Regional Polish newspapers close voting in 100 Influential Women plebiscite

Regional voting schedule and closing hours

Regional media outlets in Poland conclude voting on 1 October 2026 for the 100 Influential Women initiative across multiple voivodeships. Readers and internet users in Podlaskie, Łódzkie, and Pomerania (Pomorskie) cast their final ballots to select regional winners. The multi-week balloting phase determined rankings through online and reader voting systems operating across the publishing group's regional news portals. Voting in Podlaskie, organized by the editorial boards of Kurier Poranny and Gazeta Współczesna, closes at 20:00. The contest in the Łódź region, run by Dziennik Łódzki, concludes at the same hour. In Pomerania, where the project is coordinated by Dziennik Bałtycki and Głos Pomorza, voting remains open until 22:00.

Candidate selection and regional representation

The voting stage opened on Friday, 21 August 2026, after editorial boards compiled regional lists of 100 nominees. The rosters bring together women active in business, non-governmental organizations, social initiatives, local politics, municipal governance, science, culture, and sports. The lists aim to recognize women who manage foundations and associations, direct companies, lead research projects, and engage in local community organizing. Editorial boards reviewed candidacies across provincial institutions before publishing the finalized lists to the public. Nominees in the Łódź voivodeship include Monika Smętek, co-founder of the Stacja Karsznice association in Zduńska Wola, and Sylwia Dobrzycka, president of the Widzew Foundation in Łódź. Aneta Sarga-Burta, president of Polska Press Macroregion Silesia and Łódź, joined project coordinator Katarzyna Borek to present the campaign.

Borek described the process of assembling the 100-person candidate lists across the regions:

The task was not simple. We did not want to overlook anyone who deserves the title of an influential woman. Today, with great pleasure, we present the final result: a list of inspiring women from our region.

Borek added that the selected nominees embody effectiveness in action and authority in their respective domains, shaping the public and civic life of their regions through their daily work.

Awards, national final, and summary book

The public ballot determines three finalists from each voivodeship who qualify for the nationwide final of the 100 Influential Women campaign. The overall winner in each voivodeship receives the title of Influential Woman of the Year 2026 for that region, accompanied by a commemorative statuette and a hotel voucher for two at a lodging facility equipped with spa amenities. The regional finalists chosen through the reader vote represent their voivodeships in national-level proceedings that bring together laureates from across all administrative regions.

The project concludes with the publication of a commemorative book containing interviews, photographs, and profiles of laureates from all Polish voivodeships. Borek explained the role of the publication:

The book will feature conversations with influential women from all voivodeships selected in the readers' vote. The interviews will be an opportunity to present and memorialize their activities and successes.

The volume will compile individual profiles, photographs, and long-form interviews intended to serve as source material and inspiration for future generations of women leaders, documenting each laureate's achievements, challenges, and career paths.