The StoryAP Award came to a close in December 2021.
The winner of the award has been Mirvat Sayegh’s story “War is like”, made with the support of UNHCR and Siamo Coop.
We publish below the jury’s motivations, as well as the list of European finalists, and finally the list of national finalists.

But above all we want to thank all the authors, even those who have not been selected, for having contributed with their story. The award, we know, is just a pretext to raise attention to the stories, and to what they have to tell us with respect to why, and how, to be the drivers of change.
In January-February 2022 we will organize two initiatives:
– An event to share the winning and finalist stories;
– The first workshop for the creation of the group of volunteers “Re-Seekers of stories”.
In the meantime, we will publish, every week, an article in this column to talk about different topics taking a cue from the finalist stories.
So, thanks so much indeed, let’s keep in touch, and in the meantime … Merry Christmas and happy 2022 to everyone!
The StoryAP staff

Winners StoryAP Award
First place:
– LA GUERRA È COME – Italy
Motivations of the EU Jury:
Themes: This video expresses in simple words the core issues of migration; firstly it is never a free choice, as you are forced to leave your country for different reasons, secondly you are forced into a cliché, like being considered a refugee, and you have to struggle to win back your true multifaceted identity.
Artistic relevance: The shooting, location choice, images framing and editing show a pretty good artistic quality.
X Factor: Mirvat’s narrative is very touching, as she talks about the most horrible experiences in a plain, dignified way, almost as if war was like a natural disaster that you have to face, trying to find ways to get over it.
It tells us about the incredible strength of young people, who are able to find moments of joy even when facing devastating situations, by drawing on inexhaustible vital energy. She leaves a fundamental message of hope, as, despite all she went through, she is building for herself, day by day, a brighter future.
Her simple, serene way of telling her story hits heart and mind way harder than tragic accounts and images of war.

Second place
– Untold stories – UK Authors: Action media/real time – https://www.storyap.eu/?s=untold+stories
– LA CALZOLAIA – Italy. Authors: Vittoria Franceschi, narrator. Tommaso Galligani, author – https://www.storyap.eu/la-calzolaia/
Third place
– Nie ważne kim się jest. Ważne kim chce się być – Poland. Author: Wojciech Telmanowski – https://www.storyap.eu/nie-wazne-kim-sie-jest-wazne-kim-chce-sie-byc/
The European jury was composed by: Italy – Claudio Tosi, Velia Cimino; UK – Anne Marie Carty, James Gormley; Poland – Anna Skocz, Katarzyna Fusiek.

National finalists
Country: UK
Answering the Call. Authors: Zap Group

Untold stories. Authors: Action media/real time

Country: Italy
LA GUERRA È COME. Authors: Mirvat Sayegh, narrator. UNHCR, autore con la collaborazione di Siamo Coop –

LA CALZOLAIA. Authors: Vittoria Franceschi, narrator. Tommaso Galligani, author

La movida madrilena. Author: Zaloa Garcia

Country: Sweden
Empowerment of migrant and refugee woman. Author: Deniz Idil Altan

Country: Poland
No matter who you are. It matters who you want to be. Author: Wojciech Telmanowski