The Order of the Smile (

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

: ''Order Uśmiechu'') is an international award given by children to adults distinguished in their love, care and aid for

children A child () is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking ...

History

The idea of the Order of the Smile was established in 1968 by the Polish magazine ''Kurier Polski'', inspired by Wanda Chotomska. In 1979 (announced by the

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as the

International Year of the Child UNESCO proclaimed 1979 as the International Year of the Child. The proclamation was signed on January 1, 1979, by United Nations Secretary General Kurt Waldheim. A follow-up to the 1959 Declaration of the Rights of the Child, the proclamation ...

) the

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Kurt Waldheim Kurt Josef Waldheim (21 December 1918 – 14 June 2007) was an Austrian politician and diplomat. Waldheim was the Secretary-General of the United Nations#List of secretaries-general, secretary-general of the United Nations from 1972 to 1981 a ...

officially recognized the Order. From then, the Order of the Smile became an international order. In 1996, in

Rabka Rabka may refer to the following places: * Rabka, Tibet, a village in China * Rabka-Zdrój, a town in Poland {{disambiguation ...

, the Order of the Smile Museum was established on the grounds of the family park known as "Rabkoland." After the region had been given the official status of the "City of Children from around the World," an initiative was put forward to open a permanent Polish Santa's Village, which would accept letters addressed to Santa Claus from children across Poland. In 2003 an International Chapter of the Order of the Smile session took place outside the Warsaw headquarters in

Świdnica Świdnica (; ; ) is a city on the Bystrzyca (Oder), Bystrzyca River in south-western Poland in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. As of 2021, it has a population of 55,413 inhabitants. It is the seat of Świdnica County, and also of the smaller dis ...

, where the Child Friendship Center was being erected. Świdnica had been officially titled the "Capital of Children's Dreams," and 21 September 2003 was declared Order of the Smile Children's Day.

Design

Chotomska's television series '' Jacek i Agatka'' announced a competition to submit a design for the Order of the Smile. The award's logo was created and developed by a nine-year-old girl from

Głuchołazy Głuchołazy ( ; , also known by other names) is a historic town in southwestern Poland with approximately 13,534 inhabitants as of 2019. It is located within the Nysa County of Opole Voivodeship (province), near the border with the Czech Republic ...

, Ewa Chrobak. Using a plate as a template, she drew a sun, and added uneven rays of light. The design, one of 45,000 that had been submitted, was chosen by

Szymon Kobyliński Szymon is a Polish version of the masculine given name Simon. Academics *Szymon Askenazy – historian and diplomat who served as the first Polish representative at the League of Nations *Szymon Datner – Polish-Jewish historian and anti-Nazi par ...

, who elaborated it into its current form.

Nomination

All candidates for the Order of Smile should be nominated by children. Nominations can come from a single child or collectively from many children. Nominations can be submitted from all around the world. The candidates should be people of extraordinary love and work for children. Nominations should be sent to the International Chapter of the Order of Smile (ICOS). Afterwards the candidates are chosen to be Laureates by the Chapter. The Order is awarded twice a year: in spring and in fall. Laureates of the Order of Smile include now about 1000 people from almost 50 countries (state of April 2016).

Decorating

The medal - which is a badge representing a smiling sun - is awarded in Warsaw, Poland by the International Chapter of the Order of the Smile. There is a special procedure of the decoration. In special cases the decoration could be held outside Poland, in the country of the laureate. The right to use the title of the "Knight of the Order of Smile" is guaranteed only to those who were decorated at an official ceremony organized by the Chapter. Traditionally, upon being awarded with the medal, each recipient must drink a glass of cup of

lemon The lemon (''Citrus'' × ''limon'') is a species of small evergreen tree in the ''Citrus'' genus of the flowering plant family Rutaceae. A true lemon is a hybrid of the citron and the bitter orange. Its origins are uncertain, but some ...

juice while smiling throughout the process.

International Chapter

Although most of the 59 members of the Chapter are of Polish descent, it includes representatives from other countries such as

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, the

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, the

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and the

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. At the forefront of the International Chapter of the Order of Smile stands the Chancellor, Marek Michalak, who remains in this position since 19 January 2007. Previous Chancellors include:

Ewa Szelburg-Zarembina Ewa Szelburg-Zarembina (10 April 1899 – 28 September 1986) was a Polish novelist, poet and screenplay writer who was born in Bronowice and died in Warsaw. Biography Best known as author of numerous works for children, between 1922 and 1979 s ...

(from 1968 to 1976), Radoslaw Ostrowicz (from 1982 to 1990), and Cezary Leżenski (from 1976 to 1981, and again from 1992 to 2006). On 16 November 1992, the International Chapter of the Order of Smile was officially registered in Poland as an association.

Recipients

References

External links

{{Commons category, Order Uśmiechu, Order of the Smile
Official site of the Order of the Smile
International orders, decorations, and medals Orders, decorations, and medals of Poland Awards established in 1968 1968 establishments in Poland