The 2017 National Italian Exam, a national contest of Italian language and culture for middle school and high school students, organized by the American Association of teachers of Italian (AATI), was recently concluded.

From California to Massachusetts to Puerto Rico, 5,465 students representing 16 states participated in the contest. The exam was administered online on the Quia platform during the month of March (to accommodate different programs and calendars of the teachers) and the winners were announced on April 30. Ninety-eight students were awarded over $15,000 in prizes. Additionally, Lucrezia Lindia, president of the Italian Honor Society, has contributed $1,200 and her committee selected 24 students for Honorable Mention awards.