You read sport, you write life. On 4 September 2025, the sixth edition of the Invictus Literary Prize, which since 2020 has opened up a qualified point of observation and discussion on Italian sports literature. The Prize is organised by the publishing house Lab DFG, with the co-participation of the Minister for Sport and Youths, the support of the FS Group, the Municipalities of Cisterna di Latina and Sermoneta, the Istituto del Credito Sportivo e Culturale, the Chamber of Commerce of Frosinone Latina and the Roffredo Caetani Foundation.
In just a few years Invictus has become the most important award in the sector for authors and publishers, to the point of being selected, together with Strega and Lucca Comics, to represent the Italian literary awards at the Frankfurt International Book Fair, where Italy returned as guest of honour after 36 years.
THE WINNER AND PRIZES
The prize jury, chaired by rowing Olympian Davide Tizzano and coordinated by the dean of sports journalists Italo Cucci, reached a unanimous verdict. È Try again, Mr Cascione by Marco Marsullo, for Feltrinelli, to triumph in the sixth edition of the Invictus Sports Literary Prize.
The Grandi Lettori - Gruppo FS prize goes to Senna: le verità by Franco Nugnes for Minerva; the Blu Banca prize to F1 Backstage by Riccardo Patrese and Giorgio Terruzzi for Rizzoli; the Consorzio Stabile per lo sviluppo sostenibile prize is awarded to Il mio calcio eretico by Filippo Galli for Piemme edizioni; finally, the STI prize goes to Il giallo del tour by Beppe Conti for Minerva.
THE WINNING BOOK
Cheeky and genuine, dreamer and rogue, stubborn to win but used to losing, Vanni Cascione, the most exonerated football coach in history, has only one commandment: never give up. After a couple of seasons as an unemployed man, he receives an offer he cannot refuse: the Guardia Rovente Calcio, of the president (or rather, of the Big Boss, as he likes to call himself) Guerino Rovente, has decided to bet on him. Cascione has no doubts: his tactical skills, combined with the club's money, will be a winning combination. So he hastily slips a suitcase into his car and heads for a small village on the Calabrian coast overlooking the sea, a few wary souls who triple in size in summer with the arrival of holidaymakers. But, as soon as he arrives at his destination, he discovers a detail that, thanks to his enthusiasm and desire to return to the bench, had escaped him: the Guardia Rovente is a women's football team. Dismayed and displaced, Cascione - who never thought women could play football - accepts the assignment anyway. A beautiful and surreal football season begins, with the tragicomic vicissitudes that involve mister Cascione every time he takes the field. An ironic and very topical novel, which dismantles one by one the stereotypes linked to women's sport, starting with football, which has become very popular in Italy. A generational comedy, in the style of Marco Marsullo.
TRIBUTE TO NINO BENVENUTI AND AWARD CEREMONY FOR CHIARA PELLACANI
During the evening, the journalist Dario Ricci presented an emotional tribute to the great champion Nino Benvenuti, in the presence of his daughter Nathalie Bertorello, his historical sparring partner Elio Calcabrini, the former super featherweight world champion Michael Magnesi, and the Vice President of Federboxe Rosario Africano. The sporting moments continued with the awarding as athlete of the year of the newly crowned diving world champion Chiara Pellacani (who intervened by video from the United States), the video message of the 2025 Invictus Ambassador Ambra Sabatini, Paralympic champion, and the celebration of the area's sporting excellence, namely Cisterna Volleyball. In the audience, represented by sole administrator Cristina Cruciani, general manager Candido Grande, team manager Danilo Cirelli, coach Daniele Morato and the three players of the Pontine team Filippo Lanza, Alessandro Fanizza and Tommaso Guzzo.
THE WINNERS OF PAST EDITIONS OF THE INVICTUS AWARD
2020 ‘La via perfetta’ by Daniele Nardi with Alessandra Carati (Einaudi)
2021 ex-aequo ‘La cena degli dei di Marino Bartoletti’ (Gallucci) and ‘Le Canaglie’, by Angelo Carotenuto (Sellerio)
2022 ‘The Diamond is Forever’, by Mario Salvini (Terre di Mezzo)
2023 ‘Pantani per sempre’, by Davide De Zan (Libreria Pienogiorno)
2024 ‘The Shape of Dreams’, Andrej Longo (Sellerio).
2025 ‘Try again, mister Cascione’, Marco Marsullo (Feltrinelli)
