13 Aug “DATA! The game” – 2026 Book Award
The “DATA! The game®” Award, sponsored by the Academy Istituto Privacy and inspired by the game and video game of the same name on the value of data in the digital age, is promoted by the Italian Institute for Privacy and Data Valorisation. The award aims to highlight, honour and publicly recognise books already published in the European Economic Area or due to be published by April 2026 that are capable of enriching, at a global or local level, free debate, doctrine, dissemination and scientific research in the field of data law and its legal, economic and social value.
Apply the nomination by submitting a copy of a book (yours or someone else’s) in Italian or English. Books published in other languages are also eligible, but must be submitted in English translation.
WHY – Today more than ever, it is necessary to study problems and opportunities, research on reliable solutions and perspectives, and disseminate understandable content on the importance of data, for the freedom and dignity of human beings, but also for the relevance of information, including personal information, for the ethical purposes of protecting democracy, social utility, the right to innovation and sustainable development.
WHO – Individual authors over the age of 18 are eligible to participate. Books can also be submitted by individuals other than the authors.
WHAT TO SUBMIT AND WHEN – Applications must be sent by 31 December 2025 with the author’s first and last name by email to academy@istitutoprivacy.eu, attaching a copy of the book in PDF or Word format. If a digital copy is not available or if you are submitting books written by third parties, please send a copy of the book to the following address: Istituto Italiano per la Privacy e la Valorizzazione dei Dati – Premio DATA! – Piazza di San Salvatore in Lauro 13 – 00186 Rome – Italy – the postmark date will be considered valid. The book must be accompanied by proof of publication (ISBN) or a statement from the publisher that it will be published by 30 April 2026. The book must consist of an original legal essay or a popular work on the subjects of data law, personal data, artificial intelligence, information and communication technologies, and digital intellectual property. Submission of the book, in pdf or Word format, implies the temporary licence of the rights related to the reading of the text, for the sole purpose of its evaluation by the Selection Committee within the scope of this contest and without any profit-making purpose.
HOW AND WHEN THE SELECTION WILL TAKE PLACE – The Selection Committee will be composed of Italian and European experts in data law and innovation, who are completely independent and free from conflicts of interest, and will be appointed by the Board of Directors of the Italian Institute for Privacy and Data Valorisation by 31 December 2025. The names of the members of the Selection Committee will be published on the website of the Italian Institute for Privacy and Data Valorisation by 15 January 2026. The selection of the winners will take place by 28 February 2026. The legal merits of the works submitted will be evaluated according to the unquestionable judgement of the Selection Committee, taking into account not only the scientific soundness of the theses presented, but also their originality and vision. Participants will be notified by 15 March 2026 at the latest. The works submitted and the application data will be processed for the sole purpose of selection and stored for no longer than 60 days after the end of the competition, and then deleted (for the rest, the content of the information notice pursuant to Article 13 of the GDPR of the Italian Institute for Privacy and Data Valorisation, promoter of this literary contest, applies). The names of the winners will be published on the websites www.istitutoitalianoprivacy.it and on the relevant social media channels. The texts of the winning or participating books will not be published or disseminated.
HOW MUCH, WHERE AND WHEN THE PRIZES WILL BE AWARDED – The winners will receive a prize of EUR 1,000.00 for first place or EUR 500.00 for second place in the ranking (total amounts even in the case of collective works ) + 1 free ticket for the entire week of the Privacy & Data Governance Symposium 2026 in Venice. In addition, the winners will have the opportunity to present their book in the panel dedicated to the ‘DATA! The game®’ Award, as part of the Italian programme of the Privacy & Data Governance Symposium 2026. At the sole discretion of the Selection Committee, additional prizes may be awarded for literary and legal merit, in addition to the first prize of EUR 1,000.00 and the second prize of EUR 500.00.