There’s no better graduation present than winning a national Italian writing competition for Environmental Policy graduate Lucy Eaton, as she embarks on a dream career and looks forward to visiting Italy next year to deploy her language skills.
Lucy, a third-year University of Adelaide student who studied Italian at Flinders University through a cross-institutional partnership taught by Dr Stefano Bona, has won the prestigious Premio Italia prize for her 1500-word essay addressing the evolution of the Italian language as a result of English influences and climate change, which link back to her studies in environmental policy and management.
The competition is hosted by the Embassy of Italy in Canberra, with the Literary Category section including submissions from students enrolled in Italian subjects at Australian universities.
This year’s theme – “L’ITALIANO E I GIOVANI – Come scusa? Non ti follow” (“Italian and the youth. What do you mean? I don’t follow you”) – invited Italian-language submissions for the best essay, short story or comic strips under 1500 words.
“I feel so honoured to have been awarded with this prize, especially given that I am at the end of my studies at university. It’s an incredible way to finish off the year! I have studied Italian all throughout my schooling and university, and I know it will continue to be a passion of mine for the rest of my life,” says Lucy.
Her selection as the 2022 Premio Italia recipient coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Italian language program at Flinders, which has created pathways for students seeking to enrich their knowledge and application of the language.
Ms Eaton says the national writing competition was her attempt at combining her passion for language with environmental education, and she was surprised to learn of her win. “I definitely was not expecting to be announced the winner, especially given the competition was open Australia wide to all students studying Italian at university,” she says. “I was simply happy to have written a story I was proud of, and so winning the prize was a very nice surprise!”
Having lived in Italy for four months during a gap year in 2019 before beginning her studies, Lucy says that studying the language at a high level was a natural step.
“I worked as an au pair with a lovely family in Italy. They only spoke Italian, which meant I had to rely on my studies and skills I had acquired at school to communicate. This opportunity consolidated my love of the language and was the main reason I continued my studies at university, because I realised how amazing it is to be able to talk with people in another language and immerse myself fully in the culture.
“I know I will continue speaking Italian for the rest of my life because I have a very close relationship with my host family, who I speak with regularly and hope to visit often.”
Her prize is a $2,000 voucher to purchase a return flight to Rome or Milan – offered by the embassy in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute in Sydney and Melbourne. It’s a helpful prize, as Lucy had already planned to visit Italy next year.
The award encourages students to reflect upon cultural aspects of the Italian language, foster their creative abilities and create a bridge between Italian and Australian cultures.
Vice-President and Executive Dean of Flinders University’s College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Professor Peter Monteath, says Lucy’s award reinforces the importance of working with the community and government to keep teaching languages at university.
“Students from Italian departments in universities across Australia participate in the competition, so the quality of the work is high and we’re extremely proud of Lucy for her achievement,” says Professor Monteath.
“Our teaching in Italian started in 1971, with Professor Antonio Comin’s first courses, and has flourished thanks to enthusiastic input and support from the Italian community. I believe that in addition to our shared passion for Italian language and culture, we’re united in our drive to ensure the future sustainability of Italian language education.
“It’s more important than ever to retain multilingual skills which directly benefit the social fabric of communities and contribute to South Australia’s and Australia’s economic success.”