From the quays of the port to the Rocca Roveresca, Senigallia celebrates the first edition of the award dedicated to comic book schools and academies and young authors, following in the footsteps of Hugo Pratt.
Thirty years after his death, the Municipality of Senigallia wanted to celebrate Hugo Pratt and his art. The patronage of the first edition of the ‘Hugo Pratt Comics Awards’, the exhibition at the Rocca Roveresca starting on the 11th and the installation dedicated to Corte Sconta detta Arcana on the Molo di Levante are part of the programme of tributes included in the “Pratt triennium”, which began this year with the 30th anniversary of his death and will conclude in 2027 on the centenary of his birth.
During the summer, the pier at Senigallia was transformed into an open-air gallery: one hundred breakwater blocks became one hundred panels of ‘Corte sconta detta arcana’ (In Siberia): an urban installation paying homage to travel and imagination, but also the first step in building a bridge between the world of Hugo Pratt and the new generations who are carrying on his legacy.
Over forty schools from Italy, France, Spain, Belgium and England took part in this first edition of the Hugo Pratt Comics Awards, promoted by Cong SA and the Associazione I Gabbiani di Hugo with the patronage of the City of Senigallia, the Marche Region and the Port Authority, and with the support of Rizzoli Lizard, Piko Print, Favini and La Rocca Roveresca.
The students competed in four categories — best original comic, best drawing, best screenplay and best colouring — and the international jury, composed of 22 experts, selected seven finalists, some of whom were nominated in multiple categories.
Their works represent different ways of storytelling, but they all share the same horizon: the freedom to draw stories that cross borders, eras and languages.
From 11th October, the journey arrives at the Rocca Roveresca in Senigallia, where the main exhibition opens.
The largest part is dedicated to Hugo Pratt, his travels, books and readings that shaped his narrative universe and the idea of graphic literature.
In another room, the finalists’ illustrations depict the present: visions, characters and worlds that, although different, seem to dialogue with those created by Pratt.
On 25th October, during the award ceremony, the winners of the first edition will be announced.
But the award has already found its deepest meaning: to continue to spread the idea of freedom that runs through Pratt’s works and continues to inspire those who, like Corto Maltese, know that every horizon is just the beginning of another journey.
A preview of the covers of the stories shortlisted for the Prize, which will be on display at the Rocca Roveresca in Senigallia, ahead of the announcement of the winners on 25 October.
A CHILL GUY / Scuola di Fumetto Palermo
Nomination: BEST ORIGINAL COMIC, BEST SCREENPLAY, BEST DRAWING
COAL / École Jean Trubert
Nomination: BEST ORIGINAL COMIC, BEST SCREENPLAY, BEST DRAWING
DARK DAYS -NIGHT OF REVENGE / École Jean Trubert
Nomination: BEST ORIGINAL COMIC, BEST COLOURING, BEST SCREENPLAY, BEST DRAWING
MISERY’S FATE / École Jean Trubert
Nomination: BEST COLOURING
LUCID DREAMER / Scuola Romana Fumetto
Nomination: BEST DRAWING
THE ARTISTS’ PLANET / Acca Academy
Nomination: BEST ORIGINAL COMIC, BEST SCREENPLAY
THE BARON IN THE TREES / Scuola Romana Fumetto
Nomination: BEST ORIGINAL COMIC, BEST COLOURING, BEST DRAWING
‘Hugo Pratt, life, artworks and readings’
In the basement of the Rocca, in an atmosphere of ancient magic among bricks and vaulted ceilings, two exhibition rooms trace Pratt’s formidable life, from his childhood in Venice to his adolescence in Ethiopia during the war, from his first ink drawings to his success in Argentina, from his return to Italy in the 1960s to his worldwide success with the creation of Corto Maltese.
And then there is his most famous sailor in the world: Corto Maltese. Grappling with some of Pratt’s literary references, real artists and writers who became imaginary characters in his adventures: Hermann Hesse, Jack London, Butch Cassidy, Tamara de Lempicka, Gabriele d’Annunzio, Ernest Hemingway and many others who are among the Venetian cartoonist’s most beloved authors.
