To rush through the "Rainbow": the jury awarded young writers and translators

On December 4, in the solemn atmosphere of the GUM showroom, accompanied by the sounds of a chamber ensemble, for the 16th time, the Russian-Italian jury awarded the Rainbow Prize to the best young writers and translators from both countries. Ekaterina Kabanova won the best short story "Hide and Seek" in the Young Writer category, and Pier Lorenzo Pisano took the award to Italy for the story "The Attraction of Life." Anna Perova and Federica Ruggeri were noted among the translators. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.

Almost 500 applications

Since its foundation in 2010, Raduga has been conceived as an international bridge between two literary traditions — Russian and Italian. The organizers, the Gorky Literary Institute and the Let's Explore Eurasia Association in Verona, sought to give young writers and translators between the ages of 18 and 35 a chance to express themselves. In 2025, 454 applications were received for the XVI competition, a record figure for the entire history of the award.

— This award already conveys the mood of the beautiful Italian song O sole mio by its name. Since ancient times and in Russia, the rainbow is a symbol of beauty and peace. We are meeting today not only to present awards, but also to celebrate the Word. It has become an instrument of modern diplomacy. Our countries are particularly close in culture and literature. Even in a difficult international atmosphere, we try to keep the peace," said Alexey Paromonov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Italy.

The award focuses on the "small genre" — a short story. The jury consisted of two international commissions. The Russian side was headed by writer and rector of the Gorky Literary Institute Alexey Varlamov, and the coordinator of the Italian side was the writer Maria Pia Pagani. Participants sent texts of up to 10,000 characters without a strictly defined theme, genre or stylistic restrictions. Literary talent remained the main yardstick.

— As the director of the Literary Institute, it is especially important for me that this is our award. It is designed for all young novelists and translators under the age of 35. But more importantly, it's for short stories, because in the modern world, most awards are given for large forms. And short stories are kind of belittled in their status, because writers immediately start publishing novels, novellas, and books, and publishers are reluctant to take collections of short texts. Although this is a special genre for Russia," Alexey Varlamov told Izvestia.

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Pavel Basinsky named the winner

According to the results of the selection, five short stories from each side were included in the shortlist, and then the jury selected the winners. The best texts will be included in the bilingual almanac "Radugi". The winners will receive a monetary reward: writers — for € 5,000, translators — for € 2,500.

Ekaterina Kabanova became the Russian winner in the nomination "Young Writer" with the story "Hide-and-Seek". The Italian prize winner was Pier Lorenzo Pisano with his short story "The Attraction of Life". Anna Perova won the Russian Young Translator award for her translation of Pisano's text, and Italian translator Federica Ruggeri received an award for her work on Ekaterina Topnikova's short story "The Cold Summer of the Twenty-first."

As noted by writer Pavel Basinsky, who announced the winner, Federica needed a special talent to "translate the cold Murmansk story into warm Italian."

Over the years, the competition has discovered many names. Among them is the writer Sergey Shargunov, who received his "Rainbow" in 2011. At the ceremony, he offered to publish several short stories by contestants from both countries in the Yunost magazine, which he heads.