Deadline for submissions: 14 June 2026
ICI London presents the fifth edition of Match Point, a Literary Competition for unpublished short stories in Italian written by UK residents, is an initiative by Il Circolo Italian Cultural Association in collaboration with Londra Scrive, online literary magazines Cattedrale – Osservatorio sul racconto and Premio Calvino, and under the patronage of the Italian Consulate General in London.
This year’s theme is ‘Ricordi’. Match Point 2026 invites you to remember. And to write a story – fictional, autobiographical, intimate or collective memory – about memory itself. About the things remembered or about the very process of remembering; about personal memory or historical memory, that of our generation or of another, fresh from just a few hours ago or from a distant season. Let us venture into the sharp or intricate curves of memory. And take a bite, like Proust, of our own madeleine. On the thirtieth anniversary of the founding of the Circolo, we could not imagine a better theme. Memories as fuel for our present. Because, to quote Faulkner, the past is never dead: it isn’t even really past.
The jury, composed of authors Olga Campofreda, Daniele Derossi, Marco Mancassola, Paolo Nelli, literary agent Isabella d’Amico and journalists Monica Capuani and Caterina Soffici will announce the winners on 21 October as part of the celebrations for the Week of the Italian Language in the World at the Italian Cultural Institute in London.
More info and how to submit your work HERE