Summary of the 16th Edition of the “Your Data – Your Concern” Programme and the Final Gala of the Personal Data Protection Office Competitions
The culmination of the 16th edition of the nationwide educational programme “Your Data – Your Concern” was the Final Gala of the Personal Data Protection Office Competitions, held on 16 June 2026 at the Chopin Airport Conference Centre in Warsaw. The event brought together pupils, teachers, school heads, representatives of public institutions, media patrons of the programme, honorary patrons and invited guests.
The event was opened by Professor Agnieszka Grzelak, Deputy President of the Personal Data Protection Office, and Katarzyna Maślak, President of the Polish Airports Foundation. During the gala, representatives of the programme’s honorary patrons also spoke: Dorota Burka‑Kamińska from the Ministry of Education, who read a letter from Minister Barbara Nowacka, and Katarzyna Hernandez, Director of the Digital Education and Online Safety Team at the Office of the Ombudsman for Children, who highlighted the importance of digital education, privacy protection and building awareness among young people regarding the safe use of new technologies.
“We are meeting today at Chopin Airport (for the second time) to celebrate the outstanding achievements of the competition’s laureates. These achievements have an educational value, but they also allow us to meet you and see how you collectively promote the idea of personal data and privacy protection. You have shown that it is possible to talk about data in an original, modern, fascinating way – and above all, in a way that resonates with your own experience. I hope that taking part in the competition will encourage you to continue promoting digital safety among your peers,” said Professor Agnieszka Grzelak.
She expressed admiration for the creativity of the pupils and thanked parents and teachers for their support and involvement, thanks to which the idea of privacy protection is gaining increasing importance.
“Digital education is not a matter for lawyers, but an essential element of raising the younger generation. New technologies have rapidly entered our lives, raising questions about responsibility for the information we leave in the digital world. We face challenges such as threats in online games, excessive use of children’s images, deepfakes, age verification and age‑appropriate content. Children and young people require special protection, as they are not always aware of the consequences of sharing data or giving consent,” noted the Deputy President of the Personal Data Protection Office.
A competition recognised by Głos Nauczycielski
“The ‘Your Data – Your Concern’ programme gave you agency and showed that data is a treasure, and therefore it is worth considering what we do with it. A big tribute to the Personal Data Protection Office, which teaches you what personal data is, because knowledge is the first line of defence against disinformation, deepfakes or artificial intelligence. Think before you post something online – that should be our motto. I would like to thank the Office for consistently working to protect the personal data of young people,” said Katarzyna Hernandez. She also congratulated the competition participants, as well as their parents and teachers.
The gala was an opportunity to summarise the activities carried out throughout the school year, presented by Karol Witowski, Director of the Department of Social Communication and Press Spokesperson of the Personal Data Protection Office. He stated that the 16th edition of the nationwide educational programme “Your Data – Your Concern” once again confirms that education on privacy and personal data protection is one of the key elements in preparing young people for conscious participation in the digital world. The programme includes competitions, webinars and many other events. He emphasised the role of programme partners and media patrons who promote the initiative.
In 2025, Your Data – Your Concern was awarded the title of Educational Initiative of the Year. This exceptional distinction is granted by the Chapter of the Teacher of the Year Competition, composed of previous laureates of the competition organised for 24 years by Głos Nauczycielski in cooperation with the Ministry of National Education. The award confirms the high substantive value of the programme and its significant contribution to the development of civic and digital education in Poland.
“Your Data – Your Concern” in numbers
This year’s edition involved 486 schools and teacher training institutions from across Poland, engaging 6,057 teachers and nearly 62,000 pupils. Over the school year, more than 1,825 educational activities were carried out (including 454 for Data Protection Day), as well as 4,371 lessons dedicated to personal data protection, privacy and online safety. This year’s edition focused on challenges related to the dynamic development of new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, deepfakes, social media, online games and digital identity.
Participants of the programme benefited from webinars, educational materials, expert advice, competitions and events organised for Data Protection Day. Particular attention was given to protecting the privacy of children and young people in the digital environment and developing skills that enable them to manage their own data consciously. The programme not only introduced legal provisions on personal data protection but, above all, demonstrated their practical relevance in everyday life, helping young people better protect themselves against threats such as identity theft, cyberbullying, online fraud or unauthorised use of their image.
Ceremonial Award Presentation
One of the most important parts of the event was the presentation of awards to the laureates of the competitions organised by the President of the Personal Data Protection Office, as well as the showcase of the winning educational initiatives, which serve as inspiration for schools and educational institutions across Poland. Awards were given to pupils and institutions that particularly promoted knowledge about personal data protection, the right to privacy and the safe use of new technologies. Participants also presented their own educational projects, demonstrating that issues related to personal data protection can be conveyed in a creative, engaging and relatable way for young people. This year’s competitions gathered 139 submissions, confirming the continued strong interest in privacy topics and the high level of engagement among school communities in building a conscious and responsible digital society.
