Adults can participate in the competition with an essay or other work in Italian or English on the theme ‘The Italian contribution to human progress’.
The essay is to be of a maximum 2000 words.
Participants can win a return flight to Rome or Sydney and monetary prizes.
A special youth division is also open for individuals aged 10 to 17 years of age, who can participate in the competition with one unpublished work in Italian or English, in the form of a short essay of a maximum 1000 words, or a work of poetry, fiction, drawing, photograph, composition of six photographs, comic strip or creative painting.
The Da Vinci Global Prize board have made some suggestions for essay topics in an online statement.
“Submissions now open!” the organisation said.
“Are you pondering on the topic of your essay?
“Italian inventions include newspapers, jeans, radio, banking, typewriters, motorways, nuclear reactors, stock exchanges ... just to name a few.”
The organisation also cited Guglielmo Marconi as having made the first step towards the invention of the radio in 1894, when he pressed a remote transmitter to make a bell ring.
Patented in 1896, the system was initially intended only for wireless telegraphy.
The first real radio came out a few years later.
Director of Learning at the Marco Polo Italian School of Sydney Marco Testa said “we look forward to your support of this great initiative for the promotion of Italian language and culture”.
“Please do not hesitate to publicise the initiative in your community through social media.”
Entries close on Saturday, August 31, 2019.
Refer to the CNA Italian Australian Services website for the complete competition rules.
