Here are the Finalist Shortlists for the Fifth Campiello Junior Awards
On 4 December 2025, at the Pirelli Headquarters in Milano Bicocca, the two finalist shortlists of the fifth edition of the Campiello Junior award were selected. The literary prize, created through a collaboration between Fondazione Il Campiello, the Pirelli Foundation and Pirelli, celebrates works of Italian fiction and poetry written for children aged 7 to 10 and young readers aged 11 to 14.
The selection of the finalist works was entrusted to the expert jury, chaired by Pino Boero, a distinguished former professor of Children’s Literature and the Pedagogy of Reading. The members were Chiara Lagani, an actress and playwright; Michela Possamai, a lecturer at IUSVE University in Venice and former member of the Campiello Giovani Technical Committee; Emma Beseghi, former professor of Children’s Literature at the University of Bologna; and Lea Martina Forti Grazzini, an author and screenwriter for Rai radio and television.
After carefully reviewing nearly a hundred submissions, the three finalists for the 7–10 age group are: Album per pensare e non pensare by Mariangela Gualtieri (published by Bompiani), Il seminatore di storie e alti strani mestieri by Michela Guidi (published by Giangiacomo Feltrinelli editore) e Un fratellino. Storia di Nanni e Mario di Rosella Postorino (published by Adriano Salani editore).
For the 11–14 category, the three contenders for the prize will be: Il talento della rondine by Matteo Bussola (published by Adriano Salani editore), Segui la tigre by Luisa Mattia (published by Piemme) e Adelmo che voleva diventare Settimo by Daniele Mencarelli (published by Mondadori).
The event, hosted by Giancarlo Leone, also featured contributions from Antonio Calabrò, Director of the Pirelli Foundation, and Stefania Zuccolotto, member of the Premio Campiello management committee.
The baton now passes to the 240 young readers of the Popular Jury. They will be able to read the shortlisted books and vote for their favourite, helping to determine the winners. The final announcement will be made at the Teatro Comunale in Vicenza on Thursday 16 April 2026. To attend the event click here.
Thanks to the partnership between Campiello Junior and the Turin International Book Fair, young visitors to the 2026 edition will also have the opportunity to meet both winners.
For all the latest on all Campiello Junior activities, visit www.fondazionepirelli.org or follow the social media channels of the Pirelli Foundation and Premio Campiello.
On 4 December 2025, at the Pirelli Headquarters in Milano Bicocca, the two finalist shortlists of the fifth edition of the Campiello Junior award were selected. The literary prize, created through a collaboration between Fondazione Il Campiello, the Pirelli Foundation and Pirelli, celebrates works of Italian fiction and poetry written for children aged 7 to 10 and young readers aged 11 to 14.
The selection of the finalist works was entrusted to the expert jury, chaired by Pino Boero, a distinguished former professor of Children’s Literature and the Pedagogy of Reading. The members were Chiara Lagani, an actress and playwright; Michela Possamai, a lecturer at IUSVE University in Venice and former member of the Campiello Giovani Technical Committee; Emma Beseghi, former professor of Children’s Literature at the University of Bologna; and Lea Martina Forti Grazzini, an author and screenwriter for Rai radio and television.
After carefully reviewing nearly a hundred submissions, the three finalists for the 7–10 age group are: Album per pensare e non pensare by Mariangela Gualtieri (published by Bompiani), Il seminatore di storie e alti strani mestieri by Michela Guidi (published by Giangiacomo Feltrinelli editore) e Un fratellino. Storia di Nanni e Mario di Rosella Postorino (published by Adriano Salani editore).
For the 11–14 category, the three contenders for the prize will be: Il talento della rondine by Matteo Bussola (published by Adriano Salani editore), Segui la tigre by Luisa Mattia (published by Piemme) e Adelmo che voleva diventare Settimo by Daniele Mencarelli (published by Mondadori).
The event, hosted by Giancarlo Leone, also featured contributions from Antonio Calabrò, Director of the Pirelli Foundation, and Stefania Zuccolotto, member of the Premio Campiello management committee.
The baton now passes to the 240 young readers of the Popular Jury. They will be able to read the shortlisted books and vote for their favourite, helping to determine the winners. The final announcement will be made at the Teatro Comunale in Vicenza on Thursday 16 April 2026. To attend the event click here.
Thanks to the partnership between Campiello Junior and the Turin International Book Fair, young visitors to the 2026 edition will also have the opportunity to meet both winners.
For all the latest on all Campiello Junior activities, visit www.fondazionepirelli.org or follow the social media channels of the Pirelli Foundation and Premio Campiello.