Among primary school pupils, the awards were given to: 1st place – Tymoteusz Pazio, School and Preschool Complex in Wólka Radzymińska; 2nd place – Jerzy Sierociński, Primary School No. 158 named after Jan Kiliński in Warsaw; 3rd place – Jakub Krawczyk, Primary School No. 158 named after Jan Kiliński in Warsaw. In the secondary school category, the laureates were: 1st place – Maja Serafin, Economic Schools Complex in Nowy Sącz; 2nd place – Gabriela Cięciwa, Economic Schools Complex in Nowy Sącz; 3rd place – Dominika Szeląg, Vocational Schools Complex No. 1 in Brzeg.
The awarded works can be viewed on the observation deck at Chopin Airport, where they will be exhibited until the end of August.
Awarded and Distinguished Educational Initiatives
In the competition for Educational Initiative of the Year, the winner was Primary School No. 23 named after Polish Olympians in Lublin, with its project “In the Grip”. The first step involved generating, using AI, statements made by a “telephone” portrayed as having its own agenda and attempting to take control over a human. Later, using 3D printers, sculptures were created depicting human heads entwined by smartphones with scorpion legs and tails, resembling Xenomorphs from the film Alien. They covered the mouth, eyes, ears and mind.
The main aim was to raise pupils’ awareness of the risks associated with using mobile phones. The project included a debate (without spoken statements – thoughts were expressed through large posters), an exhibition of the sculptures, and educational activities for final‑year primary school pupils. The project sought to make young people aware of the importance of the topic and provide tools for critically assessing online content (e.g., videos allegedly generated based on compulsory school readings). It also highlighted the objective advantages of technology and the new opportunities it brings.
Second place went to Primary School in Ćmińsk with the programme “Mission: Digital Footprint”. As part of the initiative, pupils fought against a fictional “Shadow of the Internet”, which sought to take control of their data. The concept was based on learning through experience, cooperation and independent problem‑solving. Elements of an escape room were incorporated – finding envelopes with tasks and solving them. Pupils also used AI tools to create avatars based solely on descriptions, thus avoiding posting their real images or other personal data online. They performed a mock trial on a data security breach, taking on the roles of judge, victim, perpetrator and witnesses. They also prepared a poster promoting digital safety and created a “privacy guardian code”.
Third place was awarded to the Sylwester Kaliński Technical Schools Complex in Turek for its project carried out as part of Data Protection Day. The event involved the local community – for example, the district police headquarters, whose officers spoke about their experience in combating cybercrime, and the president of a local company specialising in personal data protection. Competitions were also organised among pupils for posters/infographics and a knowledge test on personal data protection.
Distinctions were awarded to School Dormitory No. 5 in Lublin, which organised a competition for an original board game about privacy protection – as well as joint playing and testing of the created games. The event concluded with a large game session of “Digital Life – A Game About Your Data”. Another distinguished institution was Primary School No. 17 with Integration Classes named after the 21st Podhale Rifle Brigade in Rzeszów. It took part in the competition for the eighth time – meaning that one cohort participated throughout its entire schooling. Pupils prepared tests on personal data protection and cybersecurity, which even adults sometimes struggled to solve.
Summary and Plans for Next Year
After the gala, participants had the opportunity to join a guided tour of Chopin Airport in Warsaw, during which they learned about the behind‑the‑scenes operations of the country’s most important airport and the principles of its daily functioning.
The implementation of the 16th edition of the “Your Data – Your Concern” programme would not have been possible without the involvement of state institutions and the support of media patrons who have supported the educational activities of the Personal Data Protection Office for many years. Special thanks go to the Minister of Education and the Ombudsman for Children, honorary patrons of the programme, for their substantive support, promotion of the idea of privacy protection and joint efforts to ensure the safety of children and young people in the digital environment. We also thank the media patrons who helped disseminate knowledge about personal data protection and informed the public about the most important initiatives carried out under the programme.
“In the 16th edition, media patronage was provided by: Głos Nauczycielski, Rzeczpospolita, rp.pl, the Polish Press Agency, Prawo.pl, ABI Expert, TiK w Edukacji, IT w Administracji and Sekurak. Thanks to your engagement, goodwill and long‑standing cooperation, it is possible to reach an ever‑growing number of pupils, teachers, parents and all those interested in safety in the world of new technologies. Personal data protection is no longer just a legal matter, but essential life knowledge needed for safe functioning in the modern world,” said Karol Witowski.
The 16th edition of the programme showed that personal data protection and privacy are topics close to young people, especially in the context of the dynamic development of new technologies. The Personal Data Protection Office already invites schools, teachers and pupils to take part in the next edition of the “Your Data – Your Concern” programme, with enrolment beginning in September. Karol Witowski also announced the plans for the 17th edition of the competition.