Strong participation in the ENAIRE Foundation's aviation short story contest: from 60 to 308 stories in its seventh edition

The ENAIRE Foundation's 7th Short Story Contest 'Te lo cuento en el aire' saw strong participation, “confirming its growing prestige in the literary world and helping to establish aviation themes as a genre of literary and artistic expression”, according to the evaluation by Margarita Asuar, Managing Director of the ENAIRE Foundation.

Margarita Asuar, Managing Director of the ENAIRE Foundation, highlights the importance of the aviation short story contest in consolidating aviation themes as a literary and artistic genre of expression

The literary contest organised by the ENAIRE Foundation, which relates to airports, flights, air transport, or any other subject involving aviation, received 308 short stories in this seventh edition, representing a fivefold increase in the number of entries compared to the first edition in 2018, when 60 participants took part.

“Since the dawn of humanity, we have been travelling both physically and mentally. Writing stories about airports or air travel takes us to the present day, where aeronautical advances allow us to take journeys in hours that once took months, and without losing the allure of what we see, since from the moment we enter an airport, we find large architectural spaces that undoubtedly inspire countless stories”, explains the director of the ENAIRE Foundation.

History of a Short Stories Contest

The ENAIRE Foundation launched the Short Story Contest in 2018, and participation has grown ever since. The fact that each participant can submit only one story, with the contest open to all individuals over 18, of any nationality, residing in Spain, demonstrates the success of a competition that continues to gain prominence year after year in Spain. 

“This is not an essay competition, but a short story contest, with a minimum length of 2,000 words and a maximum of 2,500 words. It’s a format that is easy to read but requires practice to present a brief story with a clear beginning, middle, and end”, explains the director of the ENAIRE Foundation.

Evaluation phase of the stories submitted

With the submission deadline now passed, the evaluation phase begins, with the jury being convened in early November. The winning story will be announced in late December.

The prize is €1,000, and the winning story will be published on the ENAIRE Foundation’s website and promoted via its social media channels. 

“The monetary prize isn’t the main focus; the participation and the excitement of having your story published is much more significant. Developing our literary abilities beyond the limited characters of a text message is crucial to keeping our culture alive. This contest is highly recommended for anyone who listened to short stories told by their elders in their youth, whether to participate or simply to read the stories”, explains the director of the ENAIRE Foundation.

The winner will headline the 30th anniversary celebration of the ENAIRE Foundation on 30 January 2025, alongside the winners of the 17th Photography Awards, the 29th Aeronautical Awards in 2024, the Lifetime Achievement Award presented to Paloma Navares, and the Honorary Award presented to Chema Madoz.

Short Story Contest 'Te lo cuento en el aire'

About ENAIRE Foundation

Is a cultural institution of the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility that, in addition to managing, preserving and exhibiting the ENAIRE Collection of Contemporary Art, engages in a comprehensive annual programme of activities that focus on aeronautical art and culture. Notably, it is one of the institutions that currently provides the most support to photography through its annual prizes - which have become a benchmark for professional photographers - and by hosting exhibits.

It is the only foundation in Spain that combines the two seemingly disparate themes of art and aeronautical culture, bringing them together by undertaking a programme of activities that promote the study, research, knowledge and dissemination of aeronautical culture, integrating history and modernity to raise awareness of the world of aviation in our country.

The Naves de Gamazo are the first permanent home of the ENAIRE Collection of Contemporary Art, an example of collaboration between government agencies that was made possible thanks to the partnership and joint efforts of the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, the Government of Cantabria, through the Office for Culture, Tourism and Sport, and the Port Authority of Santander, which share the operating expenses of the centre in order to ensure the present and future viability of this cultural project.

ENAIRE Foundation is implementing digital museum resources to boost the democratisation of art and make it accessible from anywhere in the world. These new museum resources are now available on the Foundation's website.

About ENAIRE

ENAIRE is the air navigation service provider in Spain.

As a company of the Ministry of Sustainable Transport and Mobility, it provides air traffic control services during the en route and approach phases of all flights to and from Spain and overflights. In addition, it manages communications, navigation and surveillance services from ENAIRE in the airspace and the entire AENA airport network in Spain and provides aerodrome air traffic control services in 21 airports, including the busiest.

ENAIRE is the fourth largest European air navigation service provider, and it is a member of international partnerships A6 Alliance, SESAR (Single European Sky ATM Research) Joint Undertaking, SESAR Deployment Manager, iTEC, CANSO (Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation) and collaborates closely with ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization).

ENAIRE has received the highest score in Europe on the aviation safety key performance indicator for four years in a row. It has also been awarded the EFQM 600 Seal for its safe, efficient, innovative and sustainable management of air navigation services.