The results of the 17th edition of the Physical Paths competition, organized by the National Center for Nuclear Research and the Institute of Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences, have been announced. During the two-day finale of this year’s edition, the winners presented their works in the following categories: Scientific Work, Essay and Physical Phenomenon Show. The winners of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place were awarded cash prizes, as well as funds for equipping school laboratories for academic tutors. For the first time, the prof. Ludwik Dobrzyński award was also granted for the teacher who is the guardian of the competition participant.

On April 20–21.04.2022, the final of the 17th edition of the Physical Paths competition took place in remote form. After discussions with the authors of the works, and then in-depth deliberations, the jury selected the winners in each category:

in the Scientific Work category:

• 1st place
  Dawid Bugajewski „Searching for solutions to the Schrödinger equation in the form of power series with applications” I Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Oskar Kolberg in Kościan (Secondary School)
• 2nd place
  Daniel Kmiecik „Wheatstone Bridge – applications in the past and today” Zespół Szkół Ekonomiczno-Chemicznych in Trzebinia (Complex of Economic and Chemical Schools)
• 3rd place
  Artur Panek „Study of the impact of rolling resistance on vehicle energy consumption” V Liceum Ogólnokształcące Education in Bielsko-Biała (Secondary School)
• Distinction
  Bartosz Czyżewski, Michał Słodki, Aleksandra Tomczak „Thermodynamics in the refrigerator” LO im. Marshal Stanisław Małachowski in Płock (Secondary School)

in the Essay category:

• 1st place
  Anna Sidoruk „If you don’t like reality, go somewhere else” Vocational School Complex No. 1 and II Liceum Ogólnokształcące (Secondary School) in Włodawa
• 2nd place
  Dominika Krasucka „What is truth in the world of many worlds?” III LO of the Polish Navy in Gdynia with Bilingual Branches (Secondary School)
• 2nd place
  Olga Ociepa „Nonlinearists on Theseus’ ship”
  Waldorf Liceum Ogólnokształcące Cyprian Kamil Norwid in Bielsko-Biała (Secondary School)

in the Show of a Physical Phenomenon category:

• 2nd place
  Oliwia Morga, Igor Podgórniak „A candle and its (above) ordinary flame” I LO im. T. Kościuszko in Wieluń (Secondary School)
• 3rd place
  Mikołaj Pętlicki, Maciej Szewczyk, Michał Wojtaczka „When does everything collapse? The influence of frequency on the behavior of towers of different heights. ” I Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Stanisław Żeromski in Jelenia Góra (Secondary School)

During this year’s edition of Physical Paths, for the first time the prof. Ludwik Dobrzyński award Was granted. In line with the idea, the prize is awarded to teachers who support the scientific development of their pupils participating in the Physical Paths competition with exceptional commitment, and thanks to their substantive care, their pupils stand out in the competition by winning the title of laureate.

This year, 3 candidatures were submitted, which were put to the vote of the Jury appointed by the Organizing Committee of the Competition. After reviewing this year’s applications for candidatures and the accompanying justifications, the members of the Chapter voted on the candidates after the discussion. The jury unanimously decided to grant this year’s prof. Ludwik Dobrzyński award, to Mrs. MSc. Zenona Stojecka.

The Marshal’s Office of the Mazowieckie Voivodeship awarded cash prizes to the winners of 1st, 2nd and 3 rd places in the amount of PLN 2,000, 1,700 and 1,350, respectively.

The organizers of the Competition, appreciating also the work of teachers and tutors, allocated money prizes for schools in the amount of PLN 1,250 to equip physical laboratories. 8 educational facilities were donated.

Congratulations to all participants and invite you to the next edition of the Physical Paths competition. We encourage all lovers of physics to follow the information on the official website of the competition www. fizycznesciezki. pl