Poland ranks ahead of the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates. TOP CHARITY among the best projects at the Eventex Awards 2026
Poland took second place worldwide in the overall country rankings at the 2026 Eventex Awards, one of the most prestigious competitions in the events and experience marketing industry. Tied with Qatar, it won a total of 73 awards, outperforming the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates, among others. Among the projects that contributed to this success was TOP CHARITY – a Polish initiative combining business, art, philanthropy, and diplomacy – which received four awards, including three gold awards, strengthening Poland’s position in the global market for events and social impact projects.
The Eventex Awards, established in 2009, are recognized as one of the most prestigious competitions in the world of events and experiential marketing, often referred to as the “Oscars of the events industry.” The 2026 edition was the largest and most competitive in the competition’s history. A total of 1,405 projects from 58 countries and 6 continents were submitted to the competition. Poland took second place worldwide in the overall country rankings, tied with Qatar, winning 73 awards and outperforming, among others, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates. Poland also became the European leader in terms of the number of Platinum awards.
An international jury of 251 experts representing organizations such as Google, Samsung, EY, Forbes, and the Financial Times recognized TOP CHARITY for creating a modern model of philanthropy based on long-term social impact, partnership, and the integration of the worlds of business, art, culture, and diplomacy. The Impact Event format received special recognition; this is understood as a season of events centered around the TOP CHARITY initiative, bringing together business leaders, social and business organizations, the media, and representatives of culture and diplomacy.
TOP CHARITY received a Gold Award in the Impact Event category with a score of 88.451 out of 100, a Gold Award in the Fundraising Event category with a score of 83.558 out of 100, a Gold Award in the Expo category with a score of 81.243 out of 100, and a Bronze Award in the Gala category with a score of 77.698 out of 100. These awards reinforce TOP CHARITY’s position as one of the most recognizable and highly regarded philanthropic initiatives in Europe, distinguished for the scale of its organization, production quality, fundraising effectiveness, and tangible social impact.
The season includes, among other events, TOP CHARITY Art, an annual exhibition of international artworks presented in the Orangery of the Museum of King Jan III’s Palace at Wilanów. Among the works displayed and auctioned during the charity auction are pieces by artists of international renown, including Magdalena Abakanowicz, Ewa Juszkiewicz, Amoako Boafo, and Ibrahim Mahama. The exhibition is free for visitors to the Orangery, making contemporary art–often found exclusively in private collections and elite circles – accessible to a wide audience. Previous editions of the exhibition have attracted over 220,000 visitors.
The TOP CHARITY season also includes TOP CHARITY ChangeMAKERS, a format dedicated to representatives from the worlds of business, diplomacy, culture, new technologies, and social organizations, the TOP CHARITY Gala, a charity auction and the main fundraising event where works of art and unique experiences are auctioned off, and Lazy Sunday, a project introducing children to the concepts of helping others, shared responsibility, and modern philanthropy.
The international success of TOP CHARITY is part of one of the most significant global trends of recent years: the shift from reactive, one-off, and image-driven philanthropy to strategic, partnership-based, and measurable philanthropy. An increasing number of business leaders view social engagement not as an add-on to business operations, but as an element of responsible management of capital, reputation, and influence. In this context, TOP CHARITY demonstrates that philanthropy can function as a professionally managed platform for collaboration between the worlds of business, culture, and social organizations.
This model resonates particularly strongly today in Poland, which is one of Europe’s largest economies. Along with the growth of family businesses, wealth succession, and the increasing engagement of entrepreneurs in corporate social responsibility, a new model of leadership is taking shape. Private capital is increasingly playing not only an investment role, but also a social, culture-shaping, and intergenerational one. Questions about how capital can work not only for business growth but also for education, culture, health, heritage preservation, and support for marginalized groups are becoming increasingly important.
The growing importance of family foundations also fits into this trend. As a tool for succession planning and long-term wealth management, the Polish family foundation allows entrepreneurs to think about responsibility from a generational perspective. “The Polish family foundation is part of the global trend in succession planning, and what sets it apart in Europe is the flexibility of the solutions it offers,” noted Renata Kamoda, Head of Private Banking & Wealth Management at UniCredit in Poland, during this year’s edition of IMPACT. TOP CHARITY demonstrates that this approach can also function in the social sphere: as an invitation to business leaders to establish their own foundations, support grant-based projects, and build long-term mechanisms for impact.
