SIGNS OF WORK (O!ZNAKI PRACY) is a nationwide photography and film contest organised by the Central Institute for Labour Protection – National Research Institute (CIOP-PIB). The competition invites photography and film enthusiasts to look at contemporary work and occupational safety through the lens of visual storytelling. In two categories – Photography and Film & Multimedia – participants create short visual stories about people at work, working conditions and the changing world of labour.

The main goal of the contest is to inspire discussion on current challenges related to work, to explore how people today understand occupational safety and health, and to raise awareness of new risks and ways of preventing them. Each edition is built around a leading theme, encouraging participants to reflect on issues such as technology and nature, traditional professions in a new reality, happiness at work, emotions and values in the workplace, the future of work and intergenerational cooperation. Winning works are presented during public screenings and exhibitions, as well as in online galleries.

For current regulations, online registration, a gallery of awarded works and detailed information about each edition, please visit the contest website: O!ZNAKI PRACY – SIGNS OF WORK (https://oznakipracy.ciop.pl).

Editions of the SIGNS OF WORK (O!ZNAKI PRACY) contest

Since 2017, nine editions of the contest have been organised:

1. 2017 – 1st edition
   SIGNS OF WORK (O!ZNAKI PRACY 2017) – a multi-threaded edition focusing on contemporary work and occupational safety, including such topics as robots, machines, artificial intelligence, teleworking, remote work, new forms of employment and the changing workstation.
2. 2018 – 2nd edition
   Theme: “Work and the person. Work from a point of view” (Polish: „Praca i człowiek. Praca z punktu widzenia”) – participants were encouraged to show work as seen from their own perspective and from the perspective of the people who perform it.
3. 2019 – 3rd edition
   Theme: “Work from a point of view…” (Polish: „Praca z punktu widzenia…”) – continuation and development of the perspective approach to work, focusing on different points of view and experiences of workers.
4. 2020 – 4th edition
   Theme: “Work + Nature + Technology” (Polish: „praca + natura + technologia”) – about the relationship between work, the natural environment and technological change, including environmental engineering, projects saving nature with the help of technology, as well as the risks they may bring.
5. 2021 – 5th edition
   Theme: “Old trade – new reality” (Polish: „stary zawód – nowa rzeczywistość”) – innovations in traditional professions and the transformation of craft and manual work in the 21st century.
6. 2022 – 6th edition
   Theme: “Happy at work don’t count the hours” (Polish: „Szczęśliwi pracy nie liczą”) – dedicated to happiness at work, focusing on safe, meaningful and satisfying jobs shown from the perspective of happy workers.
7. 2023 – 7th edition
   Theme: “Work with heart” (Polish: „Praca z sercem”) – an edition about commitment, empathy, care and values in the workplace, and about people who put “heart” into what they do.
8. 2024 – 8th edition
   Theme: “Future of Work: Technology and People” (Polish: „Przyszłość pracy: technologia i człowiek”) – focused on the impact of advanced technologies on workplaces and on the relationships between humans and modern technological solutions.
9. 2025 – 9th edition
   Theme: “One job, different generations” (Polish: „Jedna praca, różne pokolenia”) – dedicated to intergenerational cooperation at work, knowledge transfer between age groups and the value of diverse teams combining experience and fresh perspectives.

We warmly encourage you to visit the contest website and explore all editions of SIGNS OF WORK.

Bleaching Plant of Müller Brothers in Kalisz Year: 1936 Source: National Digital Archive	Milk supply in Warsaw Year: 1967 Author: Rutowska Grażyna Source: National Digital Archive
The inside of the razor blade factory “Toledo” Year: 1936 Source: National Digital Archive	Tilery in Kalisz Before the World War II Source: Museum of Industrial History in Opatówek

For more information please contact:

anna.borkowska@ciop.pl

ewelina.tolkacz@ciop.pl