NeRoma-Tenerife Noir Prize Returns, Offering Spanish Crime Writers Italian Publishing Deal

The NeRoma – Tenerife Noir International Prize is back for its third year, offering a unique opportunity for Spanish-language crime writers to reach an international audience. More than just a literary contest, the prize serves as a professional gateway to the Italian publishing market, a cornerstone of the European crime genre.

The competition is held in partnership with Il Giallo Mondadori, a legendary publication founded in 1929 that has launched the careers of many of the world’s most famous mystery authors. Unlike many awards that offer only a cash prize, this contest guarantees that the winning story will be translated and published by Il Giallo Mondadori. This gives the author a level of global exposure that is often difficult to achieve through traditional publishing routes. The success of last year’s winner, Gonzalo Ramón Herrera Arteaga, has further cemented the importance of the Tenerife Noir and NeRoma festivals in promoting Spanish-language crime fiction.

The selection process involves an initial screening by the Tenerife festival team, followed by a final decision from an international jury. To enter, writers must submit an unpublished story in Spanish, between 25,000 and 40,000 characters in length. Entries must be sent in .doc or .docx format to storie@neroma.it by July 31.

The winner will be announced this October at the ninth NeRoma Noir Festival in Rome, with an official ceremony to follow at the 2027 Tenerife Noir festival. As crime fiction continues to grow in popularity worldwide, this prize offers a strategic opportunity for writers to join one of Europe’s most prestigious and long-standing literary collections. Full submission guidelines can be found on the official Tenerife Noir website.