TOP CHARITY was founded in 2022 as the business community’s response to the humanitarian crisis triggered by the war in Ukraine. What began as a grassroots effort by entrepreneurs to help those in need has, over the course of a few years, evolved into Europe’s largest initiative bringing together business, philanthropy, and the arts. Since its first edition, the project has consistently developed a unique model of collaboration between business leaders, social organizations, cultural institutions, and international partners. Today, TOP CHARITY functions not merely as a fundraising gala, but as a year-round platform for real social impact that transcends divisions.
Over the course of four editions, TOP CHARITY has raised nearly 150 million PLN for social initiatives in Poland and around the world, recording consistent year-over-year growth in both the scale of fundraising and the value of the artworks auctioned. In 2022, the initiative raised over 8 million PLN, and a sculpture by Tomasz Górnicki was auctioned off for 340,000 PLN. A year later, the total rose to over PLN 25 million, and one of the most significant auctions featured the sculpture “Iron Maiden” by Croatian artist Nikola Vudrag, sold for PLN 3.2 million—setting the artist’s auction record and making the work one of the most expensive pieces sold at auctions in Poland during that period. In 2024, TOP CHARITY raised nearly 50 million PLN, and the auction record was set by Igor Mitoraj’s sculpture “Torso alato,” which sold for 6.8 million PLN. In 2025, the total exceeded PLN 60 million, and the highest-selling work was a sculpture by Pablo Atchugarra, sold for approximately PLN 3.24 million. During the most recent edition, the auction also featured three sculptures by Jeff Koons, one of the world’s most highly valued contemporary artists. Such dynamic growth demonstrates not only the increasing fundraising effectiveness of TOP CHARITY, but also the growing willingness of the Polish business community to engage in initiatives with a high social impact, where philanthropy, art, and private capital create a shared space for real change.
This year’s anniversary edition showcases TOP CHARITY’s continued growth in artistic ambition and the auction’s ever-increasing diversity. Among the works up for auction are pieces by internationally renowned artists, including Amoako Boafo’s “LacedFingers,” estimated at PLN 3.4–5 million, “Grove” by Ewa Juszkiewicz, estimated at approx. PLN 2.1–3.4 million, “HYMNS FOR THE REBEL SOUL” by Ibrahim Mahama, estimated at approx. PLN 850,000–1.3 million, and “Ptak II” by Magdalena Abakanowicz, estimated at PLN 800,000–900,000. The auction will also feature works by, among others, Philip Colbert, Karolina Żądło, Wojciech Ireneusz Sobczyk, Tomasz Koclęga, Modupeola Fadugba, Paweł Althamer, PoliDwurnik, Charlotte Colbert, Krzysztof Renes, and the sculpture “Mademoiselle Pogany” after Constantin Brâncuși. The wide range of estimates, from tens of thousands to several million zlotys, demonstrates that TOP CHARITY is consistently building an auction with an international character, bringing together established names, artists of the younger generation, and Polish, European, and African art.
Thanks to the funds raised during previous editions of TOP CHARITY, we have been able to provide support to over 1,200 children and young people in Polish orphanages, support the education of over 7,000 students, and rescue nearly 580 children from forced labor in Ghana. The initiative has also made it possible to fund scholarships and development programs for 99 students from Poland at top universities abroad.
One of the most important pillars of TOP CHARITY is the Philanthropic Consortium. At least 30% of the funds raised during the TOP CHARITY Gala go to a grant program that supports social, educational, cultural, and aid projects in Poland and abroad. Over the course of three years of operation, the Consortium has implemented 136 projects in Poland and 31 international projects, supporting a total of approximately 800,000 beneficiaries. The funds have been distributed to over 60 social organizations, foundations, and institutions.
Among the supported projects were initiatives carried out in collaboration with Zachęta, the National Gallery of Art, and the Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts; the Jolanta Kwaśniewska Foundation “Porozumienie Bez Barier”; the SEXEDPL Foundation, the Teach for Poland Foundation, the Rodzić po Ludzku Foundation, the Castle Museum in Sandomierz, the Association of Families and Friends of People with Disabilities from Grodzisk Mazowiecki, the “Harfa” Singing Society, which has been active continuously since 1906, the Grand Theatre – National Opera, the Museum of Warsaw, the Society of Friends of Piotrków Trybunalski, the Museum of King Jan III’s Palace at Wilanów, and the Central Museum of Textiles in Łódź. Funded projects included, among others, the exhibition “Adolescence,” “Grandma and Grandpa’s Corner,” the Edulider Development Program for the youngest children, initiatives to improve perinatal care in Poland, the “Folk Heritage Through the Eyes of Youth” project, “Night of Photography,” the restoration of the royal polychrome decoration at the Museum of King Jan III’s Palace in Wilanów, and the “MUZEUM Database” project.
