Literary Contest in 3 Words
Literary Contest in 3 Words has reached its 14th Edition. It continues to grow year after year, and along with it, so have the participants, the prizes, and the partners who collaborate with us to make it bigger and better than ever.
Because growth isn’t just a matter of time! The words for this edition are Roots, Secrets and Bonds and the deadline for submitting short stories is February 16, 2027.
Contest Rules
An annual literary contest open to all primary, middle, and high school students across Italy. The topic of the submission, designed to give free rein to the imagination of every age group, must center on at least one of the three words chosen for this edition: Roots, Secrets, Bonds (e.g., Secrets), rather than SIMPLY INCLUDING ALL THREE WORDS. Submissions must not exceed 6 standard pages (a document consisting of 180 lines of text, totaling approximately 10,800 to 12,000 characters including spaces).
Participation is open to individual students only, with a limit of one entry per person. The use of AI is strictly prohibited. Submissions must be uploaded/sent no later than February 16, 2027, via the following method:
– Through our website on the Contest page
– Submit Files in one of the following formats: editable PDF, DOCX, DOC, RTF, TXT, or ODT (for the story) and PDF, JPG, or PNG (for the form); it must include:
– the entry, which must display the author’s first name, last name, school, and current grade/class;
– the registration form (also downloadable from the Lucrezia Tangorra Foundation website on the Contest page), which must be fully completed and signed by a parent or legal guardian (if the applicant is a minor).
Incomplete or non-compliant materials will not be considered.
For the formatting of the Anthology, submissions must be provided in an editable format. The Jury, composed of five members appointed by the Board of the Lucrezia Tangorra E.T.S. Foundation, will evaluate all entries received within the established deadline and select the winners for each category. The top 30 works in each category will be collected in an anthology volume, which will be sold for charity. All proceeds from sales will be used to fund the best school project submitted to the Lucrezia Tangorra E.T.S. Foundation. Authors of the works selected by the Jury agree to authorize their publication in the prize’s commemorative anthology, as well as on the websites owned by the Lucrezia Tangorra E.T.S. Foundation.
FAQs
This FAQ section will help clear up any questions you may have regarding the Litery Contest in 3 Words and its rules.
Il concorso è riservato soltanto alle scuole?
No, the competition is reserved for students.
If my school decides not to participate, can I still do so?
Absolutely.
Can entries be submitted individually, as a pair, or in a group?
We only accept submissions by individual participants.
Can the same student submit multiple entries?
No, only one entry per participant is accepted.
Can the composition be of any type? Poetry, prose, diary, letter, personal story?
Yes. Excluding drawings, comics, and multimedia works (video, music…), any written piece is accepted.
Can the entry be written on a topic of choice?
No. It must be developed around at least one of the three words specified in the guidelines. You can also write about two or even all three of the competition words. Each year, the words change and are voted on by you through a survey published on our website.
How long should the story be?
As a general guide, it should have a maximum length of 6 pages (180 lines of text, totaling around 12,000 characters including spaces). However, we have never strictly counted characters—this limit is simply to prevent us from receiving excessively long stories.
Do I need to use a specific font, size, or line spacing?
Any standard font is fine (e.g., Arial, Verdana, Times New Roman…). As for font size, we recommend a point size between 10 pt and 12 pt, with single line spacing.
Perché è obbligatorio compilare il modulo d’iscrizione in ogni sua parte?
It is required because the information is necessary to verify the participant’s age, school, and competition category. Furthermore, signing the form implies acceptance of the contest rules, and for minors, parental authorization is mandatory.
Can a single registration form be submitted for multiple participants?
No, as participation in the contest is strictly individual.
Why do we need your email address and phone number?
In the event of winning or publication, we need to contact the participants. Additionally, we include the school name, class, and city in the book. In any case, your data will only be used for communications related to events associated with the “Literary Contest in 3 Words,” in full compliance with EU Regulation 2016/679 (GDPR).
I don’t have a scanner, how can I send the completed form?
Fill out the form and take a photo of it with your smartphone, or edit/write directly on the PDF.