The “Leggimontagna” Prize: submissions are now invited

Autumn is still far away, and the hope is that the 2020 edition of the Leggimontagna Prize will take place as usual. The event is organised by the Association of the CAI Sections of Carnia – Canal del Ferro – Val Canale (ASCA), and provides a great opportunity for encounters between all those who love writing and reading about the mountains. The UNESCO World Heritage Dolomites Special Prize has also been confirmed for this year.

Not just books

The literary section of the Leggimontagna Prize is divided into fiction, non-fiction and unpublished work. But there is also the “Cortomontagna” section for videos and cinematography. The basic theme of any work, whether written or filmed, must of course be the mountains. And, as the introduction to the Prize specifies, the aim must be to “interpret the essence of the mountain spirit by using language that can touch chords in the memory or fire up the imagination.”

Deadlines

Full details of how to take part in the competition are available on the website: www.leggimontagna.it. Works of fiction or non-fiction accompanied by an application form must be sent to the prize secretariat by 31 May 2020. Unpublished works, on the other hand, need to be submitted by 30 June. Finally, the deadline for submissions to the “Cortomontagna” section is 30 September 2020.

The UNESCO World Heritage Dolomites Special Prize

“Leggimontagna” is one of five events (one per “Dolomite” province) chosen by the UNESCO Dolomites Foundation for the award of Special Prizes. In each case, these prizes go to works or individuals that demonstrate the values promoted by UNESCO. At the 2019 edition of Leggimontagna, the prize was awarded to Alex Cittadella for his “Breve Storia delle Alpi tra Clima e Meteorologia” (A Brief History of the Alps in Climate and Weather, published by Club Alpino Italiano / Franco Angeli). The reasons given for the judges’ choice exemplify the spirit of the special prize: “We now have increasing evidence of the fact that the history of the Alps and the Alpine people is closely allied to changes in climate and weather patterns over the course of time. This book by Alex Cittadella aims to present us with a wide-ranging picture of the way that settlements, societies and customs have changed in an area that managed to maintain its distinctive cultural features for many centuries, using them to underpin every social, ethical and artistic construct”.