to take me away "
from the weekend.gazeta.pl portal.

Honorable mention was given to:

Beata Igielska of PAP's Health Service for the article "Is it easy to recognize that a child wants to kill himself?"
Natalia Miller from the editorial board of the Rzeczpospolita newspaper for the article "Epidemic of loneliness"
Monika Szubrycht from the editorial board of hellozdrowie.pl for the article "Depression is anger directed inward. Aggression toward others may be one of the symptoms."
Jolanta Fischer of Polish Radio PiK for the program "Stay healthy".
Anna Grabowska from the editorial board of the Rzeczpospolita newspaper for the article "Strong on Appearance."

In the "Depression - break the taboo" category, the committee evaluating the works included:
Prof. Janusz Heitzman, MD, PhD - Vice President of the Polish Psychiatric Association, the Minister of Health's plenipotentiary for forensic psychiatry, editor Ewelina Lis of the AnnZdrowie editorial board - winner of last year's competition - and Katarzyna Urbańska of Servier Poland.

In the category "Diabetes - to win against the progression of the disease" the highest recognition of the jury and the first prize went to Dominika Stanislawska from Poradnik Zdrowie for the material "Artur has diabetes: <I myself asked doctors to amputate my leg>" and Ela Kowalska from hellozdrowie.pl portal for the article "Agnieszka Matan: <Let's say it out loud: it happens that a person with diabetes gets drunk or eats pizza>."

The jury also recognized:

Monika Wysocka of PAP's Health Service for the material "Sports and diabetes? It's not mutually exclusive."
Krzysztof Jakubiak of mHealth.co.uk for his podcast "On diabetes without sweetening"
Luiza Jakubiak from the editorial board of rynekzdrowia.pl for the article "Diabetes from the kitchen. How to fight
wisely against an incurable disease".

In the category "Diabetes - to win against the progression of the disease", the committee evaluating the works included Professor Leszek Czupryniak - Head of the Department of Diabetology and Internal Diseases in Warsaw, editor Joanna Derda from the editorial board of Zwierciadło magazine - winner of last year's edition of the competition, and Katarzyna Urbańska from Servier Poland.

The winner of the first prize in the category "Cancer - break fear, win life" was Monika Kaminska from TVP3 Bydgoszcz for the program "Wspólna sprawa - O sobie.... don't forget."

Honorable mention was given to:

Eliza Dolecka of health.gazeta.pl for the article "I've had cancer for years and I'm still alive. Why? You may not like this."
Katarzyna Chmielewska-Wojciechowska† of weekend.gazeta.pl for the article
"You don't have to fight the disease. Better ask your doctor what you can do for yourself."
Renata Reda from Radio Polskie Radio Białystok for the program "Gynecological cancers - prevention".
Dagmara Pakuła from the editorial board of onet.pl for the article "Surviving testicular cancer. <Other guys ask what it's like in bed afterwards>".
Adrianna Otręba of TVN24 for the program "Breast Cancer Prevention."

In the category "Cancer - overcoming fear, winning life", the committee evaluating the works consisted of Professor Maciej Krzakowski - national consultant in clinical oncology, editor Anna Kaczmarek from the editorial team of NaTemat.pl, Patrycja Pupiec from the editorial team of Poradnik Zdrowie - winners of last year's edition of the competition, and Katarzyna Urbańska from Servier Polska.

Congratulations to all of them!

"Spanning 17 years, the history of the competition proves that newspaper articles, radio broadcasts, online
and TV shows are created not just for the sake of winning an award. They are part of the growing interest in the topic of cardiovascular disease. The competition attracts not only an established group of media outlets, but also young enthusiasts who write, speak or make videos about the risks we face every day. This year we received a lot of truly exceptional works. We faced the difficult task of evaluating them. We took into account not only the content values, but also the originality of the message and its effectiveness. The winning works disseminate knowledge about health in an outstanding way." - emphasizes Professor Tomasz Grodzicki, juror of the Crystal Feathers competition.

"Every minute of the day has a huge impact on the condition of a diabetes patient, and we doctors and nurses don't always have enough time to properly educate the patient. Medical journalists who regularly create for various media - audio-visual, online and traditional, print media - have the opportunity to reach patients with the most important practical information. In this aspect, the role of journalists is huge and very much appreciated by us. In the 'Crystal Feathers' competition, we are honored by the presence of many truly outstanding authors who, with their diligent work, help us to build 'patient empowerment'." - explains Professor Leszek Czupryniak, head of the Department of Diabetology and Internal Diseases at the Medical University of Warsaw, juror of the Crystal Feathers competition.

"Seventeen years ago we started very... timidly. We had only one category in the competition (the cardiology category) and one juror: Mr. Professor Tomasz Grodzicki. At that time, only a dozen works were submitted. This year, more than 330 materials in four categories competed for victory. I'm proud of the fact that from year to year the Crystal Feathers competition is gaining more and more recognition and, thanks to the consequences, also - the trust of journalists." - says Katarzyna Urbanska of Servier Poland.

"The Crystal Feather Competition is a unique initiative also because of the diverse jury that evaluates the submitted works each year. Since the inception of the competition, we have focused on the substantive quality and practical value that the patient derives from media reports. We are proud that the jurors in this competition include distinguished experts - authorities in their fields, as well as journalists who write about health on a daily basis and appreciate the craftsmanship of their professional colleagues." - Natalia Stasiakowska-Jabłońska, from Servier, the organizer of the competition, concludes.

The Crystal Feather Competition is organized by Servier Poland in cooperation with the Polish Society of Cardiology, the Polish Society of Hypertension, the Polish Society of Oncology, the Polish Society of Clinical Oncology, the Polish Psychiatric Society, the Polish Society of Diabetology and the Journalists' Club for Health Promotion.