CALL FOR ENTRIES
FOR THE INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
ERNESTA BESSO OF VENICE AWARD
Rome, june 15, 2026
The Ernesta Besso Foundation of Venice announces the second edition of the annual international award of the same name, to be awarded through a competition.
The award is intended for an unpublished master’s or doctoral thesis that, based on original research, explores themes related to women’s history and gender studies spanning periods from antiquity to the contemporary era, with specific focus on phases of evolution, moments of intellectual innovation, and turning points - particularly in relations with civil society and the state.
The award, which consists of the publication of a monograph by FrancoAngeli in the Foundation’s “La Biblioteca di Ernesta” series, aims in particular to promote innovative research by young scholars.
The award will be presented in Rome, at the headquarters of the
Ernesta Besso Foundation of Venice
located at Largo di Torre Argentina 11 - Rome
on a date to be communicated to the winner in due course.
Monographs may explore themes related to women’s history and gender studies across a variety of fields: the history of education, the history of law, art history, literary history, and music history, covering a global geopolitical scope.
Competition regulations
1. The text may be written in Italian, English, French, German, Spanish.
2. Each contestant, who must be a scholar not affiliated with any university, must submit a copy of the text in PDF format electronically to the email address convegni.ernesta.besso@gmail.com by October 31, 2026, and may submit only one work.
3. Each entrant must attach to the text a curriculum vitae and an application form specifying their first and
ast name, date of birth, citizenship, mailing address, and an email address for all communications.
4. The evaluation of the works submitted in accordance with the regulations and the corresponding ranking will be determined by the Jury of the “Ernesta Besso Prize,” which will decide collectively on the awarding of the prize.
5. The winner must be present in person at the award ceremony, which will be held as part of a public presentation following a seminar focused on the winning monograph.
6. The Ernesta Besso Foundation, represented by its president, Dr. Caterina De Mata, has the authority to award an additional honor, the “President’s Special Mention,” conferred upon a thesis selected at the President’s discretion, after consultation with the Foundation’s Scientific Board. The recipient of this honor will also be publicly recognized during the award ceremony.
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7. If, in addition to the works that win the Ernesta Besso Prize and the President’s Special Mention, respectively, other entries are deemed particularly deserving, the Jury may highlight them and request that they be automatically included among the nominees for next year’s edition of the prize. These works will be awarded a “Jury’s Special Mention.”
The Chair of the Jury
Prof. Marina Caffiero
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Information: on the website www.fondazioneernestabesso.org
Secretariat and contacts: Arianna Mele