Strega Prize 2026

This year, the Strega Prize celebrates its eightieth anniversary and, to celebrate the occasion, will temporarily move to Piazza del Campidoglio for the final evening on July 8, 2026, leaving the historic site of the Nymphaeum of Villa Giulia. The event, which includes a rich calendar of international meetings and celebratory exhibitions, will enliven the capital until August.

Founded in 1947, the brainchild of Maria Bellonci and Guido Alberti, during the Sunday Friends meetings at the Bellonci house, they came up with the idea of ​​creating a new literary prize that would contribute to the country's cultural revival in postwar Italy. The Strega Prize was thus announced on February 17, 1947, and thanks to Guido Alberti's patronage, it was named after the liqueur produced by the family business.

Since that date, the Friends of Sunday, now comprising an electoral body of four hundred women and men of culture, have cast their votes in two sessions: the first, in June, to select the five finalists; the second, in July, to elect the winner. Since its inception, the Strega Prize has been a reflection of the cultural landscape and literary tastes of Italians, chronicling our country and documenting its changes. Today, more than ever, Italy's most prestigious literary award remains a faithful reflection of the country's cultural, social, and linguistic transformations.

The Rome event isn't limited to the announcement of the winner, but also extends to a packed cultural program spread throughout the region. The six finalist authors will be officially presented on Tuesday, June 30th at 6:30 PM at the Casa delle Letterature, in a meeting moderated by Simonetta Sciandivasci.

To underline the cosmopolitan scope of the event, there is also the Strega Prize Sessions – Literature beyond borders, the series of three conversations in English, created in collaboration with the Festival of Foreign Academies and Cultural Institutes, which features three great names in Italian fiction: Sandro Veronesi - Wednesday 1 July at the MACRO Auditorium), Helena Janeczek - Thursday 2 July at the Auditorium Hall of Palazzo Esposizioni) and Edoardo Albinati - July 3 Auditorium Hall of Palazzo Esposizioni). Info >www.museomacro.it/evento/premio-strega-sessions-letteratura-oltre-i-confini
Further enhancing the eightieth anniversary celebrations is the exhibition One, Five, Twelve. Eighty Years of the Strega Prize, hosted in the rooms of the MACRO Museum at via Nizza 138. The documentary and photographic exhibition remains open to the public until August 30, 2026, offering an immersive journey through the history of publishing and great contemporary literature. Info >premiostrega.it/PS/uno-cinque-dodici-ottantanni-del-premio-strega

For the program, please visit the official website: www.premiostrega.it

Photo: official poster of the event