RULES OF THE “MICHELE LEONI” INTERNATIONAL LITERARY PRIZE
WORDS KNOW NO BORDERS
Promoted and organised by HEFRA APS
Prize President:
Hebe Muñoz
Poet, Writer, Translator, Cultural Promoter, President of HEFRA APS
Jury President:
Francesco Nigri
Poet, Writer, Essayist, Cultural Promoter, Member of the HEFRA APS Board of Directors
Institutional Secretary of the Prize:
Enza Spagnolo
Poet, Writer, Literary Critic, Editorial Curator, Member of the HEFRA APS Board of Directors
OFFICIAL RULES – 2026/2027 EDITION
Art. 1 – Establishment and Objectives
HEFRA APS establishes the “Michele Leoni” International Literary Prize, dedicated to the poet, man of letters and translator born in Borgo San Donnino, now Fidenza, in 1776.
Michele Leoni, who contributed to the knowledge and dissemination of European literature in Italy, represents the historical and cultural inspiration behind the Prize.
The motto “Words Know No Borders” expresses its mission: to recognise poetry as a form of expression capable of transcending languages, cultures, generations, social differences and silences.
The Prize aims to promote poetic creation, recognise Italian and international authors, encourage younger generations, and foster the appreciation and dissemination of high-quality literary works.
Art. 2 – Prize Categories
The Prize is divided into five categories.
CATEGORY A – UNPUBLISHED POETRY IN ITALIAN
Original poems written in Italian that have never been published in printed or digital books bearing an ISBN are eligible.
CATEGORY B – PUBLISHED POETRY IN ITALIAN
Poems written in Italian that have already been published in printed or digital books bearing an ISBN are eligible.
CATEGORY C – UNPUBLISHED POETRY IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE
Original poems written in a language other than Italian that have never been published in printed or digital books bearing an ISBN are eligible.
Each poem must be accompanied by an Italian translation.
CATEGORY D – PUBLISHED POETRY IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE
Poems written in a language other than Italian that have already been published in printed or digital books bearing an ISBN are eligible.
Each poem must be accompanied by an Italian translation.
CATEGORY E – UNPUBLISHED POETRY COLLECTION IN ITALIAN
Original poetry collections written in Italian, consisting of exactly 25 poems (no more and no fewer), are eligible.
The collection must be unpublished, must not have appeared in a printed or digital book bearing an ISBN, and must not be subject to publishing agreements that would prevent its publication.
Poetry collections may freely adopt different poetic forms and styles.
The prize for Category E will consist of the publication of the winning collection, arranged by HEFRA APS.
For the purposes of these Rules, publication on websites, blogs, social networks or platforms without an ISBN does not, in itself, mean that a poem is considered published.
For Category E, the submitted collection must be unpublished as a complete, coherent work and free from publishing restrictions incompatible with the publication envisaged by the Prize.
Art. 3 – Eligibility Requirements
The Prize is open to Italian and international authors who are at least 18 years old.
For Categories A, B, C and D, each author may submit a maximum of three poems per category.
For Category E, each author may submit only one poetry collection consisting of 25 poems.
Participation in multiple categories is permitted, subject to payment of the corresponding entry fee for each category.
All submitted works must be the result of the author’s own creative efforts. Works generated using artificial intelligence systems are not permitted and will result in disqualification from the Prize.
Art. 4 – Registration and Submission of Works
Entries must be submitted exclusively by email to:
premioleoni@hefra.it
The email subject line must state:
Michele Leoni Prize – First Name and Surname – Category/Categories Entered
The following documents must be attached:
- Official Participation Form, completed and signed.
- Two PDF files, each containing the submitted poems or poetry collection: one file identifying the author by first name and surname, and one file without any identifying information.
- For works written in a foreign language, both files must contain the original text and its Italian translation.
- For published poems, the Participation Form must specify the book title, publisher, year of publication and relevant ISBN for the submitted works.
- A short biographical note about the author.
- Proof of payment of the entry fee.
