Mondello International Literary Prize

Half a century of literature in Palermo

The Mondello International Literary Prize is one of Italy's most significant and historic literary awards. Founded in 1975 by a group of intellectuals from Palermo, it was born with a clear ambition: to give the city of Palermo, and by extension Sicily, an international literary competition capable of engaging with the great narrative traditions of Europe and the world. The name pays homage to the famous seaside village of Mondello, an elegant and luminous symbol of the Sicilian capital.

A prize promoted by Fondazione Sicilia

Since 2000, the prize has been promoted by Fondazione Sicilia, based in Palermo, which has revitalized its national prestige. Since 2012, the event has been organized in close collaboration with the Turin International Book Fair and the Circolo dei lettori Foundation, an alliance that has united the two great editorial and cultural capitals of Southern and Northern Italy.

The Prize sections

The Mondello organizes its recognition into several sections, making it a comprehensive observatory of contemporary literature:

• Italian Work Prize: three finalist authors selected by the Selection Committee, from whom the overall winner is then proclaimed;
• SuperMondello: the most coveted award, assigned to the winning Italian work thanks to the vote of a large jury of avid readers from bookstores across Italy;
• Mondello Giovani Prize: voted on by a jury of students from Sicilian secondary schools, who also award a prize for the best critical motivation;
• Foreign Author Prize: aimed at a major voice in international literature;
• Critical Work Prize and the Special Prizes from the jury and the president of the Foundation.

The ceremony at the Teatro Massimo

The heart of the event is the final award ceremony, hosted in the solemn setting of the Teatro Massimo in Palermo, the largest opera house in Italy. It is during this evening that the SuperMondello and the Mondello Giovani Prize are announced, in the presence of writers, publishers, critics, and an enthusiastic audience. Over the years, the prize has crowned some of the most relevant names in Italian and European fiction, consolidating Palermo's role as a cultural capital of the Mediterranean.

Palermo and the culture of books

The Mondello is not just a prize: it is an appointment that enlivens the cultural life of the province of Palermo and the entire Sicily region, involving bookstores, schools, and readers in a journey that lasts for months. The participation of hundreds of Sicilian students in the Mondello Giovani Prize jury also makes it a major project for promoting reading among new generations.