The 2026 Premiolino celebrates quality journalism: the winners of the 66th edition have been announced.

From Anna Foa to Viviana Mazza, including Gabriella Colarusso, Stefano Feltri, Floriana Bulfon, and Sacha Biazzo: Italy's oldest journalism award confirms its role as a benchmark for quality reporting. The Pirelli Prize for Education was awarded to Rai Scuola.

MILANO - The Premiolino, the oldest and most authoritative Italian journalism award, renews its appointment with the excellence of information by announcing the winners of the 66 editionThe jury, meeting at the Bicocca degli Arcimboldi of Milano, awarded six protagonists of Italian journalism who distinguished themselves for their professional rigor, quality of writing, independence, ability to interpret the complexity of the present, and civic commitment.

Supported by Pirelli , the Premiolino has represented one of the most prestigious awards dedicated to the world of information for over sixty years, annually promoting investigative journalism, current affairs reporting, culture and the quality of information.

The winners of the 66th edition are Anna Foa ( La Stampa ), Viviana Mazza ( Corriere della Sera ), Gabriella Colarusso ( la Repubblica ), Stefano Feltri (author of the podcast Revolution on Rai Radio 3), Floriana Bulfon , freelance investigative journalist who collaborates with numerous newspapers and with Rai, and Sacha Biazzo , video reporter who collaborates with the Report programme on Rai 3.

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The jury also awarded the Pirelli Prize for Schools 2026 to Rai Scuola , represented by Fabrizio Zappi , Director of the Rai Culture and Educational Department, and by Lorenzo Ottolenghi , head of the Educational Unit of the Rai Culture and Educational Department.

Among the novelties of the 2026 edition there is also the entry into the jury of Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli, winner of the Premiolino in 2022 and correspondent from Milano of the Financial Times, who will join the jury starting from this edition.

The jury also appointed Benedetta Tobagi , winner of the Premiolino in 2024, Vice President of the Award , alongside President Chiara Beria of Argentine.

Chaired by Chiara Beria of Argentine , the jury is composed exclusively of journalists who have already been awarded the Premiolino and subsequently appointed for life: Benedetta Tobagi , Giulio Anselmi , Piero Colaprico , Francesco Costa , Ferruccio de Bortoli , Mattia Feltri , Milena Gabanelli , Enrico Mentana , Donata Righetti , Gian Antonio Stella , Carlo Verdelli and Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli . Antonio Calabrò is also part of the jury for Pirelli, and in particular for the Pirelli Prize for Schools.

The story of the origins of the Premiolino

In presenting the sixty-sixth edition of the award, Jury President Chiara Beria di Argentine retraced the history of the Premiolino, recalling its founding in 1960 and the evolution that has led it to become one of the benchmarks of Italian journalism.

Chiara Beria of Argentina, President of the jury of Il Premiolino:

“In a world that was enjoying the growing well-being of regained freedom, one evening in 1960 MilanoA group of men born between the 1920s and 1930s, from very different backgrounds and experiences who had lived through fascism, the war, and the post-war period, met for dinner at the Bagutta restaurant. Good wine, excellent food, enthusiastic discussions, and a good time. They were united by their profession—they were all journalists—most of them of Emilia-Romagna origin, serving in Milano publishing capital. And above all, they were all male. It was the Verganis, the famous father Orio and his very young son Guido, who insisted that, from an offshoot of the Bagutta Literary Prize, founded in 1956, a prize dedicated to journalism be created: to highlight a highly documented investigation, a particularly brilliant article, a cartoon, a headline, and especially young colleagues who stood out for their commitment and freedom from conformity. With a few cents from the "Reader's Digest Selection"—the first sponsor—the Journalist of the Month Award was born; the first president of the jury was Enzo Biagi. For the 1960 edition, all 12 winners were male, from Arturo Carlo Jemolo to Gianni Granzotto to Mauro De Mauro, the valiant reporter for L'Ora di Palermo who would be killed by the Mafia. The only female winner that year was "The editorial staff of La Stampa," which, given the times and certain publishers, would still deserve praise today. That said, already in its second edition, for the month of January 1961, the prize was awarded to a promising editor of the weekly magazine L'Europeo. Her name was Oriana Fallaci, for her article "The Siren of Her Twenties," a profile of the singer Mina.

MilanoOn May 8, 1961, at the awards ceremony—which was then held three times a year—Fallaci accepted the award and declared: “Every free person, every free journalist, must be ready to acknowledge the truth wherever it may be. And if they fail to do so, they are—in that order—an imbecile, a dishonest person, a fanatic. Fanaticism is the primary enemy of freedom of thought. And I believe I will always bow to this, and I believe I will always pay for it: proudly ignoring those who don't understand, or those who, for their own interests and ideologies, pretend not to understand.”

