The Strega Prize: the role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with one-third of the votes coming from the Italian Cultural Institutes. Tajani: ‘Books tell the story of Italy[...]

Hosted for the first time at the Campidoglio, the Strega Prize will hold its final ceremony this evening, during which the winner of the 2026 edition will be chosen from among the six finalists: Teresa Ciabatti, Michele Mari, Matteo Nucci, Alcide Pierantozzi, Bianca Pitzorno and Elena Rui.
The Strega Prize is Italy's most prestigious literary award, combining a national dimension with the significance of Italian literature's international reach.

For some time now, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through its Italian Cultural Institutes, has been supporting the international dimension of the Strega Prize. In fact, 245 out of 800 - one third of the total votes - were cast by members of the network of Cultural Institutes, selected on the basis of geographical representation and rotation. Among them are many prominent figures from the international publishing world, which helps to promote our literature around the world.

"The involvement of the Italian Cultural Institutes in selecting the finalists, as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' growing commitment to supporting Italian literature abroad - including through key measures such as funding for translations - demonstrates how diplomacy for growth is also achieved through culture and its main cultural industry, namely publishing," said Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani, who added that "literature reflects part of our identity but also the richness through which Italy is able to present itself to the world".

The partnership between the Italian Cultural Institutes and the Strega Prize was established in 2009 to bolster the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' efforts to promote Italian literature around the world. Every year, the finalists for the Prize are presented at one of the Italian Cultural Institutes. This year, the choice fell on Mexico City, a strategic stopover ahead of Italy's participation as guest of honour at the Guadalajara International Book Fair, scheduled to take place from 28 November to 6 December.