Fryderyk Awards
The Fryderyk Awards are Poland's most prestigious music prizes, organized by the Phonographic Academy since 1995. The 32nd ceremony in 2026 awarded 32 categories across pop, rock, hip-hop, jazz, and classical music, with Kasia Lins winning Artist of the Year.
Details
Organizing Body
ZPAV (Union of Producers of Audio Video) / Phonographic Academy
Type
Industry Awards
Frequency
Annual
Categories
- Artist of the Year
- Album of the Year (Pop)
- Album of the Year (Pop Alternative)
- Album of the Year (Alternative Music)
- Album of the Year (Rock/Blues)
- Album of the Year (Hip-Hop)
- Album of the Year (Metal)
- Album of the Year (Roots Music)
- Album of the Year (Illustrative Music)
- Single of the Year (Pop)
- Single of the Year (Pop Alternative/Rock)
- Single of the Year (Hip-Hop)
- Music Video of the Year
- Phonographic Debut of the Year
- Golden Fryderyk (Lifetime Achievement)
- Album of the Year (Jazz)
- Album of the Year (Jazz Experimental)
- Jazz Composer of the Year
- Jazz Artist of the Year
- Jazz Debut of the Year
- Album of the Year (Choral Music)
- Album of the Year (Early Music)
- Album of the Year (Chamber Music)
- Album of the Year (Concertante Music)
- Album of the Year (Orchestral Music)
- Album of the Year (Oratorio and Opera)
- Album of the Year (Contemporary Music)
- Album of the Year (Solo Recital)
- Album of the Year (Classical Crossover)
- Best Polish Classical Recording
- Classical Debut of the Year
Processes
Nomination Process
Members of the Phonographic Academy submit and vote on nominees. For the 2026 edition, 428 albums, 286 music videos, 256 singles, and 93 debut artists were submitted in the entertainment music section alone. The academy has separate sections for entertainment, jazz, and classical music.
Voting Process
The Phonographic Academy votes on nominees in two stages. Academy members vote electronically from February 10 to February 23, 2026. Winners are announced at three separate ceremonies: jazz (April 12), classical (April 24), and entertainment (May 25). The Golden Fryderyk lifetime achievement award is selected by the academy board.
The Fryderyk Awards (Fryderyki) are Poland's most prestigious music prizes, presented annually by the Phonographic Academy under the Union of Producers of Audio Video (ZPAV) since 1995. Named after Frederic Chopin (Polish: Fryderyk Chopin), the awards honor recording artists, composers, and industry professionals across 32 categories spanning entertainment, jazz, and classical music. The 32nd edition took place across three ceremonies in 2026.
At the 2026 entertainment gala on May 25, Kasia Lins won three awards: Artist of the Year, Album of the Year (Pop Alternative) for "Obywatelka K.L.," and Music Video of the Year for "Smierc w bikini." The music video, co-directed by Lins with Maciej Aleksander Bierut and Karol Lakomiec, was released on August 28, 2025 as the second single from her "Obywatelka K.L." project, which reinterprets lesser-known compositions by Grzegorz Ciechowski of Republika. The single was released on the anniversary of Ciechowski's birthday.
How the Fryderyk Awards Work
The Phonographic Academy, a body of music industry professionals established by ZPAV, manages the entire process:
- Submissions: Academy members and record labels submit eligible works. For the 2026 edition, submissions were accepted from November 24 to December 8, 2025. The entertainment section alone received 428 albums, 286 music videos, 256 singles, and 93 debut artist entries.
- Voting: Academy members vote electronically. The 2026 voting period ran from February 10 to February 23. The academy is divided into three sections: entertainment music, jazz, and classical music, each with its own voting members.
- Ceremonies: Winners are announced at three separate events. The jazz ceremony took place on April 12, 2026, at the Museum of the History of Poland in Warsaw. The classical ceremony followed on April 24 at the National Forum of Music in Wroclaw. The entertainment ceremony was held on May 25 at Studio Transcolor in Szeligi, broadcast live on TVP1.
- Golden Fryderyk: The academy board selects lifetime achievement recipients separately from the competitive categories. The 2026 honorees were the band Lady Pank and the late vocalist Stanislaw Sojka.
The 32 categories include 14 in entertainment music (pop, pop alternative, alternative, rock/blues, hip-hop, metal, roots, illustrative, singles, music video, debut, artist of the year), 5 in jazz, and 13 in classical music.
Real-World Example: Fryderyki 2026
Kasia Lins dominated the entertainment ceremony, winning Artist of the Year, Album of the Year (Pop Alternative) for "Obywatelka K.L.," and Music Video of the Year for "Smierc w bikini." Zalia won Album of the Year (Pop) for "Serce." Pezet took Album of the Year (Hip-Hop) with "Muzyka popularna," while O.S.T.R. won Single of the Year (Hip-Hop) with "Sam."
