ENG | 
On March 20th, a Polish tree once again triumphed in the international contest of the Tree of the Year. A monumental beech from Niemcza outshone 15 leafy contenders from various corners of Europe, who had made it to the final after fierce national competitions.
The Polish beech clinched the podium with the impressive support of nearly 40,000 internet voters. In second place was also a beech, of the weeping kind, with a staggering 24,807 votes. The runner-up has its roots in the French town of Bayeux. The race for the bronze was finished by probably one of the oldest participants – an olive tree from Luras. Its age is estimated to be between 3,000 and 4,000 years, so as long as the grandpa isn’t heading for the hereafter just yet, it still stands a great chance of victory in the coming years (or even millennia).
In this competition, however, there are no losers – voters have the chance to admire true, lush beauties, and perhaps even find a destination for their upcoming holidays. The winners themselves enjoy many privileges, as aside from timeless glory, they also gain a bit more attention and protection from the organizations that nominate them.
It’s also worth noting that Polish trees regularly claim the podium in this significant poll. We already have three gold medals in the history of the contest, and so far, they have been won exclusively by our oak-representatives. The Fabrykant oak from Łódź took gold in 2023, the Dunin oak from the Białowieża Forest secured our victory in 2022, and in 2017, the golden laurels rested on the crown of the Józef oak from Wiśniowa.
Cynics say that these awards are solely the result of promoting our candidates on the popular Instagram account Make Life Harder. After all, getting airtime on an Instagram platform with a 1.5 million-strong crowd isn’t just whispering in the wind! However, we are convinced that their victory was ensured by solid roots, perseverance in facing changing weather conditions, and lush canopies. Congratulations!
