Results of the International Poetry Competition "Never Lose Hope"

Adult Authors Category 

3rd place 

“The shore within” by Elisabetta Vigo 

JURY’S REASONING 

With intense simplicity, these verses convey the weight and power of hope in the most extreme situations, revealing how true salvation arises from an inner choice to resist, without allowing oneself to be overwhelmed by despair. Hope thus becomes not merely an expectation, but a silent force that enables one to reach the shore with courage.

Hope is a gift that brings a concrete and enduring strength, capable of providing weight and direction even in the deepest darkness, offering an intense and original image of inner salvation, where the starting point and the destination coincide not in ‘something’ but in ‘someone’.

This is how the poem succeeds in making Querini’s story contemporary: it is the chronicle of human shipwreck in which hope is not merely a desire, but a hard choice of resistance; it is the victory of will over fate. Salvation is achieved, in fact, now when man decides to remain ‘man’, steadfast, without dissolving into the event represented by the water. And the true destination is not the land that is reached, but the space that opens within us after having traversed pain.

2nd place 

“Håpets sang” (“The song of hope”) by Lena Jensen Glesnes

JURY’S REASONING 

The poem stands out for its evocative style, weaving together natural imagery and rhythm into a song of profound intensity. Through the symbolic dialogue between sea and sky, the author constructs a vision of hope as a shared and enduring force, capable of withstanding the shadows of the present. The poetic word becomes a journey that invites us to cherish humanity, empathy and trust in the future.

With a lyrical, even musical, intensity, the intimate and universal dimensions intertwine, transforming hope into a shared song that transcends the boundaries of space and time and resists the chaos of the world, inviting a more conscious and supportive humanity.

In this perspective, the historic Venice-Lofoten route is understood as a metaphor for the great contemporary global challenges. The image of the journey towards a ‘new horizon’ allows us to evoke modern storms, contrasting the ‘voice of nature’ with the ‘cynical smile of the tech giants’ and the ‘megalomaniacal trumpets’. Querini’s victory, in this interpretation, is not merely surviving the sea, but remaining human in a world that tends towards dehumanization.

Hope, in fact, is not a spontaneous feeling, but a discipline. One must ‘hold on’ when the noise of war, suffering and fear – that ‘dark chromatic scale’ – drowns out the melody of life.

1st place 

“Heaps of Blue” – Nicola Nardin 

JURY’S COMMENT 

Through powerful symbols such as bars, iron and concrete, this poem gives voice to the complexity of existence, transforming the experience of hardship into a journey of awareness and liberation. What initially appears as limitation and suffering becomes an opportunity for growth and a renewed perspective on reality. The poetic word illuminates the horizon with a new blue, showing how even the harshest trials can give rise to a glimmer of hope.

It is a journey of inner rebirth, where hope arises precisely from being able to begin a profound transformation of one’s outlook and consciousness.

The authenticity of the text lies precisely in this transformation: hope is not abstract but is portrayed as an earthly, concrete journey that gradually leads towards freedom, towards the blue. In the same way, Querini’s journey is not conceived as a distant, dusty historical event, but as every man’s eternal struggle to return to being a ‘free man’.  

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Young Authors Category

3^rd place 

“Hope of a Shipwreck” by Yuri Leander Friedman, Class 2 Montessori Istituto Dante Alighieri, under the guidance of Ms Maria Ghelfi 

JURY’S REASONING 

The poem is characterized by a great intensity of imagery that vividly conveys sorrow and the absence of joy. Yet, the final paradox, ‘the hope of shipwreck’, reveals a powerful message: even in the most tragic situations, a resilient form of hope always sprouts, capable of opening the way to rebirth. 

The jury noted an unusual maturity and an ability to overturn clichés about hope.  The text stands out, in fact, for the intellectual courage demonstrated by the young author: hope is not described as a predictable ‘happy ending’, but as the strength to accept the shipwreck of one’s old existence so that something new may come to pass. 

This is a very mature interpretation of Querini’s adventure: not a journey that ended badly, but a shipwreck that ended ‘well’.  Thus, the poem seemingly overturns the meaning of hope in a bold and original way, whilst acknowledging that it is an extreme tension—perhaps paradoxical for humanity—which transforms darkness and destruction into the fertile ground of life, thereby revealing a profound emotional truth.

2^nd place 

“Tears” by Aljosha Filicic, Nicolò Basso and Tito Vanzin, Class 2 Montessori, Dante Alighieri Institute, with teacher Maria Ghelfi 

JURY’S COMMENT 

The style of “Tears” is stark and powerful: short lines and vivid imagery evoke pain and loss. Yet, the contrast with “Hope begins to sprout” transforms mourning into rebirth, inviting young people to recognize in life’s trials the beginning of a journey towards a future of hope.

The poem is striking for its extraordinary capacity for visual synthesis: it succeeds in translating Pietro Querini’s epic into an image of universal rebirth. The ‘boy’ referred to in the text could be both a young Querini and a young person of today facing their own difficulties. The message conveyed by the young authors is clear: from the ashes and tears springs the energy for the most important journey that towards the future.  

The poem is recognized for its ability to portray shipwreck as a phase of growth. Through simple yet profoundly meaningful imagery, the reality of loss and the pain it entails are transformed into a starting point, allowing the seed of hope to sprout with an intrinsic strength that invites us to begin anew.

1^st place 

“Together” by Emma and Teresa, Class 1B, Dante Alighieri School, with their teacher Sara Bognolo 

JURY’S COMMENT 

The poem stands as a hymn to inclusion and hope, demonstrating how the coming together of unique talents can create a “bigger and deeper world”. Through the metaphor of the ship and the shipwreck, it reflects on everyday difficulties, transforming them into opportunities for growth, chance and rebirth. The result is a hymn to happiness that springs from hope and looks to the future with optimism.

What sets it apart is the shift from ‘I’ to ‘we’: whilst other winning poems focus more on pain or philosophical reflection, this one celebrates the value of community as the only true lifeboat.  The simplicity of the structure, clear and communicative, makes the message conveyed by the young authors immediate and accessible, fully in tune with the spirit of the ‘Never Lose Hope’ competition.

The poem thus celebrates, in simple and authentic tones, the hope that dwells within each of us and draws strength from being together, transforming every difficulty into a new opportunity for rebirth and trust.

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Special Mention 

“Hope is to believe and never give up”, Class 5A, Duca d’Aosta School, with teacher Natascha Beatrice Eggert

JURY’S COMMENT 

The poem weaves words together like a whirlwind of energy, celebrating hope as an inner strength combined with imagination, equality and optimism. Through playful language, it encourages children to believe in themselves.

It is a piece that immediately conveys a positive and universal message, making hope a force accessible to all, capable of sustaining, uplifting and guiding us towards a better future.

It is almost a manifesto, frank and energetic, through which the young authors communicate with an enthusiasm that reveals a spirit of strong collaboration, the importance of which deserves to be highlighted and celebrated.

A heartfelt thanks to all participants for interpreting the theme of the competition with such depth and sensitivity, showing that hope is a light that guides us even in the toughest moments