For Category E, the PDF files must include the title of the poetry collection, the table of contents and the complete text of the collection. One file must identify the author by first name and surname, while the other must contain no identifying information.
The Participation Form forms an integral part of these Rules.
Art. 5 – Submission Deadline
All works and required documentation must be submitted no later than:
31 DECEMBER 2026
The date and time at which the email is sent will be considered authoritative.
Art. 6 – Entry Fees
Entry fees are established as follows:
Categories A, B, C and D
- Standard entry fee: €20.00 per category.
- Young authors aged 18 to 25 inclusive: €10.00 per category.
Category E – Unpublished Poetry Collection
- Standard entry fee: €30.00.
- Young authors aged 18 to 25 inclusive: €20.00.
Eligibility for the reduced fee for young authors will be determined according to the participant’s age on the closing date, 31 December 2026.
The entry fee for each category covers participation with the maximum permitted number of works.
Entry fees constitute contributions towards the organisational and cultural activities of the Prize and are non-refundable, except in the event that HEFRA APS cancels the Prize.
Entry fees must be paid by bank transfer using the following details:
- IBAN: IT10 J0200 865 732 000 10734 4770
- BIC/SWIFT: UNCRITM1BB6
- Account Holder: HEFRA APS
- Payment Reference: Partecipazione Premio “Leoni” + First Name and Surname + Category/Categories
- Amount: Total fee corresponding to the selected category or categories.
Art. 7 – Jury
The submitted works will be evaluated by a Jury appointed by HEFRA APS, consisting of distinguished figures from the fields of poetry, literature, publishing and culture.
The Jury will operate independently, in accordance with the principles of impartiality, independence and high-quality evaluation.
Particular consideration will be given to:
- Poetic quality and originality of expression.
- Linguistic and stylistic exploration.
- Intensity and authenticity of the poetic voice.
- Consistency between form and content.
- The work’s ability to stimulate reflection and emotional engagement.
For Category E, additional consideration will be given to the unity of the collection, the coherence of the poetic project, the overall quality of the poems and the maturity of the editorial proposal.
Jury members must refrain from evaluating works where a conflict of interest exists.
The names of the Jury members will be announced after the evaluation process has been completed, in order to preserve the impartiality of the assessments.
The Jury’s decisions are final and cannot be appealed.
Art. 8 – Rankings and Awards
For each of Categories A, B, C and D, the following rankings will be established:
- First Place
- Second Place
- Third Place
For Category E, one Winning Poetry Collection will be selected and awarded the publication prize.
The Jury may also recognise other particularly deserving poetry collections.
The following special awards are also established:
SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
Awarded to a work distinguished by exceptional poetic merit, originality or expressive intensity.
HEFRA PRIZE – WORDS KNOW NO BORDERS
A special award reflecting the identity of the Prize, presented to a work that meaningfully expresses poetry’s ability to transcend languages, cultures, generations, social differences and silences.
The Jury may also grant Special Mentions.
These special awards may also be presented to authors who have already received awards in their respective categories.
Art. 9 – Prizes
For Categories A, B, C and D:
- First-place winners will receive specially produced Official Prize Plaques.
- Second- and third-place winners will receive specially produced Certificates of Recognition.
The winners of the Special Jury Prize and the HEFRA Prize “Words Know No Borders” will receive specially produced Official Plaques.
Any Special Mentions will be accompanied by specially produced Certificates.
For Category E, the prize will consist of publication of the winning poetry collection, under the conditions set out in the following article.
Prizes cannot be exchanged for cash.
Each work awarded a place in the top three, together with the special prize-winning works and the winning poetry collection, will be reviewed by a Literary Critic on the blog www.kosmikos.info and on social media channels, with the content indexed and positioned on Google.
Art. 10 – Publication Prize for Category E
The winning poetry collection in Category E will be published as a book under the supervision of HEFRA APS.
Publication will include:
- Assignment of an ISBN.
- Editorial review and proofreading, agreed upon with the author.
- Professional typesetting and layout.
- Cover design.
- Publication in printed format.
