“Black. The Conspiracy of Conspiracies” by Luca Giommoni (effequ) wins the second edition of the Mondofuturo Literary Prize, a competition organized by the national research institution Area Science Park and La Cappella Underground , which recognizes the best original, untranslated science fiction book published in Italy in 2024.
The awards ceremony, hosted by writer and radio host Loredana Lipperini, was held on Sunday, November 2, 2025, in the capital of the Julian region on the final day of the 25th edition of the Trieste Science+Fiction Festival.
Luca Giommoni’s work won the award with the following citation: “For its ability to blend science fiction imagery and social criticism in an original way, using conspiracy as the ultimate justification for an identity and social crisis in a future that may not be too far off. An ironic and visionary novel that, amid journeys through parallel universes, confronts the fears of the present in search of new hopes.”
Nero, after whom Giommoni’s book is also titled, is the protagonist of the work: a young unemployed man and a great expert on conspiracies who, in his search for work, will face numerous bureaucratic hurdles while seeking solutions in other historical periods. Giommoni, who previously authored the novel *Il rosso e il blu. Una comune favola di migrazione* (effequ 2020), has published short stories in numerous magazines.
In addition to Luca Giommoni, author of “Nero. Il complotto dei complotti,” the finalists in the competition include Cobol Pongide and Emiglino Cicala, authors of “Anticaja Canaglia”, and Carlo Roselli, author of “Cronache dalla deriva.”
During the ceremony, a special mention was also awarded to the novel “Freedom Is a Serious Matter” by Flavia Florindi (Piuma Editions), with the following reasoning: “Because it combines dystopian storytelling with current and complex themes such as identity, inequality, individual freedom, and social dynamics. For the original and symbolic setting of the story—a Trieste divided in two—a city that thus becomes an effective metaphor for borders, identity, and freedom.”
The Mondofuturo Literary Prize was established on the initiative of the national research organization Area Science Park and the Center for Cinematic and Audiovisual Research and Experimentation La Cappella Underground, with the aim of sparking public interest in research, scientific culture, and literature, using science fiction as a catalyst to draw attention.
“We designed the 2025 edition of the Award to promote and encourage broader and more inclusive participation,” stated Caterina Petrillo, President of Area Science Park, and Chiara Barbo, President of La Cappella Underground, the Award’s organizers. “Participation in public events with authors and scientists—but above all in activities involving schools—shows that science fiction can be a tool for stimulating reflection and debate on issues involving science and society.”
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HOW THE AWARD WORKS
The three finalist books were selected from a shortlist of 19 books in the competition by a jury of experts, chaired by Nicoletta Vallorani, writer and professor at the University of Milan, and composed of writers, university professors, journalists, and experts in literature and science fiction.
The winner among the three finalists—for the project demonstrating the best scientific, technological, and social vision—was selected by a Jury of Scientists composed of approximately 50 members from Area Science Park, a national research institution, along with a delegation of researchers from SISSA (International School for Advanced Studies), Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste, CNR-IOM (Istituto Officina dei Materiali), INFN (National Institute of Nuclear Physics) Trieste section, Fondazione Italiana Fegato, and ICGEB (International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology). The honorary members of the Jury of Scientists, chaired by Caterina Petrillo, President of Area Science Park, were: Giovanna Fragneto, Scientific Director of the European Spallation Source (ESS); Fabio Pagan, science journalist; Fabrizio Brancoli, Deputy Director of the NEM – Nord Est Multimedia group, responsible for “Il Piccolo”; Giovanni Covone, Professor at the University of Naples Federico II; Stefano Liberati, Professor of Astroparticle Physics at SISSA.
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The Mondofuturo Literary Prize project is made possible thanks to a grant from the Autonomous Region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia and with the support of “Io sono Friuli Venezia Giulia.”
