The announcement for the "Palermo Blooms with Santa Rosalia" photography contest has been published, approved by managerial determination no. 8984 on June 26, 2024. Promoted by the Municipality of Palermo as part of the celebrations for the 400th anniversary of the Festino of Santa Rosalia, it aims to select photographic shots for the creation of a permanent exhibition on the festivities of July 14 and 15, 2024.

The initiative, carried out with the participation of the Order of Journalists of Sicily and with the contribution of the Port System Authority of the Western Sicilian Sea, aims to create an immersive photo-narrative of the Festino, a permanent exhibition initially set up at the Modern Art Gallery (GAM) from September 4 to December 2024. Subsequently, the exhibited works will be transferred to other municipal exhibition spaces, remaining a point of reference for the tourist and cultural offerings of the area. Furthermore, during 2025, the selected photographs may be part of an international promotional circuit.

"The 400th anniversary of the Festino is in full swing, and the days of July 14 and 15 will involve the people of Palermo in a unique experience that we want to leave a trace and documentation of. The contest was born from the need to give space to a professional category that tells the story of the Festino with us every year, and this year, in particular, I am sure they will do an extraordinary job that, thanks to this initiative, can become a reference point for this city and beyond," says Mayor Roberto Lagalla.

"We immediately welcomed this project, for which we thank Mayor Lagalla, because I believe it can represent an interesting opportunity for the professional category and the city of Palermo, which will have the opportunity to document a historical moment like this 400th anniversary," says Roberto Gueli, president of the Order of Journalists.

"What the Festino is, I think, is impossible to say; it can only be shown," says Pasqualino Monti, president of the Port System Authority of the Western Sicilian Sea. "There is nothing better than photography to 'capture' moments that generate a sense of belonging, where the city truly becomes a community for a great collective rite. The AdSP decided to support the project because it recognizes its value as a document: this contest will produce a photographic atlas of traditions that come from afar and are foundational to the city and its sea," declares Pasqualino Monti.

The photography contest is open to photojournalists registered with the National Journalists Association or representatives of the foreign press, as well as photographers not registered with the Association who have published photo reports or reportage in Italian or foreign newspapers. The shots must cover one or more moments of the celebrations on July 14 and 15, and each author may submit between one and three photos for the contest. A judging panel will select up to 30 works that best interpret the spirit and emotions of this 400th Rosalian anniversary. The same panel will also award a prize for each contest category.

Images must be sent starting from July 16 and no later than 12:00 PM on July 25, 2024, to gruppolavorofestino@comune.palermo.it.

Link to the announcement here