Prada sees world through different lenses for third literary contest

Italy’s Prada has announced the theme of its third annual Prada Journal literary competition in partnership with publishing house Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Editore.

The literary competition is part of the brand’s marketing efforts for its Prada Journal eyewear collaboration with licensee Luxottica. By having a recurring campaign that engages consumers’ creative sides, Prada may seen repeat entries and engagement with the collection and its overall message.

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The Prada Journal project encourages consumers to enter the contest by submitting a short story response to a specific prompt. The competition will help the Italian label find new talent and give consumers the ability to creatively contribute to the brand.

During its first year, in 2013, Prada said that the competition idea came from the curiosity to explore languages and the expression of the written word (see story).

Last year’s prompt was “What are the signs of a changing world? And what situations can we envision? Taking a good look at the details might give us the answer” (see story).

For 2014, Prada provided participants with the following theme: “Illuminations, shadows and mirages. Things are not always what they seem.” Prada explains that its aim is to create “an independent literary research platform open to writers from all over the world who are able to capture the subtleties of reality, translating them into written words.”

The contest is open to entries until Aug. 31 and winners will be determined by a panel of literary experts. The winner will receive a cash prize as well as having their stories published as an eBook in the Prada Journal digital anthology and individually in the Feltrinelli Zoom catalog.