Dissertation Prize in memory of Silvana Vassallo - 2nd edition 2025.

The Dissertation Prize dedicated to the memory of Silvana Vassallo, who passed on 14 June 2022, is the result of the initiative of her husband and daughter, together with the ETS publishing house (Pisa).
Silvana Vassallo was a passionate researcher in the field of contemporary art. She taught at the Academy of Fine Arts in Macerata and the Universities of Bologna and Pisa. In 2014, she founded the art gallery and project space “Passaggi," which she directed until 2019.
The prize has the specific aim of supporting meritorious young researchers at the end of their doctoral studies. The winner will receive a cash prize and the publication of their work in the new editorial series “ Passaggi." The series, published by Edizioni ETS, is directed by Sergio Cortesini (University of Pisa) and has a scientific committee composed as follows: Sandra Lischi (University of Pisa), Federica Muzzarelli (University of Bologna), Giulia Simi (University of Sassari), Javier Cuevas del Barrio (University of Malaga).
The jury will consider dissertations discussed in any Italian or European university or research institute from January 1st, 2023 to May 31st, 2025, on one or more of the following topics resonant with the interests of Silvana Vassallo:

-Aesthetics of video and digital art;
-Women artists' research between politics, practices, and aesthetics of emancipation;
-Photographic vision (photography as a means of structuring the visible);
-Between nature and artifice: collaborations between the arts, sciences, and technologies.
-The intertwining of artistic craftsmanship and new media
-The human body and artistic performance as expressions of "oblique" subjectivities
-Participatory processes in contemporary artistic research (the link between territories and communities)
-Women's writing and literature as inspiration for artistic research

The jury is composed by: Sergio Cortesini, Francesca Gallo, Sandra Lischi, Maria Giovanna Mancini, Ilaria Mariotti, Giuditta Panzieri, Denis Viva.

The dissertation will be published in Italian. However, works originally written in English will also be considered. If selected, the author will be required to translate the work into Italian for publication; the winner will also be required to self-certify the equivalence of the English and Italian versions.

To apply, candidates must send the following documents electronically to the following address: premiovassalloedizioniets.com by 31 May 2025:

-exact generalities
-nationality
-Place and time of the Ph.D. interview
-Digital copy of a valid identity card
-Ph.D. certificate
-Academic curriculum vitae, including publications, conference organization and participation
-Digital copy of the original version of the thesis
- An indication of the thematic area, among those specified in the announcement, to which the proposal relates
-An Italian abstract of the thesis (3000-5000 words) with a short bibliography. The abstract must summarise the content of the thesis; clarify the methodology used; and clarify the position of the thesis about previous studies on the same topic.

The prize will be awarded by a unanimous decision of the jury.

The decision will be communicated to the winner and published on the ETS website by 1 July 2025.