Awarded the Lubuska Nagroda Kulturalna

In 1958, Papusza was awarded the Lubuska Nagroda Kulturalna (Lubusz Cultural Award), a regional Polish cultural prize recognizing outstanding contributions to culture within the Lubusz region and beyond. This award came at a time when Papusza's personal circumstances had already deteriorated significantly following the backlash from her own Roma community over the 1953 publication of her work alongside Ficowski's revelations of Roma customs.

The recognition stands as testimony to the continuing esteem in which her poetry was held within Polish literary and cultural institutions, even as she herself lived in increasing isolation, poverty, and psychological distress, having been effectively cast out by many in the Roma community who viewed her cooperation with Ficowski as a betrayal. The award reflects the disconnect between her external literary reputation — celebrated by the Polish cultural establishment — and her lived reality of marginalization and hardship.

While the precise date of the award ceremony within 1958 is not documented in available sources, the award itself remains an important marker in tracing the arc of official recognition afforded to Papusza during her lifetime, distinguishing her as one of the few Roma cultural figures honored by Polish state and regional cultural bodies during the Communist era.