Tomasz Ordza named Poland's Teacher of the Year 2026 at Royal Castle gala

Award ceremony at the Royal Castle

The 24th edition of the Polish Teacher of the Year competition concluded on 7 October 2026 with a ceremony at the Royal Castle in Warsaw. Minister of Education Barbara Nowacka presented the main award to Tomasz Ordza, who teaches biology, chemistry, and health education at the Kazimierz Nowak Primary School in Dąbrówka. The jury selected Ordza from a group of 13 nominated educators representing various school subjects and institutions across Poland. The annual competition recognizes teachers who gain distinction through strong community ties and practical classroom initiatives.

Inquiry-based learning and practical science

Ordza bases his curriculum on environmental education and the Inquiry-Based Science Education method, emphasizing direct observation and experimentation. His students test water samples from local rivers and lakes to study ecosystems, waste management, and climate change. Through membership in the European Blue School Network, the school explores how oceanic systems connect to local conditions in Dąbrówka. Ordza also integrates educational robotics to map animal migration paths, utilizes 3D printing, and introduces mid-lesson yoga to encourage physical activity. In 2019, he established the "Science - lubię to!" competition, an initiative that grew into a regional science festival with more than 2,700 total participants.

International projects and community outreach

Beyond local classroom experiments, Ordza has coordinated joint educational projects with partners in 23 countries through programs such as eTwinning, Science on Stage Poland, and Science on Stage Europe. In the previous school year, his students organized vision tests and collected eyeglasses for people in Poland, Romania, and Moldova. Another biodiversity initiative led pupils and parents to collaborate with the Polish Medical Mission to assist a child injured during military conflict in Syria. In an additional project, students and parents created model neurons that were subsequently displayed at the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences.

Ordza addressed his general approach to education while accepting the award in Warsaw:

I think that student curiosity is the foundation of a teacher's work, and not just mine.

He also commented on the role of adults in encouraging exploration over digital consumption:

Handing a child a screen is easy, but you really have to work with them to build that curiosity, which requires time.

Additional distinctions and Teacher of Tomorrow

The competition jury presented two distinctions alongside the main prize. Anna Smaga-Trojanowska, a Polish language and philosophy teacher at I LO in Limanowa, received a distinction after mentoring more than 20 laureates in academic Olympiads. Dr Mirosław Brozis of I LO in Słupsk received a distinction for supervising student teams that build mini-satellites tested in the United States in connection with NASA projects.

The accompanying Teacher of Tomorrow award went to Grzegorz Szczechla, a biology teacher and cyclist from II LO in Cieszyn. Szczechla was recognized for his daily commitment to motivating students and encouraging active engagement with science.