Palafrugell announces the 9th Tom Sharpe English Writing Prize

The Palafrugell City Council has opened the call for the 9th Tom Sharpe School Essay Prize in English 2025-2026, aimed at all students enrolled in 4th year of ESO (compulsory secondary education) and 1st year of Baccalaureate in the municipality’s educational centers. The call is detailed in a resolution dated January 12, 2026, signed by Mayor Laura Millán Morales, and is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Girona (BOP no. 163, edict 7513, August 25, 2026).

The contest consists of writing an essay in English in memory of the writer Tom Sharpe, who lived and wrote his final novels in Llafranc. The call has been published as an extract, in accordance with articles 17.3.b and 20.8.a of the General Subsidies Law 38/2003, of November 17, and the full text can be consulted in the National Subsidies Database (BDNS, identifier 925732) and on the City Council’s electronic office.

Prizes for each center

Awards will be granted for each participating center, with one prize for ESO and another for Baccalaureate, consisting of exchangeable vouchers for computer stores, sports shops, and bookstores in Palafrugell, which will be detailed at the time of delivery:

• €100 in exchangeable vouchers for ESO, plus 2 books by the writer Tom Sharpe.
• €125 in exchangeable vouchers for Baccalaureate, plus 2 books by the writer Tom Sharpe.

The expenditure generated by these subsidies is charged to the budget application 33.3200.22613, up to a limit of 1,300 euros.

Deadline and submission

The opening of the call is the date of publication of the rules, and the deadline for submitting the essays is set for March 27. The works must be uploaded to the Microsoft OneDrive of the City Council’s Education Area.

The regulatory bases governing the granting and justification of the 2026 municipal subsidies can be consulted in the BOP of Girona, and the full text of the call is available on the electronic office of the Palafrugell City Council.

An appointment with literary memory

The prize pays tribute to Tom Sharpe, a British writer who settled on the Costa Brava and wrote his final novels in Llafranc. The call consolidates a school tradition that links the learning of the English language with the memory of an author closely tied to the municipality, and offers Palafrugell students the opportunity to participate in a competition with economic and cultural recognition.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Girona, no. 163, August 25, 2026, p. 1-1 (official reference: CVE BOP-2026_0_163_7513).