Titles will concern the development of hypertexts either in Italian or in English, containing images, texts, sound and film on artistic, cultural or historic subjects to be subsequently realised on multimedia support.

Art. 1
With the contribution of the European Commission - General Direction III Industry and with the participation of the Presidency of the Italian Government - department for information and publishing, the Finsiel S.p.A. - Education and Culture unit and Marsilio Publishers offer an award of

composed by a cheque of 4,500 ECU, a collection of books by Marsilio Publishers and a collection of multimedia products published by Finsiel for a general value of 1,500 ECU.

The winning multimedia work will be published on CD ROM or in Internet.

To the winner or other deserving participants, according to the unquestionable judgement of the examining committee, can be offered two educational internships of a variable duration between 4 and 6 months at the Finsiel company or at the Marsilio publishing house with an expenses refund of 800 ECU gross per month.

Art. 2
All European Community citizens are admitted to the competition. The work will have to be drawn up in Italian or English. Every applicant can only present one work.

Persons born before Dec. 15th 1961 are not admitted to the competition. Legal persons, societies, public bodies, and associations can not participate to the competition.

Works with more than three authors are not admitted.

Those who would like to participate have to send to the Secretariat of the Musa Prize 1996, San Marco 3198, San Samuele, 30124 Venezia (Italy) before Dec. 15th 1996 (date of the postal mark):

Art. 3
A.Information about the author/s:

1) Request for admission on unstamped paper, addressed to the "Secretariat of the Musa Prize 1996" with the declaration of unpublished work and unconditional acceptance of the clauses of the call;

2) Birth certificate or substituting affidavit declaring the date of birth of each author;

3) Curriculum vitae et studiorum, with name, address, domicile, telephone, work experience and interests;

4) Title of the work.

B. Work

1) Title and brief description/resumé of the work's typology (on-line product, electronic book, guide, catalogue, etc.), the kind of interactiveness (navigation, consultation), the work's objectives, the target the author is addressing (its potentialities). Please provide three copies.

2) Precise bibliographic references: a) textual; b) multimedia (images, verbal or musical comments, etc.), organized in screenforms.

The committee will attentively evaluate the completeness of the information specifically concerning the multimedia. Three copies.

3) Navigation map: definition of hypertextual, interactive navigation map or paths (either in paper or other support) which connects the author's texts and the supporting multimedia bibliography emerging from the various files. Three copies.

The work presented by the author will have to be documented, complete and have a scientific and consistent exposition.

Participants are kindly requested to bind the paperwork concerning points B 1, 2 and 3 of ART. 3. in three copies (each of them complete).

4) Other materials: Authors can also include and send reference materials, such as: a) videocassettes: video-clips should not be longer than 20 minutes b) newspaper articles, music-cassettes, iconographies, etc. One copy.

The work can be on paper and can be integrated or substituted by a software product (like ToolBook for PC or Hypercard for MAC), to render the navigation flow explicit.

Works will have to be anonymous and without title under posta cover (registered) with the following annotation on the envelope: "It contains materials for the Musa Prize 1996". In the big envelope containing the work, a smaller, closed envelope will be inserted, containing the "information about the author/s" (ART. 3A).

Art. 4
The award will be granted by the president based on the judgement of the examining committee. The committee will be formed by five members, chosen among the representatives of the promoting societies, experts in the field and university professors. The committee is composed by the president, dr. Attilio Stajano (Counselor of the European Commission) and the following members: prof. Alberto Abruzzese, full professor of Mass Communication and Sociology at the University "La Sapienza" of Rome; prof. Cesare De Michelis, president of Marsilio Publishers: dr. Bruno Brunelli, Multimedia Services Responsible of UIC Finsiel; dr. M. Luisa Polichetti, manager of the Central Institute for the Catalogue and Documentation, Ministry of Cultural and Environmental Heritage; dr. Mauro Masi, head of the department for Information and Publishing of the Presidency of the Italian Government. The majority of the votes will elect the winner. The committee's evaluation is in any way unquestionable and unappealable.

The committee reserves the right not to grant the award or to divide it between several winners. The forwarded material will not be returned. In case of assignment of the award, the author will committ himself to complete the work in its contents. The result will remain under his exclusive and unquestionable authority.

Finsiel and Marsilio reserve the exclusive right of publishing, in its wholeness or partially, the winning work within Dec. 15th 1998.

Finsiel and Marsilio Publishers will involve the winner/s in the possible publishing realisation of the work which will be payed according to the usual procedures.

A publication without any compensation for the participants is expected: a catalogue entitled "The Musa Prize 1996: ideas for a multimedia title" will contain all the titles examined by the committee with a resumé of the works and the names of the authors.

The winners will receive a certificate of participation with the evaluation of the committee.

The results of the competition and a certificate of participation will be sent to all participants.

Awards will be assigned before the end of April 1997 and will have to be withdrawn personally by the winner/s at the place and date which will be indicated at least 15 days before the awarding ceremony.