The winners of the Polish national contest for the best young player of classical instruments were announced on 11 April 2016. The finale of the contest, broadcast by TVP Kultura, took place in a village of Otrębusy, near Warsaw.

The 18-year-old saxophonist Łukasz Dyczko has won the Young Musician of the Year award. In addition to a ticket to Cologne for the finale of the Eurovision Young Musicians 2016, the winner has also received an additional award in the amount of PLN 15,000 funded by Dr Zdzisław Bujanowski, the Director of the Centre for Artistic Education.

The audience award was given to the 18-year-old trumpeter Lennard Czakaj.

The 17-year-old flutist Marianna Żołnacz was presented with the special award, which is a performance at a concert of the Polish Orchestra Sinfonia Iuventus.

“The finale of the Young Musician of the Year contest represented a very high level,” said Przemysław Fiugajski, the Artistic Manager of the Orchestra. “Young instrumentalists impressed us with their technical freedom, musicality and stage presence. We have decided to invite the flutist Marianna Żołnacz as a soloist to one of Sinfonia’s next season concerts. During the finale, Marianna performed the 3rd movement of Jacques Ibert’s Flute Concerto, and did it with great charm, virtuosity, imagination and musical maturity,” said Przemysław Fiugajski.

The aim of the Young Musician of the Year contest is to encourage young people to perfect the skill of playing a musical instrument, and to support young talents. The organisers of the contest wish to demonstrate that many-hour practice on an instrument, often at the expense of free time and self-discipline, may bring wonderful effects, and make it possible for a young artist to win recognition in the world of music and lead an attractive artistic lifestyle.

The contest was organised and sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, TVP Kultura and the Institute of Music and Dance.