Empik is the most popular bookish store in Poland, an equivalent of American Barnes&Noble. It was established in 1948 and its name stands for Electronics, Music, Press, and Books (in Polish: Elektronika, Muzyka, Prasa i Książki). Since 1999, it held an awarding ceremony previously named “Aces”, and in 2008 renamed to “Empik’s Bestsellers”. The 23rd edition of the contest took place in the evening on February 15th at the ATM Studio in Warsaw.
The ceremony was hosted by renowned journalists Gabi Drzewicka and Marcin Prokop, who lightened the atmosphere with tongue-in-cheek humor and a relaxed attitude. Backstage, Gabi and Michał Szpak (a musician who represented Poland in Eurovision 2016) additionally interviewed the artists. The guests were also entertained by popular Polish artists such as sanah, Daria Zawiałow, Krzysztof Zalewski and Igo. Wojtek Urbański was in charge of the musical arrangement.
Empik Bestsellers gives out awards in three areas: music, literature, and film, divided into two main categories – best seller and discovery. The first is based purely on sales – each sold book or CD is counted as a vote, while the other is chosen by the jury.
Literature
The winner in the literary fiction category was “Mother Sits in the Backseat. Sh*tty Stories” by Joanna Mokosa-Rykalska, in self-help “Affectionate Guide. Feminine Way to Yourself” by Natalia de Barbaro, and in popular – “The Therapist” by B.A. Paris. The best-selling children’s book was “The Monster” by Andrzej Maleszka, an installment in the “Character of the Magic Tree” series. The most-listened-to audiobook was Empik Go’s original series “Warewolf”. Aleksandra Zbroja was awarded the Literary Discovery trophy for her book “Mireczek. Patho-story about my father.”
A new introduction to the awards was the podcast category. Marcin Myszka won the prize for his “Crime-torium”, a study of the most disturbing true crime stories of the 21st century.
Music
The most streamed single was “You Too, Lots” by Męskie Granie Orkiestra. Sanah won best-selling album in pop&rock category the second year in a row, this time with her album “Irenka”. She sweetly expressed her gratitude while also inviting everyone on her tour “Feast with sanah”. In rap&hip-hop won none other than Mata, the blockbuster among the new generation. It’s no surprise that he won The Audience Award as well.
The Music Discovery award went to Szczyl for his album “Polish Florida.”
Film
The best-selling family movie was “Mulan” directed by Niki Caro, while the winner in the Polish Cinema category was “25 Years of Innocence. The Case of Tomek Komenda” directed by Jan Holoubek. Łukasz Grzegorzek, the director of “My lovely life”, was proclaimed the Discovery in Film category.
All of the nominees, winners, and jury members are listed on Empik’s website.