Highlight
25 Novembre 2025
The new call for entries dedicated to young authors, aimed at promoting Italian fiction and encouraging its encounter with cinema, will be launched on 24 November.
A project by Regione Piemonte, Fondazione Circolo dei lettori and Film Commission Torino Piemonte.
The first edition of the “Premio Match Piemonte. Dal libro allo schermo” was presented during the official press conference at the Circolo dei lettori e delle lettrici - promoted by Regione Piemonte in collaboration with Fondazione Circolo dei lettori and Film Commission Torino Piemonte.
This innovative project aims to build a bridge between contemporary fiction and audiovisual production, promoting young authors and the Piedmont region through new opportunities for film adaptations.
An award that is also an investment in the future
The Match Piemonte Award is not just a literary competition: it is a strategic choice. It is a concrete investment in the younger generation, in their ability to imagine, innovate and tell stories about the world. Piedmont, with its strong cultural tradition and constantly growing audiovisual sector, has chosen to become a fertile laboratory for young talent, offering them the chance to transform a novel into a real film project and to engage with producers, creatives and professionals in the sector.
The objective is clear: to transform ideas into opportunities, creativity into work, stories into new productions that speak about Piemonte and from Piemonte.
An initiative designed for young talent and the cultural value of Piemonte
The Award, aimed at authors under 50, will select a work of fiction published between January 2023 and January 2026 with strong potential for film adaptation set in Piemonte.
The project aims to support stories that can be transformed into images and to create a dialogue between literature and cinema, while strengthening the promotion of the region's cultural heritage, landscape and identity.
The winning title will be presented to an audience of film and television producers and will give rise to a “pilot-teaser” short film, with a maximum budget of €60,000, aimed at showcasing its potential for development into a feature film or TV series.
There will also be a €3,000 prize for the author of the selected work.
How to participate
Participation is free and reserved for Italian publishers, who may submit up to two works.
All types of novels are eligible - including graphic novels and short story collections - provided they are written by authors under 50 and set in or realistically adaptable to the Piedmont region.
Entries must be sent by 12:00 PM on 30 January 2026 to premiomatch@circololettori.it, attaching the Application Form and the book in PDF format or three hard copies.
Rights, options and purposes
As provided for in the regulation, the winning novel grants the promoting entities a free eight-month option for the production of the short film.
The rights to any future adaptations remain entirely with the author and publisher, who may negotiate independently with any interested producers.
Regione Piemonte will acquire ownership of the economic rights to the short film, granting the author and publisher a free, non-exclusive licence for promotional purposes.
The Jury
The evaluation of the works will be entrusted to a jury composed of professionals from the cultural and audiovisual world:
- Giulio Base – Director
- Linda Messerklinger – Actress
- Danilo Poggio – Journalist
- Raffaella Tittone – Direttrice Settore Cultura, Turismo, Sport e Commercio della Regione Piemonte
- Alfonso Papa – Film Commission Torino Piemonte
- Elena Loewenthal – Writer, translator and president of the jury
Timeline
- 24 November 2025 – Call for entries opens
- 30 January 2026, 12:00 PM – Closing date for applications
- February–March 2026 – Jury deliberations
- 15 April 2026 – Award ceremony with publishers and producers
Statements:
Marina Chiarelli, Councillor for Culture of Regione Piemonte:
«With the Match Piemonte Award, we want to send a clear message: our region believes in young people, invests in their talents and supports the cultural sector in all its forms. This project brings together two worlds that have deep roots in Piemonte – literature and cinema – creating a concrete opportunity for professional growth and the promotion of the region's narrative and landscape heritage. We want new stories to come to life here, and from here to reach the big screen».
Beatrice Borgia, president of Film Commission Torino Piemonte:
«We are delighted to be part of a project that invests in the film and audiovisual industry, an increasingly strategic sector for our region. Over the years, we have seen growth in both the quantity and quality of productions, and we believe that this award, by promoting concrete dialogue between the publishing and film worlds, will stimulate new projects capable of showcasing talent and original stories. As a Film Commission, we are ready to welcome them and support them on their journey».
Giulio Biino, president of Fondazione Circolo dei lettori:
«The Match Piemonte award, organised by Regione Piemonte, is conceived and organised in collaboration with Circolo dei lettori and Film Commission Torino Piemonte. The Fondazione ‘Circolo dei lettori’ confirms its vocation as a cultural producer (and not just a promoter and disseminator).
The Match Piemonte award is a fertile cross-pollination between literature and cinema, a dialogue between words and images aimed primarily at young people to stimulate their creativity.
It is an original initiative that we expect to arouse interest and see high-quality and significant participation. It is an innovative way to promote our region and enhance its artistic, historical, environmental and landscape profiles».
Lena Loewenthal, president of the Match Award Jury:
«A literary award that looks to the seventh art. An award that turns Piemonte into an extraordinary open-air theatre. This and much more is Match: a new and unique project in the Italian cultural landscape. An award that is not simply a celebration of a work but a real, great laboratory of art and culture, capable of intertwining genres, experiences and adventures».