- A reference to the “Michele Leoni” International Literary Prize as an award received by the work.
Publication will not require any mandatory financial contribution from the winning author, nor will the author be required to purchase copies.
The editorial production costs covered by the Prize will be borne by the Organisation or its publishing partner.
The author will retain authorship of the work.
Conditions relating to publishing rights, the duration of the agreement, distribution and any royalties will be established in a separate written publishing agreement, which will be submitted to the author before publication.
The author will receive ten complimentary copies, and a further three copies will be sent to the National Libraries.
The publishing agreement must be compatible with the free-of-charge nature of the publication prize for the winner.
Publication will take place within six months of the Awards Ceremony, except in cases of documented force majeure or delays agreed upon with the author.
If publication cannot take place for reasons attributable to HEFRA APS or the selected publisher, HEFRA APS undertakes to seek an equivalent alternative publishing solution, without mandatory costs for the winner.
Art. 11 – Awards Ceremony
The Official Awards Ceremony will take place on Saturday, 13 March 2027, at 5:00 PM, in the Sala del Ridotto of the “Girolamo Magnani” Theatre in Fidenza (Parma, Italy).
The exact date, time and venue will be announced subsequently by HEFRA APS.
The Ceremony will be a public event dedicated to poetry and intercultural dialogue, attended by award-winning authors, Jury members and invited guests.
Readings of the winning works and activities exploring the life and work of Michele Leoni may also be organised.
Art. 12 – Mandatory Attendance at the Awards Ceremony
The personal attendance of award-winning authors at the Official Awards Ceremony in Fidenza in March 2027 is an essential condition for receiving their awards.
Prizes will be presented exclusively during the Official Ceremony and will not be sent by post.
Failure to attend the Ceremony in person will result in the forfeiture of the right to receive the Prize, including the publication prize provided for Category E.
Travel, meals and accommodation expenses will be borne by the participants.
HEFRA APS will inform award-winning authors of the date, venue and time of the Ceremony sufficiently in advance.
The Jury may consider exemptions from the obligations set out in this article for authors from countries outside the European Union.
Art. 13 – Copyright
Authors retain ownership of the copyright in their submitted works.
Participation entails granting free, non-exclusive authorisation, limited to the purposes of the Prize, to quote, publicly read and disseminate award-winning or selected works, always acknowledging the author’s name and respecting any rights belonging to third parties.
Full publication of works outside activities directly connected with the Prize will require specific authorisation.
For the winning poetry collection in Category E, any agreement concerning publication will be governed by a separate publishing contract.
Art. 14 – Authors’ Responsibilities
Each participant must declare that the submitted works are original and the result of their own intellectual creativity, that they have not been generated using artificial intelligence, and that they possess the necessary rights to participate in the Prize.
For published works, authors guarantee that their participation does not conflict with previously signed publishing agreements.
For translations, authors guarantee that they possess the necessary authorisations if the translation has been produced by a third party.
Each participant assumes responsibility for the declarations made and for the content of the submitted works.
Art. 15 – Processing of Personal Data
Personal data provided by participants will be processed by HEFRA APS, acting as Data Controller, exclusively for purposes connected with the management, organisation, evaluation of works, communication of results and conduct of the “Michele Leoni” International Literary Prize, in compliance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) and applicable Italian legislation.
Processing will include managing registrations, anonymously forwarding works to the Jury, communicating with authors, and publishing the names of winners and any authors receiving special recognition.
The methods of processing, data retention periods, data subjects’ rights and the Data Controller’s contact details are described in the privacy notice available on the official HEFRA APS website.
Submission of an entry presupposes that the participant has read the above privacy notice, which is also referenced in the Official Participation Form.
Art. 16 – Acceptance of the Rules
Participation in the Prize implies full acceptance of these Rules.
HEFRA APS reserves the right to adopt any organisational measures necessary to ensure the proper conduct of the initiative, while respecting participants’ rights and the conditions set out in these Rules.
Any substantial amendments will be promptly communicated to registered participants.