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17-year-old Giacomo Bonato wins the Campiello Giovani prize

13 September 2025

3' min read

He is 17 years old, a fifth year high school student, and has won the competition with a historical tale featuring 16th century Venetian merchants. Giacomo Bonato is the winner of the 30th edition of the Campiello Giovani, the competition reserved for young people between 15 and 21 years of age organised by the Fondazione Il Campiello - Confindustria Veneto.

Bonato, from Arquà Petrarca (PD), won the prize with the short story "Verso Oriente" chosen by the Jury of Literati, chaired by Giorgio Zanchini, from the five short stories that made it to the finals. The winner was announced by Raffaele Boscaini, President of the Fondazione Il Campiello and Confindustria Veneto, and by Mariacristina Gribaudi, President of the Campiello Prize Management Committee.

The Jury's motivation states that 'The story reconstructs with rhythm and historical competence the mercantile life of Venice at the time of the Battle of Lepanto. The genre of the historical tale is dominated by the seventeen-year-old Bonato with great craftsmanship, and subtle references to current issues (the establishment of the Venetian ghetto, freedom of worship for Christians under the Ottomans, the influence of money - banks and loans - in the politics of war). The finale opens up to the theme of desire, always unfulfilled: the war, for which the merchant Zorzi supplied the Serenissima with timber for the galleys, allows him to approach, as he has always dreamed, Constantinople - but not to see it; for Bonato the literary evidence is not on the side of dreams, but of the fruitful life of his merchants in Venice, and of history"..

The other finalists in this edition of the Youth Contest were:Valeria Arieti, 19 years old from Tuscania (VT), with the short story "Le cose cadono"; Giacomo Masut, 18 years old from Martellago (VE), with the short story "Ferro e anima"; Chiara Miscali, 21 years old from Ardauli (OR), with the story "Fa male, il mare d'inverno"; andAurora Vannucci, 19 years old from Parma, with the story "Un posto nel mondo".

The winner was announced on Friday 12 September during the "Notes and Words" Proclamation Ceremony, during which the musical compositions that emerged from the collaboration between the young finalists and some of the students of the musical institute were presented, accompanied by performances by the Daghilev Dance School. The event, directed by Davide Stefanato, was presented by Federico Basso and Davide Paniate and also featured a musical contribution by Franco Mussida.

During the evening, Alice Pretto, National Vice-President of the Young Entrepreneurs of Confindustria, and Riccardo Fornasier, President of the Young Entrepreneurs of Confindustria Veneto, also awarded the special mention of the Gruppo Giovani di Confindustria for the best short story that dealt with the theme of business culture. The mention was awarded to Marina Ayman for the short story "The Fate of Life".

Also during the ceremony, Valentina Magnabosco, Head of the Retail Area Padua Division of Intesa Sanpaolo's Banca dei Territori Division, presented the special award for social and environmental sustainability, assigned by the Campiello Giovani Technical Committee, to the short story "Il pianto del piviere" by Francesco Maisto.

The winner of the Campiello Giovani will win a study trip to a European country, while all finalists will receive a book package.

The Campiello Giovani benefits from the collaboration of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Regional School Office for the Veneto Region, the Italian Championships of the Ministry of Education and Merit, and the network of Young Entrepreneurs of Confindustria, as well as from the constructive interest of numerous headmasters and teachers, who continue to enthusiastically support this showcase of young talent.