Despite the continued disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic, the society facilitated numerous virtual initiatives, including webinars focused on topics that attracted interest from an increasingly varied and ever-growing audience.

The Tommaso Favino Literary Competition is funded by Dr Alessandra Pucci, in memory of her brother, a kind-hearted person who died prematurely.

Two themes were assigned to this year’s competition: one on Dante Alighieri, to commemorate the 700th anniversary of his death, and another on the impact of social media.

Entrants produced works of considerable depth, making the jury’s job so difficult that, ultimately, additional prize-winners were named.

The president of the Dante Alighieri Society in Sydney, Fabio Carosone, presented the prizes and the jury’s justification to entrants.

First prize went to Jacqueline Michalopoulos from the University of Sydney.

Her essay highlighted Dante’s relevance to today’s society and applied philological, sociological, political, religious and literary analysis to the following verse: “Fatti non foste a viver come bruti, ma per seguire virtute e canoscenza”.

The verse summarises what the meaning of life should be, namely: a journey of knowledge.

The jury had no qualms about awarding first prize to Michalopoulos’ comprehensive essay.

Second prize was split between two entrants: Jessica Rupolo, from Loreto Kirribilli, and Mia Angeloni, from St Scholastica’s College.

Both Rupolo and Angeloni chose the theme of social media and each essay presented interesting introspective, psychological and sociological analyses of the impact of various platforms.  

Each essay discussed the unique issues females face on social media platforms, including diminished self-esteem and body confidence, and subtly outlined the main reasons young people share photos, personal thoughts, family moments, emotions and experiences online.

One of the main problems identified in each essay was the pressure faced by women and girls to present a “façade” on social media, one that does not show the full extent of an individual’s life, merely positive or staged moments.

Third prize was also split equally, and went to Alex Morris and Akshay Prasan, who both attend Sydney Grammar School.

Morris and Prasan’s essays highlighted their relationships with social media, referencing the self-restraint and responsibility required to prevent an individual from developing an addiction to various platforms.

While both entrants understood the necessity of a “virtual world” for social, or professional purposes, they posited the need for balance between the online and physical landscapes, suggesting that critical, constructive and balanced judgement was necessary to maintain more “real” and direct personal relationships.

A participation prize was awarded to Nicola Toutis, who attends the Secondary College of Languages at Strathfield Girls High School, for a commendable essay.

The winning essays have been published on the Dante Alighieri Society’s website.