The second edition of the Magis Bancomat Prize for Italian fiction has been presented

The second edition of the Magis Bancomat Award is underway, created on the initiative of Foundation 153with the participation of Bancomat as main sponsor and the support of the Silvano Toti Foundation. Aimed at celebrating Italian literature while promoting solidarity projects selected with the utmost care and attention, the award is divided into two sections: Magis Bancomat Letteratura, for established authors, and Magis BANCOMAT Esordienti.

The jury and humanitarian organizations

A high profile jury, chaired by Marco Lodoliwill be involved in choosing the most deserving works. It includes Giulia Caminito, Andrea Carraro, Carlo D’Amicis, Mario Desiati, Donatella Di Cesare, Angelo Ferracuti, Maria Ida Gaeta, Filippo La Porta, Carlo Lucarelli, Annamaria Malato, Sebastiano Nata, Valeria Parrella, Sandra Petrignani, Roberto Saviano, Gianluigi Simonetti, Antonio Spadaro, Elena Stancanelli, Emanuele Trevi and Sandro Veronesi. Published works of Italian fiction are eligible to compete between 1 August 2025 and 31 July 2026. Publishing houses can nominate up to two works, one per section; Jury members can also recommend titles deemed worthy. As for the humanitarian organizations that will benefit from the donations, for 2026 the Avsi Foundation joins the group of entities already involved, made up of Banco Alimentare, Busajo, Caritas, Progetto Rwanda and Save the Children.

The reward mechanism

The aspect of solidarity makes this literary recognition unique, which this year leads to 300.000 euro the contribution intended for humanitarian organizations involved in projects against hunger and in support of female education and entrepreneurship. The winner of the Magis Bancomat Letteratura will receive a prize of 10,000 euros and will help distribute 180,000 between Avsi, Busajo, Caritas, Progetto Rwanda and Save The Children: each organization will receive 30,000 euros, while the one indicated by the author of the victorious work will be awarded another 30,000. The winner of the Beginners section will receive a prize of 4,000 euros and the task of assigning 120,000 euros to the three pre-selected projects of the Food Bank, allocating 30,000 to one in particular.

The voices

On the occasion of the presentation at the Horti Sallustiani in Rome, the creator of the award and president of the Steering Committee Sebastiano Nata underlined the depth of the link between writing and social commitment: “The work of the writer and that of those who work in the humanitarian field, although different, share the need for time, creativity and attention. Every book and every person helped to achieve autonomy and freedom are the result of care and responsibility. This is why our manifesto phrase ‘telling the world, making it a better place’, although ambitious, faithfully represents the spirit that guides us” “This second year of the award confirms the desire to build a stable appointment with narrative Italian, which for us means giving shape to values in which we recognize ourselves”, declared the president of Bancomat Franco Dalla Sega. For the president of the jury Marco Lodoli, “by combining the search for the best book with the possibility of concretely supporting social projects, this award represents an important journey: imagination takes us far, solidarity makes us stay close to those in need”. The president of Più Libri Più Liberi and member of the jury Annamaria Malato he recalled the role of the Roman event, which on 5 December will host the final evening of the award, fully sharing its inspiration from the beginning, “capable of combining the valorization of the best literature with the concrete and supportive gesture, unique in its dimensions in Italy”. Finally, the writer Giulia Caminito underlined how: “the stimulating climate of discussion between male and female writers that characterizes the jury’s work always leads it to choose books of great strength and qualitative depth”. For detailed information and regulations, you can consult the award website.