El Vila d'Ascó Prize This year's edition has solidified its position as one of the most unique literary and cultural events on the Catalan calendar, bringing together narrative, poetry, photography, and microfiction under one umbrella. The gala, held during the renowned Nit de la Cultura in Ascó, focused on new voices and contemporary perspectives that tackle uncomfortable, everyday, and often unsavory topics head-on.
In this context, the main protagonist of the evening was the Mallorcan writer Pere Carbonellwho has won the Vila d'Ascó Literary Prize thanks to a novel as provocative as it is incisive. Alongside him, other authors have had their works recognized in the various categories of the competition, demonstrating that the project promoted by the Ascó Town Council maintains a high level of participation and creative diversity year after year.
The Vila d'Ascó Literary Award for Pere Carbonell
Jury XXXVIII Vila d'Ascó Literary Prize has distinguished the novel Champagne bombsPere Carbonell's novel, a work that combines biting satire, acerbic humor, and social commentary in a narrative that oscillates between excess and intimacy, has been awarded the prize. 3.600 euros and the publication of the book through Grup 9 Editorial, represents an important boost for the author's career within the Catalan literary circuit.
The story is set in a Mallorca at night and unrestrainedFar from the idyllic tourist postcard. Three recently graduated friends decide to celebrate the end of their studies with a party night that begins as a simple release and ends up becoming a night of excess in Magaluf, where alcohol, peer pressure and impulsive decisions unleash a chain of events that are difficult to control.
According to the jury's assessment, the novel is built upon a provocative and politically incorrect satire It doesn't shy away from portraying decadent characters, extreme situations, and the less glamorous side of youthful revelry. From that wild night onward, appearances crumble, and hidden tensions, unexpected secrets, and betrayals surface, jeopardizing the supposed strength of the protagonists' friendship.
One of the points that has been most highlighted is Carbonell's ability to portray the fragility of human bonds And how a single night can completely alter each character's perception of themselves and those around them. The play blends moments of brutality, grotesque scenes, and more intimate passages, shifting the focus from the collective revelry to the emotional and moral consequences of the experience.
Stylistically, the novel is narrated in the third person and in the present tense, a device that, according to the jury, reinforces the sense of immediacy and of witnessing events firsthand. The text flows smoothly dialogue, description, and narration, with current language and a tone very close to the reality of young people, something that has been especially valued in the ruling.
Another notable feature is the use of Catalan with expressions typical of MallorcaA nod to the author's origins that gives the story a recognizable local flavor and sets it apart from other works. Carbonell, born in Palma in 1999 and a graduate in Primary Education and Catalan Philology, had previously published the novels The alarm clock of life y The Shadows of the Alarm ClockIn addition to various articles on sociolinguistics and Mallorcan identity, he now sees how this third work finds projection through the prize.
A night of culture with multiple awards Vila d'Ascó
Beyond the main narrative prizeThe Nit de la Cultura in Ascó served as the stage for the announcement and presentation of the other awards accompanying the Premi Vila d'Ascó, creating a small map of contemporary creative work in the Catalan Countries. The combination of poetry, young adult fiction, photography, and microfiction offers a diverse yet coherent panorama, where generations, genres, and formats intersect.
In poetry, the XXXI Joan Perucho Vila d'Ascó Poetry Prize It has been awarded to Joan Carles González, from Mataró, for the work The Rings of SaturnThis award includes a prize of 2.400 euros and publication in the Poemes collection of Edicions Saldonar, which guarantees that the poetry collection will reach the specialized reading circuit and libraries interested in contemporary Catalan poetry.
The youth sector has also had its space with the XXXVI Breu Fiction Prize for Young People Sant Jordiwhere short stories by authors who are still taking their first steps in writing are awarded. In the 14-17 age category, the winner was Mariona Blanch Pedrola, from Móra d'Ebre, with the text Memoirs of a LoverIn the 18-20 age group, the prize went to Nerea Ortiz Domènech, from Ascó, for the story A letter to the sky, thus demonstrating the contest's support for emerging talent from the local area and its surroundings.
Photography also plays a specific role within the whole. XXXVIII Vila d'Ascó Photography Award It has recognized several authors, with special mention going to Ramon Serra Sans, from Terrassa, who has received two awards. Alongside him, the works of Teresa Martorell Rull and Mariona Batiste López, both from Ascó, have been recognized, as well as those of Jordi Castellví Segarra, from Flix, and Abel Borràs Garcia, from L'Ametlla de Mar, forming a list that combines local and regional perspectives about the environment.
In the realm of microfiction, the VII Sant Jordi Vila d'Ascó Microrelats AwardThe prize, dedicated in this edition to everyday heroes and heroines, has been awarded to Àngel Fabregat Morera, from Belianes (Lleida), for the text SandcastlesThe story focuses on a child with a disability who spends summer Sundays under his mother's care, caught between the desire to belong and the feeling of exclusion—a short but symbolically rich tale about... vulnerability and daily resilience.
All these awards are promoted by the Ascó Town Council, which has been supporting the initiative and expanding its reach for years. This year, more than 350 works from different parts of the Catalan CountriesThis figure confirms the interest the competition generates among established authors and new creators, both in the literary field and in other artistic disciplines.
The Night of Culture and the Vila d'Ascó Awards thus function as a showcase for what is being written and created in Catalan within Spain and, in particular, in the area encompassing the Tarragona region and the rest of Catalonia. The presence of works ranging from urban satire and poetic introspection to a youthful perspective and photographic sensitivity confirms that the competition has become a cultural reference in the area's cultural calendar.
Overall, this edition of the Vila d'Ascó Prize paints a fairly clear picture of the current creative moment: a narrative that doesn't shy away from uncomfortable themes, poetry attentive to symbolic resonances, young authors who dare to tackle intense stories, and a series of visual perspectives and micro-stories that emphasize everyday experiences. All of this is supported by an organization that continues to champion the dissemination and recognition of Catalan culture from a municipality that has made literature and the arts one of its hallmarks.
