The judges particularly appreciated the submitted work's portrait values, faithfulness to period details, and the planned monument's dialogue with its immediate surroundings. Of note is the very interesting and artistically complementary concept for the plinth, which Smosna designed as three superimposed concrete slabs. This strongly references the divisions of the Municipal Stadium's facade, which serves as a natural backdrop for the monument, while also recalling the aesthetics of modernism—the period of Henryk Reyman's peak football career.

The entire piece is complemented by an inscription identifying the figure, emerging from the sides of the highest slab, which also references the aesthetics of the interwar period with its typeface. It is worth noting that the Scout House, whose modernist architecture corresponds with the plinth's forms, is located in the immediate vicinity of the monument. Henryk Reyman's figure itself, though based on a well-known photograph, exudes gravitas, strength of character, dignity, and humility—qualities so strongly associated with Reyman. In its expression, it is simultaneously monumental and modest.

An integral part of the monument is also the preceding cuboid, also concrete, plinth. On it, the artist proposed placing a bronze-cast plaque with a full-relief ball, whose appearance faithfully reflects the reality of interwar football equipment, as well as a quote with which the entire Wisła Kraków community best associates Henryk Reyman.

The judges noted that Marcin Smosna's presented project not only honours the most outstanding footballer in the history of Wisła Kraków but also engages the surrounding space. By setting the plinth with the ball apart and spreading the slabs under the monument, it draws viewers into direct contact. The artistic, conceptual, and ideological merits of Marcin Smosna's Henryk Reyman monument project received the highest evaluation from the competition judges, who unanimously decided to award it the first prize and recommend it for implementation.

Author of the winning work

Dr. Marcin Smosna was born in 1990 in Jelenia Góra. He is a graduate of the Sculpture Department of the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow, where he completed his studies in Prof. Karol Badyna's studio, and in 2022, he obtained his doctorate in art. He currently works as an assistant professor in the Sculpture Studio III at the Krakow Academy of Fine Arts.

He is a laureate of many prestigious sculpture competitions in Poland and abroad, winning awards and distinctions, including in competitions for monuments in Łódź, Zielona Góra, Tarnów, and Poznań, as well as in the international competition FACE 2021 in London.

We thank the artists who participated in the competition and the members of the Competition Jury for the immense work put into evaluating the submitted projects.

Let us recall that the competition was organized by the Socios Wisła Kraków Association in cooperation with Towarzystwo Sportowe Wisła Kraków S.A. The monument will be built thanks to funds collected since 2020 as part of the "Wiślackie" project and will be a tribute from the entire Wisła community to the greatest legend of the White Star. The monument will be located in front of Synerise Arena on Reymonta Street.

The resolution of the competition is a milestone in the project's implementation. After years of preparation, fundraising, and collaborative work, we have taken another crucial step towards commemorating Henryk Reyman.

In the coming days, the procedure for the implementation of the winning project and the construction of the monument will be initiated. Upon its completion, work will begin on creating the monument, which will stand in front of Synerise Arena and become a lasting symbol of remembrance for our stadium's patron and the greatest footballer in the history of Wisła Kraków.

Preparations are also underway for a post-competition exhibition, which will showcase works submitted in both the first and second stages of the competition. Details regarding the date and location of the exhibition will be announced in a separate communication.

We thank everyone who has supported the monument construction project over the past years. It is thanks to the involvement of thousands of Wisła fans, under the auspices of the Socios Wisła Association, that the vision of honouring Henryk Reyman is becoming a reality.