A gay couple, Fabio and Gianmarco, have won the “most beautiful kiss” Valentine’s Day contest that was being hosted in the province of Catania in Italy.

The contest – titled “Vote the most beautiful kiss” – originated on Facebook. The contest drew attention from a litany of couples who submitted pictures of themselves kissing, which would then be judged based on the amount of likes said pictures received. The total number of couples who locked lips for a chance to win was around 1,300.

The winning couple put themselves forward with a photo that immediately won the hearts of many users, receiving 2,600 likes on Facebook. The runners-up for the contest were Christian and Vincenza, whose photo got 1,300 likes.

Soon after the win, Fabio posted on Facebook thanking those who voted for them and the sponsors for what they did. He also used the post to underline some of the homophobic comments that came after submitting the photo, though these were few when compared to the plethora of supportive comments for the gay couple kissing.

The contest was sponsored by the Beauty Garden Banqueting Restaurant and Softcar Autonoleggi. The owner of the restaurant, Claudio Leocata, has responded to the gay couple kiss, saying: “Theirs is a very elegant kiss and deserved to win.”

The reward for the “most beautiful kiss” Valentine’s Day winners includes being picked up by a Porsche Panamera – donated by Softcar Autonoleggi – and brought to the Beauty Garden Banqueting Restaurant.

This comes soon after a gay man was beaten in a brutal homophobic attack in a popular nightclub, which took place in the town of Cesenatico, also in Italy.

Unlike Cesenatico, which is noted as having some LGBT+ concerns, Catania is known for being part of the LGBT+ scene in Italy. Globetrotter, a global travel management firm, has stated on its website that Catania is “one of the most gay-friendly cities in Sicily”. Lonely Planet, a travel guide book publisher, has also recommended Catania for LGBT+ travellers.