The Album of the Year (Rock/Blues) category resulted in a rare tie: Blazej Krol for "Popiol" and Walus Kraksa Kryzys for "Tematy i wariacje" shared the award. Daria ze Slaska won Single of the Year (Pop Alternative/Rock) with "A moze jeszcze sie da." Coma won Album of the Year (Metal) for their live album from Pol'and'Rock Festival, marking a successful reunion. The phonographic debut went to pszona.
Lady Pank, a Polish rock band active since 1982, received the Golden Fryderyk. Stanislaw Sojka, who passed away in 2025 at age 66, was honored posthumously for his career blending jazz, pop, soul, and classical music.
Past Winners by Category and Year
The Fryderyk Awards have been presented annually since 1995. Below is a reference table of major category winners from the last four entertainment music ceremonies (2023 through 2026).
| Year | Artist of the Year | Album of the Year (Pop) | Album of the Year (Hip-Hop) | Album of the Year (Rock/Blues) | Utwor / Single of the Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Kasia Lins | Zalia ("Serce") | Pezet ("Muzyka popularna") | Blazej Krol ("Popiol") / WalusKraksaKryzys ("Tematy i wariacje") (tie) | O.S.T.R. ("Sam") (Hip-Hop Single) |
| 2025 | Zalewski | Kaska Sochacka ("Ta druga") | O.S.T.R. ("XX") | Zalewski ("ZGLOWY") | Zalewski (Pop Alt. Single) |
| 2024 | Lech Janerka | Daria Zawialow ("Dziewczyna Pop") | Lona x Konieczny x Krupa ("TAXI") | WalusKraksaKryzys ("+pieklo+niebo+") | Lech Janerka ("D*** jak sofa") |
| 2023 | MROZU | MROZU ("Zlote bloki") | Szczyl, Magiera ("8171") | Dezerter ("1986. Co bedzie jutro?") | Mrozu feat. Vito Bambino ("Za daleko") |
The 2026 ceremony marked the first time the entertainment gala was held in Warsaw, after the 2024 and 2025 editions took place at PreZero Arena Gliwice and Tauron Arena Krakow respectively. Kasia Lins became the first artist to win Artist of the Year, Album of the Year (Pop Alternative), and Music Video of the Year in the same edition since MROZU's five-award sweep in 2023.
At the 2025 gala on April 5 at Tauron Arena Krakow, Zalewski won three awards: Artist of the Year, Album of the Year (Rock and Blues) for "ZGLOWY," and a single category award. His album "ZGLOWY" was released on September 27, 2024 on the Kayax label and was produced by Andrzej Markowski, Zalewski, and Andrzej Smolik. The title track was released as the first single on May 21, 2024, accompanied by a music video directed by Michal Sierakowski in which Zalewski shaved his head on camera.
The 2024 ceremony on March 22 at PreZero Arena Gliwice was the 30th edition. Lech Janerka won five awards for his album "Gipsowy odlew falsyfikatu," including Artist of the Year and Album of the Year (Alternative). Janerka did not attend the gala. Hania Rani was named Artistka of the Year. The 2023 ceremony on April 22 at Arena Gliwice saw MROZU win five awards, including Artist of the Year, Album of the Year (Pop) for "Zlote bloki," and Utwor Roku for "Za daleko" featuring Vito Bambino. Sanah was named Artistka of the Year.
Why It Matters for Independent Artists
The Fryderyk Awards are the only major music awards in Poland, giving Polish artists a domestic platform that does not require competing against global acts. The Phonographic Debut of the Year category specifically targets emerging talent. In 2026, pszona won this category, showing that relatively unknown artists can win top recognition.
The three-ceremony structure means jazz and classical artists get dedicated attention rather than being overshadowed by pop categories. If you are a Polish artist, submit your work through your label or distributor to ZPAV. Academy membership is required to vote, but any professionally released work is eligible for nomination.
For independent Polish artists, a Fryderyk nomination or win directly impacts streaming numbers, concert bookings, and label interest within Poland. Check the Fryderyki website for submission deadlines and academy membership requirements.
Related Resources
- Streaming Royalty Calculator - Track streaming performance that builds your case for Fryderyk nomination
- Performance Rights Organizations - Polish PROs like ZAiKS collect royalties for Fryderyk-winning songwriters
- Grammy Awards - The American counterpart to the Fryderyk Awards
- Publishing Royalty Split Calculator - Calculate splits for collaborators on award-winning tracks
- Brit Awards - The UK equivalent national music awards
- Victoires de la Musique - The French equivalent national music awards
- Spellemannprisen - The Norwegian equivalent national music awards
- Juno Awards - The Canadian equivalent national music awards
- Fonogram Awards - The Hungarian equivalent national music awards
- Official website: fryderyki.pl
Recommended Articles
Latest insights and practical guides for music creators.
Recommended Calculators
Estimate royalties and plan your income with faster decisions.
Recommended Tools
Production and workflow tools used most by readers.