From Thursday, April 16, through Sunday, April 19, Assisi becomes the beating heart of inclusive illustrated reading with the eighth edition of the National Illustrated Tactile Publishing Competition “TOUCH TO YOU!”, promoted and organized by the National Federation of Institutions for the Blind, the Robert Hollman Foundation of Padua and Cannero Riviera (Verbania), and Serafico di Assisi , which is hosting the 2026 edition.
The Prize, established 15 years ago in 2011, has the task of promoting and supporting in Italy the production and dissemination of tactile picture books, which are indispensable tools for the neurocognitive development of children with visual impairment, but also valuable vehicles for knowledge, experimentation, play and school and social integration.
On Saturday, April 18 and Sunday, April 19, again at the Serafico di Assisi, there will be an awards ceremony (at 11 a.m.) and two panel discussions (at 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 18, and 10 a.m. on Sunday, April 19) on the Contest and its impact on the territories, where inclusive experiences flourish and develop, thanks to tactile picture books, to promote the right to read of every child, including those with visual impairment.
In addition, on Saturday, April 18 and Sunday, April 19, from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the Seraphic Workshops area, there will be a free tour of the exhibition of the 180 competing works, and “Tactile go!”, a traveling library of accessible readings by the National Federation of Institutions for the Blind, will be on display.
The previous two days, however, on April 16 and 17, will be devoted to the work of the two national juries: the Senior Jury (composed of experts and people with visual impairment) and the Youth Jury (composed of children and young people with and without visual impairment) will have the task of selecting the 5 winning books and the 7 to be awarded special mentions.
There are 180 tactile picture books in this year’s competition: once again authors, teachers, educators, children, and artists, including international ones, have shown creativity and ingenuity to create stories and tales that, in the name of the rights to reading and inclusion, can be touched, thanks to different materials and textures used to enrich the images, and read with black and Braille characters even by blind and visually impaired children and youth.
Five awards and seven special mentions
The five winning “Your Turn!” books will participate, representing the‘Italy, in the 18th international competition “Typhlo & Tactus” to be held in Prague, Czech Republic, from October 28-30, 2026.
The winner of the first prize “Best Italian Book” – National Federation of Pro Blind Institutions prize will be awarded a cash prize of 1,500 euros. Four other prizes of 500 euros will be awarded to the respective winners of the categories“Best Artist’s Book” – Mauro Evangelista prize offered by Kiwanis Club Assisi and Cuore d’Italia;“Best Young Jury Book” – UICI Regional Council of Umbria prize;“Best Educational Book” – Serafico di Assisi prize;“Best Book Early Books Section” – Robert Hollman prize.
Also provided are seven special mentions for the best “Seraphic of Assisi” book aimed at readers with complex disabilities; the best “Project of the Heart” book made by operators who daily devote care and professionalism to the world of disabilities; the best “S’Ed” book that facilitates accessibility to cultural heritage, museums and the territory; the best “Fabric book” handcrafted in fabric; “Game-book” mention for the best artifact on the borderline between book and game; “Editable book” mention for the book that best lends itself to being reproduced in multiple copies; best book created by schools that joined the “Tactile Sound Kit” project.
The middle two days
Saturday, 18 at 11 a.m., in the Convention Hall, the awards ceremony is scheduled, preceded by institutional greetings from the various bodies involved in the Competition.
In the afternoon, also in the Conference Hall at Seraphico, there will be a round table discussion “Tactile picture books: from the Contest to the territories” opened by an introduction by Giancarlo Abba, Federazione pro Ciechi (Rome) typhlopedagogical consultant and president of the Senior “Tocca a te!” jury(The Federazione pro Ciechi and the “Tocca a te!” Contest: a journey that does not stop).
This will be followed by speeches by Enrica Polato, Robert Hollman Foundation consultant and research fellow at the University of Bologna ( The “I Feel” project between emotions, participatory design and editable); Francesca Piccardi, head of the Centro di Consulenza Tiflodidattica – Federazione pro Ciechi at Serafico di Assisi ( When touch tells: stories to build and read with the hands); Cristina Rivoir, educator and author of illustrated tactile books, winner of the “Tocca a te!” of Milan 2019 ( Tactile book: play as the language of accessibility); Silvia Contini, educator at Serafico di Assisi(Book and touch as educational mediators in multidisability); Serena Bruno, elementary school teacher and typhlological educator(The tactile book between time, space and shared meaning).
Finally, Stefano Alfano, curator of the “It’s Your Turn!” competition, Tactile Books Illustrated Federation Pro Ciechi, will present the “Tactile Sound Kit” project together with teachers from Le Grazie Primary School (I.C. Marconi in Terni) and theFalerone Comprehensive Institute in Servigliano (FM) who joined the initiative with their classes. Tatiana Mario, journalist and Robert Hollman Foundation communications liaison, will moderate the speeches.
Sunday, April 19, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. again in the Conference Hall at Seraphico, the gaze is broadened to an international context with the panel discussion “From Italy to the World: Comparing Multisensory Perspectives.”
After introductory greetings by Francesca Di Maolo, President of Serafico di Assisi, speakers include Elisa Bigini, a Montessori teacher and author of illustrated tactile books, winner of the Bologna 2023 “It’s Your Turn!” Contest (Storytelling and telling. Caressing stories, sharing experiences: the Tactile Library at school ); Claudia Rodrigues De Freitas, lecturer at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Porto Alegre (“What’s in the Basket”: children’s books in different formats); Pietro Vecchiarelli, curator of the exhibition “Stories on Fingers. Trees” (“Stories on Fingers. Trees” An experience to see, touch, smell and listen to); Paola Terranova, typhlologist and librarian at the Regional Institute for the Blind “G. Garibaldi” in Reggio Emilia (A library in the Institute, a library for everyone); Francesco Bellanti, professional educator at Serafico di Assisi (The theater as a home); Laura Cattabianchi, artist and author(The sounds of paper).
The program concludes with an in-depth discussion “Inclusive Culture in International Museums” with Mirei Murauchi, museum curator Itabashi Art Museum, Tokyo(The Itabashi Art Museum’s tactile projects) and Nao Saito, architect and UNI designer(Cultural Accessibility in Museums). Moderating all morning talks will be Bianca Maria Tagliaferri, president of the Regional Observatory on the Status of Persons with Disabilities.
