The annual contest, now in its 11th edition, does not focus on the beauty, size or age of trees but on their history and connection to people.
The Polish oak, nicknamed Dunin and known as the "Guardian of the Białowieża Forest," is admired by local residents and tourists alike.
An inspiration for artists, it amazes onlookers all year round, during full vegetation but also when it is showing its leafless, mysteriously curved branches, according to a description online.
The European Tree of the Year contest is run by the Environmental Partnership Association. It is a consortium of six foundations from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia that aim to support community-based projects to protect the environment.
The winner is chosen every year in an online vote (www.treeoftheyear.org) lasting until the end of February.
The results of this year's contest will be announced at an awards ceremony on March 22.
In 2017, a Polish oak—nicknamed Józef (Joseph) and growing in the village of Wiśniowa in the southeast of the country—was voted European Tree of the Year.
(mk/gs)