The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation promotes the dissemination of Italian editorial and film works abroad by providing incentives for translation and dubbing/subtitling. These incentives represent a strategic tool for promoting the Italian language and culture.
The Farnesina provides two types of financial incentives:
- Grants for the translation of an Italian work to be published abroad (not yet published) and for the production, dubbing, and subtitling of short films, feature films, and television series;
- Awards for an Italian work that has already been translated and published abroad.
Applications must be submitted annually to the Italian Cultural Institutes and to Italian diplomatic and consular missions abroad, in accordance with the procedures established in the official Call for Applications. The deadline for submitting applications for the 2026 edition is March 31, 2026.
GRANTS AND AWARDS: WHAT THEY ARE
Grants and awards for the translation of literary and scientific works, as well as for the production, dubbing, or subtitling into a foreign language of short films, feature films, and television series, help support the internationalization of Italian publishing.
In 2025, the Farnesina awarded 381 grants and 6 translation awards across 51 countries and 41 languages.
GRANTS AND AWARDS: WHO CAN APPLY
Publishers, translators, production/distribution/dubbing/subtitling companies, cultural institutions, agents, and literary agencies may apply for two types of incentives: grants and awards for translation into a foreign language; and grants and awards for the production of short films, feature films, and television series.
a) Grants:
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A grant may be requested for the translation into a foreign language and dissemination through publication (including e-book format) of Italian literary and scientific works, provided that publication is scheduled after July 1, 2026—that is, not published before the time required to complete the evaluation and awarding procedures;
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A grant may also be requested for the production, dubbing, or subtitling into a foreign language of short films, feature films, and television series that will be completed after July 1, 2026—that is, not released before the time required to complete the evaluation and awarding procedures.
b) Awards:
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An award may be requested for the translation of Italian literary and scientific works (including e-book format);
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An award may also be requested for short films, feature films, and television series intended for mass media that have been distributed, translated, produced, dubbed, or subtitled no earlier than January 1, 2025.
HOW TO SUBMIT APPLICATIONS FOR INCENTIVES
Interested parties may submit their applications, complete with all documents listed in the call for applications, to the Italian Cultural Institutes with territorial jurisdiction—where present—or to the relevant Embassies, by March 31, 2026. Applications must be submitted using the official form exclusively, in Italian, English, or Spanish.
Applications for grants are not eligible if they concern works that have already been published, distributed, translated, or dubbed at the time of submission, or works scheduled for publication before July 1, 2026—that is, before the time required to complete the Ministry’s awarding procedures.
