- The Councilor for E-Administration, Emilio Borrega, invites citizens to reflect on the 40 years of Spain in Europe through short story, photography and comic contests
The Cáceres City Council, through the Europe Direct Cáceres Center, has presented a new edition of its traditional short story, photography and comic contests, which this year will be held under the motto “Spain: 40 years in Europe”, coinciding with the fortieth anniversary of Spain’s accession to the European Union. The call incorporates important new features, among them the increase in the amount of the prizes and the possibility of presenting works in the short story and photography modalities electronically for the first time.
The Councilor for Human Resources, Employment and E-Administration, Emilio Borrega, highlighted that these competitions “are a magnificent tool to bring Europe closer to citizens through culture and creativity, inviting us to reflect on the path taken during these 40 years and on the future that we want to continue building as Europeans.”
Borrega has also stressed that “Europe is not a distant reality, but rather a fundamental part of the transformation that Cáceres has experienced in recent decades thanks to numerous projects financed with European funds.” In this sense, he noted that the city “wants to continue strengthening this link with Europe at a particularly important moment, on the path towards Cáceres’ candidacy as European Capital of Culture 2031.” These ideas link with those expressed by the councilor during the awards ceremony last year, in which he highlighted the impact of the European Union on the development of the city.
This year, the call covers the 19th edition of the short story contest, the 18th edition of the photography contest and the 16th edition of the comic contest, three fully consolidated contests that are aimed at promoting citizen participation and creativity around European values. The works must be related to the 40th anniversary of Spain in the European Union, whether as inspiration, plot or setting.
New features
The main new feature is that the City Council has significantly increased the prize money. In the senior categories of short story, photography, and comic, the first three prizes will be €1,300, €950, and €650, respectively, while the junior comic category will award prizes consisting of technological and artistic materials. Overall, the prize money has almost doubled compared to previous years.
Another novelty is the digitalization of the work submission process. Starting with this edition, short stories and photographs can be submitted electronically through the links enabled in the contest rules, while comics will continue to be presented in physical format, as will those short story participants who prefer it. This measure aims to facilitate participation, eliminate barriers and reduce costs for authors.
The deadline for submitting works will remain open until October 26, 2026. The complete rules can be consulted on the Europe Direct Cáceres website. The awards ceremony will take place in spring 2027, coinciding with the activities organized on the occasion of Europe Day. In addition, the award-winning stories and comics will be published and the winning and finalist photographs will be part of a traveling exhibition that will tour different cultural spaces.
The councilor has encouraged writers, photographers, illustrators and especially young people to participate in contests that, edition after edition, are consolidated as a reference to promote creativity and strengthen the feeling of European citizenship through culture.
