Italy Writes 2023 Announces Winners of Creative Writing Contest

On May 31, at the online award ceremony, Writer in Residence Susan Bradley Smith joined finalists, their teachers, family and friends as Professor Tara Keenan-Thomson announced the winners of the Italy Writes 2023 Creative Writing Competition.

Since 2011, JCU’s Italy Writes Competition has been promoting the discovery of creative voices in Italian high school students whose primary language of study is not English. This year, 101 submissions were received from students representing 10 high schools in Rome, Pomezia, and Venice.

Special thanks go to historic external member of the panel of judges, Professor Hugh Ferrer, Associate Director of the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program and his team for their contribution to the resources for teachers and students. To provide students with the opportunity to earn PCTO certification (Percorsi per le Competenze Trasversali e per l’Orientamento), the Italy Writes program made available to teachers a variety of resources to use as supplements to their own creative writing workshops with students. In addition to those provided by JCU’s Writing Center, resources for teachers included recorded craft talks on specific aspects of Creative Writing from the world-famous University of Iowa’s International Writing Program.

Non-Fiction

• 1st Place (€300 gift certificate) to Denise Messina, 3rd year, Liceo Classico Linguistico “Immanuel Kant” in Rome (Prof. Gina Reale) for Madness
• 2nd Place (€200 gift certificate) to Elena Sofia Battisti, 3rd year, Liceo Classico/Linguistico Statale Tito Lucrezio Caro, Rome (Prof. Serena Strianese) for The Start
• 3rd Place (€100 gift certificate) to Mariia Komohortseva, 5th year, Liceo Classico/Linguistico Statale Tito Lucrezio Caro, Rome (Prof. Serena Strianese) for War Through the Eyes of a Teenager

Fiction

• 1st Place (€300 gift certificate) to Thi Thuc Matilde Rosci, 5th year, IIS Blaise Pascal, Pomezia (Prof. Giorgia Proietti) for The Girl from The Yellow House
• 2nd Place (€200 gift certificate) to Caterina Verdecchia, 5th year, Liceo Ginnasio Statale “Dante Alighieri”, Rome (Prof. Carla Mummolo) for Jivica
• 3rd Place (€100 gift certificate) to Francesca Di Chiara, 4th year, Liceo Classico Linguistico “Immanuel Kant” in Rome (Prof. Valentina Popa) forThe Last Inheritance

Congratulations to all the winners and the many students and teachers across Italy who participate in Italy Writes each year!