Benedict the Pole Award for Professor Ewdoksia Papuci-Władyka

On 28 June 2025, the University of Warsaw’s Kazimierzowski hosted the award ceremony for the Benedict the Pole Prize – a distinction granted to outstanding researchers and explorers whose work expands the horizons of our understanding of the world. One of this year’s laureates was Professor Ewdoksia Papuci-Władyka.

In this year’s 11th edition of the award, Prof. Papuci-Władyka – a Polish archaeologist of Greek descent, specialist in Mediterranean archaeology and ancient art history – received the main prize in the category of Polish researcher. She has been most closely associated with Cyprus, where she has conducted archaeological research since 1984. She has also led projects in Ukraine and Greece. For many years affiliated with the Jagiellonian University, in 2019 she assumed the leadership of a joint expedition of the University of Warsaw and the Jagiellonian University in Nea Paphos, Cyprus. Since 2021, she has also served as the head of the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology UW Research Centre in Cyprus and deputy director of the Polish Archaeological Institute in Athens.

The laudation in honour of the laureate was delivered by Prof. Artur Obłuski, director of the PCMA UW, who emphasized the interdisciplinary nature of Prof. Papuci-Władyka’s research, combining traditional archaeological craft with innovative methods of digital documentation and spatial modelling. He also highlighted her ability to build international research teams and create lasting intercultural bridges.

The ceremony took place in the Senate Hall of the University of Warsaw. It opened with a performance by the UW Academic Choir, and during the event, a congratulatory letter from the President of the Republic of Poland, Andrzej Duda, was read. After the official part, guests were invited to a cocktail reception in the Kazimierzowski Palace Hall.

The Benedict the Pole Prize has been awarded since 2015 for outstanding exploratory and research achievements on land, sea, air, and in space. Its patron, Benedict the Pole, was a 13th-century Franciscan friar and traveller, participant of a mission to Asia alongside Giovanni da Pian del Carpine. The Prize Committee is formed by three entities: the City and County of Łęczyca, The Explorers Club, and the Warsaw Scientific Society.

In the category of foreign researchers, this year’s laureates were Prof. Kazuhiko Sawada (Japan) and Prof. Marc-André Selosse (France), whose scientific and outreach activities have significantly contributed to the international promotion of science and collaboration with Polish academic institutions.

In 2021, the award was granted to Dr. Eng. Wojciech Kołątaj, a long-time staff member of the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology in Cairo.