Strega Prize Ragazze e Ragazzi 2022

Lisa Lundmark, Nadia Terranova, Mara Cerri and Francesco D'Adamo are the winners of the seventh edition of the Premio Strega Ragazze e Ragazzi. The announcement of the winners and award ceremony, offered by Strega Alberti Benevento, took place this afternoon at Più Libri Più Liberi, the trade show dedicated to small and medium-sized publishers.

Lisa Lundmark with Jenny lo squalo, illustrated by Charlotte Ramel (La Nuova Frontiera Junior) for the 6+ category, i.e., readers aged 6 and 7, received 9 votes out of the total 11 (the illustrator collected the prize); Nadia Terranova and Mara Cerri with Il segreto (Mondadori Ragazzi) for the 8+ category, readers from 8 to 10 years, with 14 votes out of 33, and Francesco D'Adamo with Giuditta e l'orecchio del diavolo (Giunti Editore) for the 11+ category, readers aged 11 to 13, with 325 votes out a total 778, were the books receiving most votes among reader from the 153 plus schools, reading groups and libraries making up the jury in Italy and abroad (Munich, Offenbach am Main, Paris, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Vienna). 

The translation prize, offered by BolognaFiere, was awarded to Lucia Barni for her book Jenny lo squalo.

During the award ceremony, hosted by the writer and former winner of the Premio Strega Ragazze e Ragazzi, Alessandro Barbaglia, the finalist authors, illustrators and translators were joined by Fabio Del Giudice (Director of the Italian Publishers' Association), Giovanni Solimine (President of the Maria and Goffredo Bellonci Foundation), Angelo Piero Cappello (Director of the Centre for Books and Reading), Alberto Foschini (Past President of Strega Alberti Benevento and member of the Premio Strega Management Committee), Elena Pasoli (Exhibition Manager of the Bologna Children's Book Fair-BolognaFiere) and Simone Maci (Director, Centre West Region, BPER Banca).

For the second year running, the ceremony took place in the auditorium of the La Nuvola Congress Centre, attended by some 1,200 pupils, members of the juries from all over over Italy, namely Rivalta di Torino, Verbania, Piacenza, San Benedetto del Tronto, Florence, Rome and the surrounding area, Frosinone, Caserta, Potenza, Cosenza, Bari, and Lecce. It was a great success for an event that since its first edition has aimed to involve an increasing number of young readers.

During the meeting, Alessandro Barbaglia reminded the audience that two Strega Ragazze e Ragazzi 2022 Prizes had already been awarded: for the Best Debut book category, Miss Dicembre e il Clan di Luna by Antonia Murgo (Bompiani) and for the Best Picture Book category, Il Viaggio by Peter Van den Ende (Terre di mezzo). The winners of these two competition categories were chosen by the members of the Scientific Committee, chaired by Giovanni Solimine and made up of Marco Bartolomucci, Laura Bellacicco, Flavia Cristiano, Fabio Geda, Grazia Gotti, Maria Greco, Martino Negri, Elena Pasoli, Ilaria Tagliaferri, and Viriginia Tonfoni. The Committee also selects the finalist books in the 6+, 8+ and 11+ categories.

BPER Banca again this year awarded special prizes as part of the "La Banca che sa leggere" project, aimed to stimulate critical judgement and hence cultural growth among the younger generations. BPER awarded cash prizes for the best reading activities to the Scuola Città Pestalozzi of the Istituto Comprensivo Centro Storico Pestalozzi in Florence (6+ Category) and to the Scuola Primaria Europa Unita of the Istituto Comprensivo Tetti Francesi in Rivalta di Torino (8+ Category). The prize for the best critical review was awarded jointly to Daniel Dario Iafrate of the Istituto Comprensivo, via Padre Semeria, Rome and Matilde Matone of the Istituto Comprensivo Giovanni Falcone, Grottaferrata (11+ Category).

Thanks to the renewed collaboration with IBS.it La Feltrinelli, the Award's technical sponsor, each of the approximately 2000 young jurors received a 5-euro voucher towards the purchase of the books selected, while the schools involved received a copy of the finalist books to add to their school library.

The finalist books in the three competition categories are:

6+ Category

• David Almond, La Guerra è finita, translated by Giuseppe Iacobaci (Salani).
• Lisa Lundmark, Jenny lo squalo, illustrated by Charlotte Ramel, translated by Lucia Barni (La Nuova Frontiera Junior).
• Jane Riordan, Winnie Puh. C’era una volta un orsetto, translated by Giuseppe Iacobaci (Nord-Sud).

8+ Category

• Antonia Murgo, Miss dicembre e il Clan di luna (Bompiani).
• Rieke Patwardhan, La banda della zuppa di piselli. Il mistero della nonna, translated by Valentina Freschi (Emons Edizioni).
• Nadia Terranova and Mara Cerri, Il segreto (Mondadori Ragazzi).

11+ Category

• Francesco D’Adamo, Giuditta e l’orecchio del diavolo (Giunti Editore).
• Enne Koens, Sono Vincent e non ho paura, translated by Olga Amagliani (Camelozampa).
• Elle McNicoll, Una specie di scintilla, translated by Sante Bandirali (Uovonero).

Applications are now open for the eighth edition of the prize. Entry form are already available on the website :www.premiostrega.it/PSR for publishers wishing to propose their books, and schools wishing to join the 2023 jury.

The Premio Strega Ragazze e Ragazzi is promoted by the Maria and Goffredo Bellonci Foundation and Strega Alberti Benevento - organisers of the Premio Strega - with the Centro per il libro e la lettura and BolognaFiere-Bologna Children's Book Fair, in partnership with BPER Banca and IBS.it La Feltrinelli.