CSR initiatives at Pyrkon 2026 – Fiction lovers really help!

23 May 2026

The “All Animals Are Fantastic” initiative – support for our furry friends!

This is a campaign created for all animal lovers! The aim of the “All Animals Are Fantastic” (Wszystkie Zwierzęta Są Fantastyczne) initiative is not only to provide financial support to animal welfare foundations, but also to educate and raise awareness among Pyrkon-goers when it comes to caring for various animal companions. This year, we are teaming up with the following foundations and associations:

The Labrador-Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind (Fundacja na rzecz Osób Niewidomych Labrador-Pies Przewodnik) – This year, they will have their booth in the Fan Initiatives Gord, where you can learn about the training of guide and assistance dogs, as well as the crucial role they play in the lives of the people they accompany. Over in the Science Zone – at the Science Station – you’ll be able to chat with the beneficiaries of the Labrador Foundation. This year, once again, a puppy training demonstration will take place at Mark’s Square (Plac Marka)!

The Ja Pacze Sercem Foundation for Blind Cats – A foundation we are proud to be collaborating with for yet another year! You can find them in Hall 5 at booth #149 – we highly encourage you to visit their representatives and chat about their efforts to help blind kitties! We guarantee they will gladly tell you how and who they help, and how the feline friends in their care handle everyday life. And if you have your heart open to a new animal companion, we encourage you to check out their album of kittens ready for adoption!

The LAMPO – Koluszki Animal Welfare Association – An association founded by animal lovers whose priority is the health, safety, and dignified living conditions of animals. You will find them in hall 5 at booth #159, with a ton of unique trinkets and various items prepared with animal lovers in mind waiting for you. You’ll also find a fantastic comic book about the adventures of Maniek – a dog under LAMPO’s care who found a home with Paweł Ciołkiewicz and became the hero of a graphic novel. Every purchase makes a difference and helps support the association’s statutory activities.

We encourage you to support these foundations right now. You can do so through the following fundraisers:

THE LABRADOR FOUNDATION

THE JA PACZE SERCEM FOUNDATION

THE LAMPO ASSOCIATION

Pyrkon Kindred Blood Donors Club – donate blood and become a hero!

Do you know when the first Pyrkon Kindred Blood Donors Club blood drive took place? It was in 2010, when a bloodmobile collected blood on the Pyrkon Saturday. Now – sixteen years later – we are looking at another edition of this amazing event, where over the three days of Pyrkon you can give someone the gift of life. Did you know that a single blood donation can save up to three lives? Plus, you’ll also be able to register as a potential bone marrow donor!

What you need to know if you want to donate blood at Pyrkon? 

If you’ve never donated blood before, make sure to read up on the requirements you need to meet. If you still have any doubts, visit your nearest Regional Blood Donation and Blood Treatment Center (in Poland: RCKiK), where they will answer all your questions.

The Poznań RCKiK Bloodmobile will be waiting for you at Plac Marka (Mark’s Square, in front of the Convention Office) during these hours:

• Friday, June 19: 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM
• Saturday, June 20: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
• Sunday, June 21: 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Everyone who donates blood will receive – among other things – some pretty cool loot:

• An energy pack from RCKiK.
• The premiere Pyrkon Kindred 3 deck of cards.
• A premiere “Bloodmobile” unit for the Neuroshima Hex board game (concept and design by: Portal Games, Pyrkon, Grajkon, Druga Era, and Pyrkon Kindred).
• The Pyrkon Kindred 2 deck of cards.
• A book from Vesper Publishing…
• …and a little something extra!

Remember that Honorary Blood Donors can use priority checkouts at Pyrkon, which are located at every entrance and clearly marked!

Fantastically Talented – Supporting emerging creators!

The “Fantastically Talented” competition is an event organized by the Pyrkon Fan Convention for the third time this year! Until now, it focused on promoting new talents in Polish fantasy literature, but this year we have expanded the competition to include two new categories. You can now win awards and honorable mentions for: “Fantastic Children’s and Young Adult Literature” and “Fantastic Comic Book”.

The competition is aimed at authors, graphic artists, and illustrators making their debut in 2025, as well as those who are still relatively unknown in the Polish speculative fiction scene.

The Grand Final Gala of the 3rd edition of the “Fantastically Talented” competition will kick off on June 20 at 1:30 PM. The festive gala will take place in the Large Auditorium (PCC Hall, level 0), where we will announce the winners, the honorable mentions, and the laureates of the Pyrkon-goers’ Award  – the winners of your public vote. The event will be hosted – for the third time! – by the fantastic Karol Modzelewski, a journalist, stand-up comedian, and literature enthusiast. Does this sound like something you simply can’t miss? Obviously!

Pyrkon really helps!

Pyrkon proves once again that fandom is about more than just cosplay, lectures, and shared geeky passions. Initiatives like “All Animals Are Fantastic,” the efforts of the Pyrkon Kindred Blood Donors Club , and the “Fantastically Talented” competition show that the community around the convention knows how to combine passion with empathy, creativity, and the drive to do good in the world.