Awards

The activities of the Club and its authorities have been rewarded with many honors, including six awards for the entire Club, and individual awards for presidents and members of the Board of Directors. On the occasion of the Club's 40th anniversary in 2012, medals of the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Poland, "Meritorious for Polish Culture," were awarded to 19 members of the Board of Directors, former presidents, founders and activists of the Club. On the same occasion, Leonidas Dudarev-Ossetinsky (1910-1989), founder of the Club, received the Knight's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland. The list of decorations and awards for the Modrzejewska Club and members of the Board of Directors who have made serious contributions to the promotion of Polish culture includes 40 items.

Awards for the Helena Modrzejewska Club: 

• 1997 - Medal awarded by the Minister of Culture "Meritorious for Polish Culture". 
• 2009 - Special Award of the Union of Polish Stage Artists ZASP "For promoting Polish culture abroad" for the Helena Modrzejewska Culture Club.
• 2011 - Resolution of the Los Angeles City Council on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Club and Diploma of Honor.
• 2011 - Congratulations from the County of Los Angeles on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Club and a Diploma of Honor.
• 2012 - Congratulations from the County of Los Angeles on the 40th anniversary of the Club and Diplomas of Honor for 28 members of the then and previous Boards of Directors.
• 2021 - Diplomas from the City and County of Los Angeles and Senator Portantino on the occasion of the Club's 50th anniversary. 

Individual awards to Presidents and Board Members: 

• 1994 - Witold Czajkowski (President of the Club in 1990-1993), for services to the propagation of Polish culture abroad, Knight's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland.
• 1998 - for merits in promoting Polish culture abroad, on behalf of the President of the Republic of Poland, the Knight's Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland were awarded to:

1. Tadeusz Bociański (President in 1983-1989, on the Board for many years). 
2. Zofia Czajkowska (Vice President in 1984-1994, President, 1994-1995).
3. Maria Pilatowicz (Vice President and member of the Board for over 16 years).
4. Edward Pilatowicz (President 1996-1998, on the Board, 1981-1986).

• 2000 - Tomasz Kachelski (long-time Treasurer of the Club) was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland for his contribution to the spread of Polish culture abroad.
• 2003 - Jolanta Zych (President of the Club from 1998 to 2006), awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland for services to the propagation of Polish culture abroad.
• 2009 - Dorota Olszewska (President of the Club from 2006-2008) received the award of the Union of Polish Stage Artists ZASP "For promoting Polish culture abroad". 
• 2011-12 - Dr. Maja Trochimczyk received Diplomas of Honor and Resolutions from the County of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles City Council on the occasion of the Club's 40th anniversary and 15 years as a volunteer among the Polish community. 
• 2013 - Medals of the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Poland, "Meritorious for Polish Culture" to 19 members of the Board of Directors, presidents, founders, and activists of the Club (listed here in chronological order of work in the Club): Wanda Baran, Dr. Franciszka Tuszyńska, Stephanie Powers, Stefan Wenta, Jan Gąssowski, Tadeusz Podkański, Witold Czajkowski, Zofia Czajkowska, Tadeusz Bociański, Maria and Edward Piłatowicz, Jolanta Zych, Krystyna Kuszta, Krystyna Okuniewska, Andrzej Maleski, Danuta Żuchowska, Dorota Olszewska, Elżbieta Kańska and Dr. Maja Trochimczyk.
• 2013 - Leonidas Dudarev-Ossetinsky (1910-1989), founder of the Club, was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, on the occasion of the Club's 40th anniversary. 
• 2017 - Dorota Olszewska, Medal of the National Education Commission for services to education and upbringing. 
• 2021 - Andrew Z. Dowen, Krystyna Bartkowska, Jan Englert, Maria Kubal, Beata Poźniak and Maja Trochimczyk: Diplomas from the County of Los Angeles on the occasion of the Club's 50th anniversary

In 2010, in order to commemorate its patron Helena Modrzejewska and honor the achievements of outstanding artists on Polish stages, the Club established an annual award for contributions to Polish culture in the field of acting: "The Helena Modrzejewska Prize" (The Modjeska Prize). In October 2010, the first prize was awarded to actor Jan Nowicki. In 2011, the prize was awarded ex aequo to actors Anna Dymna and Marian Dziędziel. In 2012 the winner was Barbara Krafftówna and in 2013 the director and screenwriter, Ryszard Bugajski. In 2018, the Club honored Jadwiga Baranska with the Helena Modrzejewska Award. In 2019, the award was given to two actresses from the Polish Theater in Toronto - Agata Pilitowska and Maria Nowotarska. In January 2021, the award for 2020 went to Andrzej Seweryn. On the occasion of the Club's 50th anniversary in 2021, two awards were given, for an actor working in exile and for a theater star from Poland. The awards went to Beata Poźniak and Jan Englert.

Like the Modrzejewska Awards established in 2010, the Gold Awards honor the lifetime achievement, but this time of directors, thus filling a gap in our array of awards related to our patron, actress Helena Modjeska. She emigrated to California in 1876, where she became one of the most important Shakespearean actresses of her time. She was an actress, director, producer and ran her own theater company, which performed in 225 cities across the continent. Following her example of artistic and expatriate success, the Helena Modjeska Club wishes to honor film and theater directors as well.

The award consists of a commemorative statuette, a diploma and a symbolic "nugget of gold."

JERZY ANTCZAK and JACEK BROMSKI 

In 2024, the first Golden Awards went to prominent directors Jacek Bromski, who was president of the Polish Film Association for more than 26 years, and Jerzy Antczak, creator of the most popular Polish film "Nights and Days," who settled in Los Angeles and taught at UCLA for many years. He is an Honorary Member of the Club, along with his wife Jadwiga Barańska. She, in turn, is the recipient of the 2018 Modjeska Prize.