On the international stage, TOP CHARITY is developing partnerships with organizations such as the Obama Foundation, the Rafa Nadal Foundation, the Andrea Bocelli Foundation, Studio Voltaire, the Si Hene Foundation, and the Kuenyehia Trust for Contemporary Art. This demonstrates that a Polish philanthropic initiative can operate effectively within a global ecosystem of social, educational, and cultural partnerships.
Another international recognition for the initiative is the iLuxury Awards 2026 in the Best Luxury Services, Luxury Charity Initiative category. The competition honors the most innovative projects and brands in the fields of luxury, design, and premium experiences. The jury recognized TOP CHARITY for creating a unique blend of philanthropy, art, and modern patronage, as well as for redefining the concept of purpose-driven luxury. This concept is becoming increasingly prevalent in the global premium business sector and signifies a shift away from luxury understood solely as prestige, consumption, and status toward luxury built around values, impact, responsibility, and heritage. TOP CHARITY has previously been recognized with international awards. In 2024, the initiative received the Best Luxury Auction Event in Europe award, and in 2023 it was honored in Poland by the Luxury Lifestyle Awards, confirming the project’s consistently growing position at the intersection of philanthropy, art, and the premium world.
For the past two years, EY has served as the auditor for the TOP CHARITY initiative, which enhances the project’s transparency and reporting standards. The initiative is also supported by Polish business organizations, including The Company., the Polish Business Council, Employers of Poland, and the Lewiatan Confederation. IMPACT, one of the most important platforms for economic and technological dialogue in Central and Eastern Europe, is a Community Partner of TOP CHARITY. UniCredit is the main partner of this anniversary edition.
This year, TOP CHARITY is held under the patronage of the UNESCO Chair on Creative Industries and Cultural Diversity for Sustainable Development. This is a particularly significant distinction, as it underscores the importance of culture, education, and diversity as tools for sustainable development. This patronage places TOP CHARITY within the international context of a conversation about how the arts, creative industries, and responsible business can support social dialogue, community development, and the creation of more sustainable models of cooperation.
The initiative’s institutional partners include the Museum of King Jan III’s Palace at Wilanów, which has been collaborating with TOP CHARITY since the project’s inception, the Royal Łazienki Park, and the Foksal Palace, which joined the group of partners this year.
TThese awards are more than just a communications success for us. They are international confirmation that philanthropy created in Poland can set global standards today. We are demonstrating that business, art, and social responsibility can work together to build projects with a real and lasting social impact – emphasize Omenaa Mensah and Rafał Brzoska.
The international TOP CHARITY awards demonstrate that Poland can be not only a beneficiary of global trends, but also a co-creator of them. In a world where businesses are increasingly held accountable not only for their financial results but also for their real social impact, initiatives such as TOP CHARITY are shaping a new language of responsibility. It is a model in which philanthropy is not a one-time gesture but a system of collaboration. Art is not merely a symbol of prestige but a tool for communication and mobilization. And private capital becomes a force capable of supporting education, culture, humanitarian aid, and social development on an international scale.
Today, TOP CHARITY demonstrates that modern philanthropy can combine business effectiveness, the highest standards of organization, communication, and reporting, international prestige, and real social impact. As such, it has become one of the most innovative projects of its kind in Europe.
Joanna Rożniakowska
[email protected]
PR Advisor Omiimage
+48 887 411 711
TOP CHARITY is Europe’s largest initiative bringing together business, philanthropy, and the arts. Created by Omena Mensah and Rafał Brzoska, the project develops a modern model of philanthropy based on partnership, long-term social impact, and international cooperation. Over the course of four editions, the initiative has raised nearly 150 million PLN for social initiatives carried out in Poland and around the world.
Currently, the Orangery of the Museum of King Jan III’s Palace in Wilanów is hosting the TOP CHARITY Art exhibition, showcasing works to be auctioned during the TOP CHARITY Gala, which will take place on May 30. Until June 16, the public can view works by internationally renowned artists, including Magdalena Abakanowicz, Ewa Juszkiewicz, Amoako Boafo, and Ibrahim Mahama, free of charge in a single space.
The Eventex Awards is one of the most prestigious international competitions in the event and experiential marketing industry. Since 2009, it has recognized the most innovative projects in the fields of events, brand experience, and marketing communication from around the world. The competition is considered one of the most important global accolades for projects that combine high production quality, creativity, effective communication, and a tangible impact on audiences and the social environment.
The iLuxury Awards is an international competition that recognizes the most innovative projects and brands in the fields of luxury, design, and premium experiences. The awards are given to initiatives that redefine the contemporary understanding of luxury by combining the highest quality, unique experiences, social responsibility, culture, and long-term value for consumers and communities.