The Economy of Francesco is preparing its fourth global event and issues an invitation to participate in a competition that includes multiple narrative and artistic expressions. In this process of the economy’s transformation, new narrative capitals need to be built.

Do we ever think about the fact that human beings are the only ones on this planet capable of narrating stories? For centuries, storytelling has allowed the various cultures to pass on their own story, their own values, their own traditions, and their own collective wisdom from one generation to the next. Today, communication evolves, but narrating stories still allows us to pass on and keep alive a certain vision of reality.

Stories are a strong way to share ideas, theories, and complex concepts. They simplify delicate issues, rendering them more accessible and comprehensible. This is always more precious in a world where efficient communication is of vital importance.

There’s an urgent need for narrative, social, and spiritual capital

“We are all creators of meaning. This is why the first capital of every society is the spiritual one” Pope Francis says in September 2022, during the event that reunited young entrepreneurs and economists, The Economy of Francesco, underlining that “our world is quickly consuming this essential form of capital accumulated over the centuries by religions, wisdom traditions, popular piety”. Starting from this affirmation, the commitment to reconstructing those capitals that shape and give a true meaning to the economy is born within the global community of The Economy of Francesco.

A theme often unexplored and practically absent in the books of economics, but essential to turning around the economic narrative that led us into a world still characterized by inequalities that pose different and multiple challenges in the various realities and geographic zones. The economy needs to overcome its crisis of meaning and be revived in its modalities and concepts.

And thus returns the idea of creating stories. On its website, the organization committee of The Economy of Francesco underlines that “the worlds of economics, business, and finance are human places where the greatest suffering is for the famine of the living and true words, on one hand, and for the great quantity of useless chatter, on the other: words, phrases, and expressions that are too poor to narrate the human things that happen, slogans that are the expression of a single thought contributing to the loss of biodiversity and generativity”.

A competition that involves the heart, the mind, and the hands

Strong in the belief that stories can shed light on important issues, put the rules into discussion, and inspire a collective action, The Economy of Francesco launched an invitation to participate in the contest “The stories we are“. The contest is open to art enthusiasts, economists, students, professionals, and anyone else who believes in the potential and power of a new narration. Works can be presented in the following categories: podcast, song, video, poem, brief narration, letter, diary, and visual art.

The competition aims to value the transformative impact of music, silence, language, and artistic expression and encourage the emerging of new and inspiring narrations. The works selected will be presented during the Global Gathering in October and receive a symbolic prize.

The theme is free and can be inspired by the challenges and hopes of our time, in line with the themes discussed in The Economy of Francesco. The works can be presented in any language and must be submitted by the 10th of September at this email address: application@francescoeconomy.org. For any inquiries or information, email staff@francescoeconomy.org

To remain updated on the contest and event, please visit the website at www.francescoeconomy.org