The Madrilenian Juan Ignacio Ferrándiz, with roots in Cantabria, wins First Prize in the Ecoparque de Trasmiera 2025 Short Story Competition
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The Mayor of Arnuero presents the 1st Prize |
On Saturday 7 June at 7pm, at the Casa de Mareas de Soano, the awards ceremony for the 7th Ecoparque de Trasmiera 2025 Short Story Competition took place, in a moving event in which literature and nature were brought together.
The story “The Land That Awaits You” was finally chosen by the Jury to obtain the top award of the literary contest: a tale in which fiction and passages from the life of Cantabrian painter Agustín Riancho become interwoven, with careful prose and a narrative thread that keeps the reader on tenterhooks until the finale.
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Guillermo Rubio presented the Jury’s assessment |
Before starting the event, and with the aim of celebrating World Oceans Day, the Ecoparque team, with the participation of writer Mikel Alvira, offered the “Fusion experience: nature, music and literature in the Marisma Joyel”, in which, through a small musical walk, an attempt was made to blend literature with nature and music, highlighting the importance of the meeting between humankind and the environment, especially the marshlands and their relationship with the oceans.
This experience, during which, in addition to reading some poems by Mikel Alvira, excerpts from the winning stories from 2024 were read, served as a way of presenting the book that brings together the winning stories from the previous edition, with “ZAHORÍ” by Franco Marín, first prize, “ALL THE CAGES” by Ignacio Samper, second prize, and “THE GOLDEN WILLOWS” by Guillermo Rubio Arias-Paz, third prize.
Next, on behalf of the Jury, Guillermo Rubio gave a brief presentation of this edition, highlighting the notable quality of the stories submitted and the Jury’s difficult task of determining the finalists and, finally, the order of the winners among the shortlisted stories, offering a simple outline of the plot set out in each of them.
It is worth remembering that on 31 March the deadline for submitting short stories for the fifth edition of the Ecoparque de Trasmiera literary contest ended, with 171 entries, gathered from practically all the Autonomous Communities and from more than half a dozen other countries.
Just a few hours before the event, after the proper deliberation process by the Jury for this 7th Contest, the order of the prizes was determined among the previously selected finalists:
– 1st PRIZE: “THE LAND THAT AWAITS YOU” by Juan Ignacio Ferrándiz.
– 2nd PRIZE. “LAND OF TREASURES” by José Luis Baños.
– 3rd PRIZE. “STORM DAYS” by Ricardo Pérez
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The three winners with the Mayor and the Councillor for Culture |
These have been intense months for the Jury, of reading and deliberation, thanks to the high standard that, since its first edition, has characterised the Ecoparque de Trasmiera Short Story Competition,
which, year after year, is strengthening its presence in the world of Letters. All the winners have a long curriculum vitae, with numerous awards to their name, both in the world of short stories and in poetry and other literary styles.
The Ecoparque de Trasmiera literary event thus continues a successful path that helps establish it as one of the most interesting events on the national scene.
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Awards recipients with members of the Jury and authorities |