The 19th Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) Short Story Contest announced its winners today at the Jaume Fuster Library in Barcelona's Gràcia district, drawing a record 1,556 submissions. This year's competition saw a 57% rise in entries compared to the last regular edition in 2024, with public transport networks serving as the central theme for all stories.
Record Participation and School Growth
The School Story section experienced the most significant growth, receiving 450 texts. This figure marks an increase of 50 stories from last year and triple the entries from the edition before that. Seventy-nine different educational centres participated this year, reflecting a strong engagement from young writers across the province of Barcelona.
Xavier Flores, TMB's Chief Executive and jury president, highlighted the high narrative quality of the stories. Mr Flores also noted "the increase in participation from schools and their students, reaching almost eighty different educational centres across the province of Barcelona this year." He praised the young participants for their creativity and effort.
Judging Criteria and Contest Purpose
The competition featured four distinct categories: Free Story, Tweet Story, School Story, and TMB Personal Story. Participants in the School Story section divided into two age groups, 8 to 12 years and 13 to 17 years, ensuring fair assessment for different developmental stages. All submitted stories had to use TMB public transport as their main theme, encouraging imaginative connections to daily city life.
The jury, chaired by Mr Flores, considered several key elements when evaluating entries. They looked at narrative quality, originality, story structure, and cohesion. The emotional or reflective impact of each story also played a role in the final decisions. Other distinguished jury members included Mònica Peinado, TMB's Director of Communication and Institutional Relations, and Franco Chiaravallotti, a professor from the Ateneu Barcelonès Writing School.
Promoting Creative Writing
The Jaume Fuster Library, a prominent cultural hub in the Gràcia neighbourhood, hosted the awards ceremony. Gràcia is a lively district known for its community feel and independent shops, attracting many residents and visitors. The library provides a fitting backdrop for an event celebrating local literary talent.
Mr Flores stated the contest helps "incentivise reading and writing among children and young people and consolidates itself as a competition with almost 20 editions that promotes culture and creative writing around public transport." This long-running initiative aims to foster a love for literature and storytelling from an early age. The 2025 edition of the contest was a special event, commemorating the centenary of the Barcelona Metro, before returning to its regular format this year.
Top Schools and Collaborations
Institut Ventura Gassol in Badalona submitted the most stories, with 86 entries, showing exceptional engagement from its students. Institució Igualada in Jorba secured second place for overall participation. Ester Pinter, a teacher from Institut Ventura Gassol, received the award for the most motivating teacher, recognising her efforts in inspiring young writers.
The contest collaborated with several key organisations to ensure its success. These partners included Biblioteques de Barcelona, the Diputació de Barcelona's municipal library network, and the Ateneu Barcelonès Writing School. Samsung also provided support. Abacus Més, a cultural and educational services cooperative, joined as a new partner this year, further expanding the contest's reach and resources. This network of support helps the competition continue to foster literary talent and engagement with public transport across the Barcelona region.
Sign up for our new entrepreneurs community Bizcelona, now accepting our second wave of applicants.
Originally published by TMB Barcelona News. Read original article.
