San Bernardino National Poetry Prize

A poetry prize in the heart of Sabina

The San Bernardino National Poetry Prize is one of the most deeply rooted and iconic cultural events in the Rieti Sabina region. Promoted by the Casa Sabina della Poesia Cultural Association, the competition has its epicenter in Stimigliano, a village in the province of Rieti, Lazio, and in 2026 it reached the milestone of its 25th edition. Every spring, poets from all over Italy submit their unpublished verses, and the May awards ceremony transforms the town's main square into an open-air literary salon.

The four competition categories

The prize is open-themed and divided into four categories: Category A for Italian language poetry, Category B for dialect and vernacular poetry, Category C for religious poetry, and Category D, the most original, dedicated to 'Train and Railway Poetry'. Each author may enter with a maximum of three unpublished poems, no longer than forty lines, submitted via email or post according to the annual call for entries.

Railway poetry and sustainable mobility

The railway section is the prize's distinctive feature: for about a decade, AEC Italia, the Italian section of the Association Européenne des Cheminots, has sponsored and supported the competition, which is included in the 'Spring of Sustainable Mobility' calendar promoted by the AMODO alliance. Verses dedicated to tracks, stations, and rail travel have made Stimigliano a small Italian capital of railway poetry, located in a territory crossed by the line connecting Rome to Orte along the Tiber Valley.

The ceremony in Piazza Leone Orsini

The awards ceremony is typically held on a Sunday afternoon in May at 4:30 PM in Piazza Leone Orsini, in the heart of the old town, in the presence of municipal authorities. The top three finishers in each category are awarded, along with special mentions and recognitions, while musical interludes accompany the reading of the winning compositions: in the 2025 edition, for example, the Bersaglieri fanfare performed.

Stimigliano, a balcony over the Tiber Valley

The village of Stimigliano, historically linked to the Orsini family who gave their name to the awards square, overlooks the lower Sabina area on the border between Lazio and Umbria. The prize is also an opportunity to discover the alleys of the historic center and a rural landscape of olive groves and hills, less than an hour from Rome. For the Municipality of Stimigliano and the Province of Rieti, the event represents a cultural stronghold that enhances both the Italian language and the Sabina dialectal memory.

How to participate

The call for entries is published at the beginning of the year: works must be submitted by early April via email in two separate attachments (anonymous texts and author details), or by post to the association's representative, Mario Grizi. The awards ceremony is open to the public and attracts poets, families, and enthusiasts from all over Central Italy every year.