20.09.2004
"Golden Sceptre" the award of Bank Millennium and Polish Culture Foundation for Sławomir Mrożek
Sławomir Mrożek - prose writer, playwright, and a draftsman become the winner of this year's "Golden Sceptre' award, granted by the Polish Culture Foundation and Bank Millennium.
In the rationale behind its decision, the Jury - chaired by Beata Tyszkiewicz - stressed the perseverance of the artist in his efforts to study dark and bitter paradoxes of life with the intention to enrich the human condition.
The "Little Sceptre" award, which according to the bylaws may be given independently by the prize-winner to a young artist, has been awarded to a draftsman, Marek Raczkowski.
The "Golden Sceptre" award was founded 6 years ago, and is awarded annually to outstanding Polish artists. The scope of its interest is work of art, in the broadest meaning of the word, of an individual human being, a community, group, social organization, artistic institution, or cultural or scientific circles.
The "Golden Sceptre" has been awarded to the following persons: Jerzy Giedroyć, Wojciech Kilar, Stanisław Lem, Roman Polański, and Ewa Podleś.
The winner shall receive a sculpture by professor Krzysztof Nitsch, a prize of 100,000 zlotys, and the power to award a special prize of 10,000 zlotys to a young promising artist of their individual selection.
Since their very origins, both the "Golden Sceptre" and the "Little Sceptre" awards have been funded by Bank Millennium SA. The Bank has also hosted the prize giving ceremonies.
A special theatre show has been prepared especially for the prize giving ceremony. Titled "Mrożek's Golden Sceptre", and directed by Bartosz Szydłowski, it enriched the "Pearls of Millennium" cycle, a joint project of Bank Millennium and Telewizja Polska SA to produce four artistic events in 2004. The cycle was opened by a March TV premiere of "Hamlet" directed by Łukasz Barczyk. Its second act - the 'Mrożek's Golden Sceptre' - will be broadcast on TVP 1 on 9 October 2004.
For Bank Millennium its involvement in both programs, the founding and annual prize giving of the 'Golden Sceptre' award, and the 'Pearls of Millennium' cycle, is a continuation of long years of contribution in the Bank's social mission to support high culture artistic events.