The evaluation committee – made up of representatives from the relevant Directorates General of the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Culture – of the contest “Capitals of Italian Creativity in the World”, annually announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for the network of our Embassies, Consulates and Italian Cultural Institutes abroad, concluded its works.
The winning projects were the following: ‘Yeratici Yol / Sentiero creativo “ of the Italian Embassy in Ankara, which is the result of a collaboration with the Consulate General in Istanbul, the Italian Cultural Institute (IIC) in Istanbul, the Consulate in Izmir, the ITA Agency and the Chamber of Commerce, and envisages a ten-stage itinerary during which the topics of innovation, sustainability, research and dialogue between universities and collaborations in the academic and scientific fields between Italy and Turkey will be addressed; ”Italian Way. Radici, creatività e innovazione italiane in Western Australia‘, submitted by the Italian Consulate in Perth, with the collaboration of ITA, IIC Melbourne, the Italian Chamber of Commerce, private sponsors and local and Italian institutions and associations, which is a project pathway divided into three strands, with four initiatives each: Italian roots in Western Australia, Italian creativity, innovation and sustainability. These include multimedia projects, the publication of books, exhibitions, such as the “Made in Italy, Design and Research Day”, and projects for promoting Italian language and culture, food and wine and our culinary tradition, concerts and music. Finally, the other winning project was ‘Italia digitale’, of the Italian Cultural Institute in Tirana, conceived in collaboration with the Italian Embassy in Tirana and the ITA Office, which will involve Italian and Albanian public and private partners in the organisation of five events. The project is aimed at a wide audience with a special focus on young people and the new generations, in view of encouraging meetings between Italian and local professionals. The planned initiatives will combine tradition and innovation: digital art, artificial intelligence, phygital and immersive experiences as tools for exploring reality, the digital entertainment industry applied to culture, screenings of Italian animated films made with cutting-edge digital technology, a review of electronic music and digital videos, as well as meetings, workshops and masterclasses between Italian and local artists.
As early as its first edition in 2022, the contest aims to celebrate Italian talent on a global level, in collaboration with all the public and private entities of the Italian System, thus being a unique opportunity to enhance the Foreign Ministry’s role in promoting Italian excellence abroad. In this context, with the establishment of the National Made in Italy Day on 15 April, starting from this latest edition the diplomatic-consular network and the Cultural Institutes abroad have been asked to design and implement projects in conjunction with this Day, so as to give it even greater visibility and further enhance its promotional potential abroad.
Considering the important success recorded, which this year has turned into a 300 per cent increase in the number of projects submitted, the contest “Capitals of Italian Creativity in the World” will be organised again in 2025, with the aim of encouraging the submission of new showcases of Italy and Italian know-how in an even more widespread manner, through an action to promote Italy in its three dimensions – economic, cultural and scientific – as part of the Growth Diplomacy action.
