After the great success of the first edition of the Caterina de' Medici Painting Award which took place in Florence, Italy on March 9-16, 2002, we now have the pleasure of announcing the organization of the Caterina de’Medici Painting Award, an arresting, exclusive cultural event and also a definitive tourist attraction. The Award will take place in Florence in 2005 and it will be organized by Caterina de’Medici of Florence Society with the support of the Common of Florence – the Councillorship of Popular Tradition and International Relations.
All participants are welcome-professional painters and amateurs who are passionate about and lovers of this art genre they may come from Italy or from any part of the world.
The awards committee has arranged for an 8-day cultural stay in Florence this ad hoc initiative is called the Caterina de' Medici Painting Awards Competition and it’s open to the painters of all the world.

In 2005 The Painting Award “ Caterina de’ Medici” will take place in Florence and in Chianti from 19 to 26 of March and the topic will be ”Florence and Chianti in the eyes of the world”. And all the towns of the world twined with Florence will be involved.
The competing participants must create a free style painting. All the works must be realized in Florence or in the Chianti area during the 8-day trip.
All painting styles and techniques are acceptable and the topic must be “ Florence and Chianti in the eyes of the world”: all the participants should arrive on Saturday 19 of March. At 8:00 PM, the first Gala Dinner will take place. The City Authorities will officially welcome the competitors.
All participants will receive stamped canvases or special paper for watercolors, especially prepared by the organization on which they will realize their works.
No 'works of art' such as those created on different materials or those created before the competition will be taken into consideration.
The artists will have 5 days of their stay to carry out their painting. They will be able to visit sites that are not usually available, where they can draw inspiration or capture the reality of Florence and Chianti.

ALL ENTRIES MUST BE PRESENTED TO THE CATERINA DE' MEDICI PAINTING AWARDS RECEPTION OFFICE ON THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2004-NO LATER THAN 6 PM
All entries will be framed and put on display in a public exhibition at one historical locals of Florence: “Sala Brunelleschi of Parte Guelfa”.
An international jury of experts will decide about the winners. The President of the jury will be WOLE SOYINKA, Nobel prizewinner for literature (1986). On Saturday, 26 March, 2005 at 10,00 the inauguration of the official Exhibit will take place: all of the entries will be on show. All of the participants will receive then a second especially prepared canvas or watercolor paper. They will have three hours to create another work that will be judged by a jury made up of the visitors to the exhibition in “Piazza della Repubblica”(Repubblica Square). .
THE CATERINA DE' MEDICI PAINTING AWARDS will be presented to the winners during the Gala Dinner on Saturday 26 March. All the participants will receive a parchment certifying their participation. This initiative will have the merit of initiating a new type of tourism with a strongly based cultural program that will be repeated every year. We are certain that all those who are interested in knowing Florence and its beauties will be able to create a personal work of art, following their own bent; the most important aspect is that the winner work will be exposed in the most interesting cities of the world for art and culture and this will be very satisfying for the painters.

The awarded works of arts will remain the property of the organization and will be donated to the COMMON OF FLORENCE.