Polish youth word of the year 2026 vote opens with 12 finalists until 30 November

Voting opens for the 2026 contest

Voting in the Młodzieżowe Słowo Roku 2026 contest opened on 3 November, letting internet users pick one of 12 finalist words or phrases. The ballot runs until 30 November 2026 at 23:00, and votes are cast on the contest website, sjp.pwn.pl/msr. The winner will be announced at a gala on 8 December. Entries were collected from 28 September to 25 October, and jurors checked them against the contest rules. Organisers say the finalists are the most frequently nominated entries that met those rules.

Who runs the contest

Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN organises the contest, which has been held since 2016 and aims to popularise the Polish language among young people. The organisers say a winning word does not have to be new, slangy or the most frequently used in a given year. A separate Jury Award goes to the word that jurors judge best describes reality. Last year's title went to 'szponcić', and last year's finalists included 6 7, brainrot and tuff. PWN's president Natalia Wojciechowska framed the contest as a way to help older generations understand the language of young people.

“We know that adults sometimes cannot keep up with young people's vocabulary, and vice versa.”

The finalists and their meanings

Aura farming describes building charisma through showy, seemingly effortless gestures, and the term treats aura as a score that can be gained or lost. Bro is a casual word for a friend, shortened from the English word brother. A brokuł is a boys' haircut with short sides and curly hair on top, and the word is also a joking label for a teenager who wears it. Kukiriniarz is a mocking name for a teenage electric scooter fan, linked to the KuKirin brand. Larp, from the live action role-playing abbreviation, now means pretending to be an expert in a field one does not know. Peak, which can mean the highest quality or an absolute low, is also on the list, along with slop, a term for mass-produced online content.

Płakał is a mocking comment on someone who backs down after being humiliated. The term comes from journalist Dorota Wellman's account on the Imponderabilia podcast of an online critic who cried and apologised during a face-to-face confrontation. Unc, a word for an older man, was popularised partly by actor Timothée Chalamet, who said on his 30th birthday that he had officially become one, according to one article.

Trends and the jury

Jury member Bartek Chaciński noted a growing weariness with brainrot, a trend that also featured on last year's list. One article argues that the finalists show young people tiring of internet fads built on random words without deeper meaning. Some nominations gained attention through people known from traditional media, not only from social networks, and płakał is one example. The Jury Award is separate from the main title and goes to the word the jurors see as best describing reality.

What happens next

Voting closes at 23:00 on 30 November, and the winner will be revealed at the final gala on 8 December. Until then the twelve finalists remain open to public votes on the PWN site, and no winner has been named. The gala is the last scheduled step in the contest, and its result will settle which word carries the 2026 title.