Since that evening, after Oriana F., the award, now known as the Premiolino di giornale (Little Journalism Prize), sponsored by two enlightened entrepreneurs, Piero and Giansandro Bassetti, and equally generously supported since 2023 by Pirelli, which even dedicated its own award to information on the crucial world of education, has honored hundreds of journalists. Year after year, there are no longer any gender distinctions. Just visit www.ilpremiolino.it and scroll under the Roll of Honour section to reconstruct a fascinating history of female journalism in Italy. The first female journalists to be included on the judging panel, voted by "their lordships," were Valeria Sacchi, Donata Righetti, Natalia Aspesi, Milena Gabanelli, Benedetta Tobagi, myself, and, starting next year, Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli. In the editorial offices of various media outlets, the presence of women is no longer newsworthy, and the same cannot be said of the few remaining top figures. In a world shattered into a thousand pieces, this year we voted – it is no coincidence – mostly for female journalists called upon to recount or analyze the deeds and wars of “imbecile, fanatical, dishonest” leaders, enemies of freedom of thought.”

The Pirelli Prize for Schools at Rai Scuola

The 66th edition of the Premiolino also saw the awarding of the 2026 Pirelli Prize for Schools to Rai Scuola , an recognition that recognizes the contribution of public service broadcasting to the dissemination of culture, knowledge, and education.

Marco Tronchetti Provera, Executive Chairman of Pirelli:

The Premiolino has always been an award dedicated to quality information and journalism, but also to all those experiences that contribute to spreading knowledge, awareness, and civic sense. It is in this spirit that this year the Pirelli Prize for Schools is awarded to Rai Scuola.

From the lessons of maestro Alberto Manzi to today's programs, public service plays a fundamental role in the country's cultural growth, accompanying generations of Italians in accessing knowledge and contributing to building a more informed and aware citizenry. In this journey, information, dissemination, and education have often gone hand in hand, sharing the same responsibility: providing tools for understanding reality and participating in the country's civic life and social and cultural development. This is why the Pirelli Prize seeks to recognize the work of an organization that continues to invest in culture, education, and the quality of information for new generations.

The awards ceremony will be held on October 5th at the Piccolo Teatro Grassi.

The award ceremony of the 66th edition of the Premiolino It will take place Monday 5 October 2026 at Little Grassi Theatre of Milano, an event which, like every year, will bring together some of the most authoritative names in Italian journalism and the protagonists of national information.

As per tradition, the winners will receive, in addition to the financial reward, the historic parchment designed by Riccardo Manzi , which over the years has become one of the distinctive symbols of the Award.

The history of the Premiolino and the complete roll of honor of the winners can be consulted on the official website www.ilpremiolino.it.

The protagonists of the 2026 edition

Anna Foa

Historian, essayist, and scholar of European Jewish history, Anna Foa , born in Turin in 1944, taught Modern History at La Sapienza University of Rome. Throughout her research, she has explored the relationship between memory, identity, and contemporary history, making a significant contribution to studies of European Jewish history.

Viviana Mazza

Born in Catania in 1978, Viviana Mazza is a correspondent for Corriere della Sera and has been covering the United States and major international geopolitical scenarios for years. Throughout her career, she has covered American election campaigns, global crises, and profound political transformations, combining her journalism with significant editorial work, including for young readers.

Gabriella Colarusso

Gabriella Colarusso, a journalist for the Foreign Affairs editorial staff of la Repubblica , has been covering the Middle East, Iran, and major international geopolitical scenarios for years. Her work focuses on political and social transformations, civil rights, and major crises affecting the international scene.

Stephen Feltri

Born in Modena in 1984, Stefano Feltri graduated in Economics from Bocconi University and earned an MBA from the University of Chicago. Former deputy editor of Il Fatto Quotidiano and founder and editor of Domani , he now edits the newsletter Appunti on Substack and hosts Revolution on Rai Radio 3. A columnist for Internazionale , Vanity Fair , and Italy Post , he is the author of the book Il nemico (Utet, 2025), dedicated to Elon Musk. Throughout his career, he has chronicled the transformations of contemporary capitalism, economic crises, and the new relationships between technology, finance, and politics.

Floriana Bulfon

An investigative journalist and author, Floriana Bulfon has dedicated much of her professional career to studying mafias and contemporary criminal systems. Her investigations have helped bring to public attention the often invisible dynamics of organized crime and the new structures of criminal power in Italy and around the world.

Sacha Biazzo

Originally from Potenza, Sacha Biazzo is an investigative journalist and video reporter. After his experience at Fanpage and numerous international collaborations, he conducted investigations into organized crime, corruption, and human rights, also collaborating with the Rai 3 program Report .

The Pirelli Prize for Schools

Representing Rai Scuola , awarded the Pirelli Prize for Schools 2026 , will be Fabrizio Zappi , Director of the Rai Culture and Educational Department, and Lorenzo Ottolenghi , head of the Educational Unit of the Rai Culture and Educational Department.

Zappi, born in Imola in 1968, is a professional journalist with extensive experience in cultural and television production, contributing to the growth of Rai Cultura and Rai Educational.

Ottolenghi, born in Rome in 1969, has been a registered professional journalist since 1995 and focuses on developing content for schools, outreach, and the new languages ​​of knowledge.

Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli joins the jury

Among the novelties of the 66th edition there is also the entry into the jury of Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli, corresponding to Milano of the Financial Times.

Raised between Rome and New York and graduating with honors from Bocconi University, she began her career working for Il Sole 24 Ore and CNBC , later participating in the launch of the economics editorial team of Politico Europe . In 2022, she was awarded the Premiolino and, starting in 2026, will officially join the award's jury.

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