Article 1. The MATTADOR Cultural Association organises the 17th MATTADOR International Screenwriting Award dedicated to Matteo Caenazzo, a young talented artist from Trieste who passed away prematurely on 28th June 2009 while studying and working with the aim of embarking on a career as a screenwriter.
The Award aims at discovering and promoting young talents who choose to start a professional and artistic career in screenwriting. It is an invitation to write screenplays able to tell fascinating and moving stories in line with Matteo’s keen perception of the modern world, conveying the idea of ironic, synthetic and razor-sharp art which Matteo freely expressed in his lifestyle and artistic evolution.
Article 2. The MATTADOR SERIES Award is open to young Italian and foreign screenwriters, i.e. authors aged 16 and under 30 by 15th April 2026. In the case of works written by multiple authors, each authors must comply with the age restrictions.
Article 3. Each applicant may enter only one work for section. Only original and unpublished (i.e., never awarded or produced or published) entries made by up to three authors may be submitted. Under this regulation the theme is free.
Article 4. The TV series projects must be submitted with the following documents:
- a pitch of a maximum of 15 lines describing the theme of the story, the main narrative line and the series genre;
- a series subject of a length of between 8 and 12 pages, in which to tell the story, the main developments and narrative turns and the settings in which the characters move;
- a descriptIon of the main characters in a maximum of 2 pages.
These documents must be delivered in a single file in .pdf format (character 12, line-spacing 1,5).
WORKS SUBMITTED IN A DIFFERENT FORMAT WILL BE DISCARDED.
Article 5. Works shall be submitted in the Italian version and/or in the original version with a translation into Italian.
Article 6. Entries must be submitted exclusively online starting from 15 February 2026 via the dedicated platform https://iscrizioni.premiomattador.it/ following the instructions provided and consulting the FAQ file available online. Entries must be received by 15th April 2025.
A subscription fee of 30 Euros is required.
The digital file must only include the title of the work and must not mention the author. The digital work must be accompanied by a signed application form for acceptance, a copy of the ID card and proof of payment, in strict accordance with platform instructions. Registration fees are non-refundable.
NON-COMPLIANT APPLICATIONS WILL BE DISCARDED.
Article 7. By sending the Screenplay or the Story, the author accepts the Competition Rules. The Organising Committee and the MATTADOR Cultural Association disclaim all responsibility or cost deriving from the existence of copyrights owed to any third party. The copyrights of all the works submitted to the MATTADOR Award remain property of their authors. The authors authorise the organisers of the MATTADOR International Screenwriting Award to publish their works in a collection and/or a catalogue or book, on paper and/or online.
Article 8. The Competition will assign the MATTADOR SERIES Award for Best TV Series project. The finalists, awarded with a “Training Grant”, will be accompanied by professional screenwriters in developing their projects. At the end of the training course, the best development work will receive a prize of 1,000 euros (one thousand Euros)*.
Article 9. The Jury, made up of cinema professionals, artists and cultural operators, is entitled not to award a prize and/or to assign one or more special mentions. The Jury’s judgement is unquestionable. The winners will be contacted by telephone before the Award Ceremony.
Article 10. The MATTADOR Competition Award Ceremony will take place on Friday 17th July 2026 in Venice in the Sale Apollinee of the Teatro La Fenice.
The Organising Committee
*Subject to withholding tax under Article 30 of Presidential Decree DPR 29/9/73 n.600