17th MATTADOR International Screenplay Award 2025/26 kicks off

Trieste – The 17th MATTADOR International Screenplay Award, dedicated to Matteo Caenazzo and aimed at young Italian and foreign authors aged 16 to 30, has opened.

The Award, devised and promoted by the MATTADOR Cultural Association, was created to discover and promote new talent in film writing. Over the years, it has become a real reference point in the film and audiovisual sector, with an increasing number of winners establishing themselves as professionals.

The sections and related prizes for the 2025/2026 Competition are:

● MATTADOR Prize for the best feature film screenplay: 5,000 euros.

● MATTADOR Prize for the best story: 1,500 euros. The top finalists for the best stories will receive a training grant and be tutored by professional screenwriters to help them develop their stories. At the conclusion of the training, the best developed story will be awarded 1,500 Euros

● MATTADOR Series award for the best TV-series project: 1,000 euros. The top finalists will receive a training grant, i.e., they will be tutored by professional scriptwriters to help them develop their projects. At the conclusion of the training, the best developed series receives a prize of 1,000 euros.

● DOLLY “Screenwriting with pictures” for best story portrayed through pictures. The winner will be awarded a training grant and be tutored by professionals in developing his/her story according to the original idea, leading to the preparation of a complete dossier for a feature or animated film project. At the conclusion of the training program, depending on the results achieved, an additional prize of 1,000 euros may be awarded.

● CORTO86 Award for the best short film screenplay. The winner will receive a training grant and will produce a short film based on the screenplay. He/She will be tutored by professionals throughout the pre-production, shooting, and post-production phases of the short film, which he or she may also direct.