The Polish Promotional Programme Foundation

The roots of The Polish Promotional Programme Foundation date back to 1991, that is to the beginnings of economic transformation and appearance of a free market in our country. When the borders were opened to new imported goods our society discovered new levels of consumption. At the same time, domestic producers, having invested in modern technologies, became able to offer products of competitive quality.

The initiative to establish the Polish Promotional Programme was launched at that time. The Programme was designed to promote Polish companies and to assist them in promoting their products on an increasingly competitive market. A foundation was established to dispense the “Poland:Now” Emblem and to carry out the Polish Promotional Programme which gained the honorary patronage of the President of the Republic of Poland.

Every year the best products and services are awarded in the “Poland: Now” Contest. In 2007, the Chapter of the “Poland: Now” Emblem awarded for the first time also the best communes and local products. There are plans to extend the “Poland: Now” Contest to cover the best innovative projects.

The entries for the Contest are screened by a panel of experts and then the Chapter chooses the winners from among the top products and services. The winners are granted the right to use the “Poland: Now” Emblem.

The “Poland: Now” Emblem stands for the highest quality. It is rated highly by both the producers and consumers. It helps products and services to stand out in today's very crowded marketplace, enhances the holder’s brand, his reliability and prestige thus contributing to higher sales.

The Foundation’s Polish Promotional Programme, besides organizing the Contest for Best Products, Services, Communes and Local Products, works to promote Poland and Polish economy abroad through international trade missions and show presentations around the world.

Through promoting the Polish brands on international markets, the Foundation also propagates the idea of the Polish Promotional Programme in the EU and encourages cooperation from Polish diaspora . The Foundation has also launched a new programme “Polish Success – Achievements and Prospects” which is an indication of the Foundation’s commitment to promoting a positive image of Poland. One of the projects within this programme is a contest for the best MA theses concerning the promotion of Polish economy.

Timeline:

February 1991 the idea of a Polish promotional programme for the best Polish products is launched; its provisional name was Polish Promotion
February 1992 the winners of the Competition for the Promotional Programme’s Logo and Slogan are announced
March 1992 the President’s trusteeship of the Polish Promotional Emblem “Poland: Now” is established
January 1993 the first edition of the “Poland: Now” Contest is announced
October 1996 The Polish Promotional Emblem Foundation gains the patronage of the President of the Republic of Poland
October 2006 two new categories are introduced in the Contest:

“Poland: Now” Contest for Communes
“Poland: Now” Contest for Local Products

April 2007 the launch of the Polish Success – Achievements and Prospects Programme
May 2007 Polish Success – Achievements and Prospects Programme gains the patronage of the President of the Republic of Poland - Lech Kaczyński
June 2007 the Contest for the best MA theses concerning the promotion of Polish economy is announced