Against the backdrop of a screen with the logo of the Polish & Slavic Federal Credit Union, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year and for the first time became the main sponsor of the gala, fifteen young Polish women from all over the United States showed that Polish identity in America is not a memory of grandparents — it is a vibrant, ambitious, bilingual reality.
Crown, Runner-up, and a Ticket to Poland
The seventh edition of “The Most Beautiful Polish Woman in America” competition attracted fifteen finalists — women aged eighteen to their early thirties, living in Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Florida, and other states, united by one thing: Polish roots and the courage to step onto the stage and tell the world who they are.
Karolina Lisztwan, the winner, was born in Stary Sącz, Lesser Poland. She came to America as a two-year-old with her parents. She completed pedagogical studies and works as a substitute teacher, while also running her own business — wedding and occasional makeup. In her free time, she trains, cooks, and runs a book club. Her victory grants her a pass to the Miss Polonia 2026 final in Poland — an opportunity previously seized by Emily Reng (The Most Beautiful Polish Woman in America 2024, then 2nd Runner-up Miss Polonia and Miss Universe Poland) and Dominika Żak (winner 2025, Miss Intercontinental Poland).
Apolonia Król became 1st Runner-up, and the title of 2nd Runner-up went to Savannah Gajda, who received a monetary certificate from PSFCU — a concrete gesture from an institution that has been investing in Polish-American youth for fifty years. The gala was co-hosted by Miss Polonia 2023 Ewa Jakubiec — a Pole from Słupice near Nysa, who after winning the crown in Poland represented the country at the Miss Earth and Miss International competitions in Japan and Vietnam. The special guest was the current Miss Polonia 2025, Maja Todd. The gala was co-organized by Igor Włodarczyk, creative producer of Miss Polonia, and the second host was Polish boxer from Chicago, Patrick “The Machine” Majewski.
A Competition That Builds Bridges
“The Most Beautiful Polish Woman in America” is not a typical beauty pageant. It is a mechanism that, since 2023 — thanks to a partnership with Miss Polonia — connects Polish-American stages in the USA and Poland into one system. The top three winners in Chicago automatically advance to the Miss Polonia final in Poland. This means that a girl who grew up in Chicago, Des Plaines, or New York can stand on the same stage as finalists from Warsaw, Krakow, and Gdańsk — and from there move on to international competitions.
The competition is organized by Sylwia Goliszek — a figure known to everyone in the Chicago Polish community. Since 2016, she has organized beauty pageants: Miss Polonia Illinois, Miss Polski USA, Miss Polish America, and for several years — The Most Beautiful Polish Woman in America. “We started with a blind date in Chicago,” says Goliszek. “Now our winners fly to Miss Universe.” This is no exaggeration — Emily Reng, the 2024 winner, indeed flew to Thailand as the Polish candidate for Miss Universe, and recently signed a contract with Ford Models modeling agency.
PSFCU — Fifty Years and a New Role
On the screen behind the finalists, there was a message that spoke more than a thousand words: “Main Sponsor — Polish & Slavic Federal Credit Union — 50th Anniversary 1976–2026.” This is the first time PSFCU has taken on the main patronage of The Most Beautiful Polish Woman in America gala — and it’s hard to imagine a better moment.
The Polish & Slavic Federal Credit Union, founded in 1976 in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, is today the largest ethnic credit union in the United States. Over 2.5 billion dollars in assets, twenty-four branches in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Illinois, over one hundred thousand members. For fifty years, PSFCU has been an institution that gave Poles in America what no American bank could: an account in Polish, credit based on trust, scholarships for children, and the feeling that someone understands where you come from.
Sponsoring the Miss gala is a new chapter in this story. PSFCU not only presented a monetary certificate to 2nd Runner-up Savannah Gajda — it showed that Polish-American financial institutions can support culture, identity, and the ambitions of the younger generation in a way that has real impact. A crown and a certificate on one stage — beauty and pragmatism, a dream and capital. This is Polish identity in America in 2026.
What’s Next
Karolina Lisztwan will fly to Poland for the Miss Polonia 2026 final. If history repeats itself — and previous winners from Chicago show that it can — Karolina has a chance for the Miss Polonia crown and a further path to international arenas. For a girl from Stary Sącz who came to America in her parents’ arms, this would be a full circle: from Poland to America, from America back to Poland — on stage, on her own terms, with a crown on her head.
To all participants, winners, organizers, and sponsors — heartfelt congratulations. And to PSFCU — a hundred years! The first fifty are behind you. The next fifty are ahead of you.
Editorial Staff, Voice of Polonia in the USA
The Most Beautiful Polish Woman in America 2026 | March 27, 2026, Des Plaines Theatre, Illinois | Organizer: Event Promotions USA (Sylwia Goliszek) | Partner: Miss Polonia | Main Sponsor: Polish & Slavic Federal Credit Union (50th Anniversary)
Results: The Most Beautiful Polish Woman in America: Karolina Lisztwan | 1st Runner-up: Apolonia Król | 2nd Runner-up: Savannah Gajda
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