During the awards ceremony, hosted by journalist Roberta Floris, the two overall winners of the award-winning categories, Fiction and Non-Fiction, will be announced, identified by a jury of unquestionable quality, composed of: Lina Bolzoni, Marcello Fois, Elena Loewenthal and Chiara Valerio , together with Stefano Salis. In continuity with previous editions, the Award which has quickly established itself among the major cultural events within the national literary panorama, this year confirms the ample space given to the most original talents of contemporary culture and to the discussion on major themes of actuality. The finalists of the 2024 edition are for Fiction: Ginevra Lamberti with “The well is worth more than time” (Marsilio), Eugenio Murrali with her debut novel “Marguerite was here” (Neri Pozza) and Evelina Santangelo with “ The feeling of the sea” (Einaudi). The non-fiction triplet is instead composed of: Vera Gheno with “Parole d’altro genre” (Rizzoli), Maurizio Ferraris with “Imparare a vive” (Editori Laterza) and Vincenzo Trione with “Prologo celeste. In Anselm Kiefer’s atelier” (Einaudi).
During the awards ceremony, three special awards will also be awarded: the Mediterranean Culture Award, awarded to a personality who has distinguished himself for the valorization of the cultures of our sea and the peoples who inhabit it, which this year goes to Mariasole Bianco. Scientist and popularizer expert in the conservation of the marine environment, also protagonist of her book Pianeta Oceano (Rizzoli), Mariasole Bianco is co-founder and President of Worldrise, a non-profit organization that for over a decade has been working for the effective conservation of Italian seas by facilitating a positive change that (re)connects people to the sea, creates awareness about the importance of the ocean and materializes in the collective commitment to its protection. After the Nobel victories of Orhan Pamuk and Emmanuel Carrère, the International Prize for 2024 goes instead to Alicia Giménez-Bartlett: one of the most read Spanish writers of recent years, much loved in Italy also thanks to the character of inspector Petra Delicado, played by the actress Paola Cortellesi, protagonist of the Sky noir series of the same name, and now ready to return to the alleys of Barcelona with the eagerly awaited new chapter of the series, “The Woman Who Runs”, out at the end of April again with Sellerio. Among the many voices of contemporary culture who have confirmed their presence in Porto Cervo for the public awards ceremony, there is also that of a multifaceted artist like Salmo, stage name of Maurizio Pisciottu, who this year wins the Special Prize. Rapper and record producer from Olbia, he began his musical career at just 13 years old and became known to the general public since his first album, which mixes electronic sounds and 90s rap, a distinctive and revolutionary trait for the Italian rap scene . A pioneer of the Italian rap scene, he is currently busy filming the new season of Blocco 181 – in which he holds the dual role of actor and musical supervisor – Salmo is about to start the “Hellraisers” summer tour alongside Noyz Narcos, an opportunity to retrace their successes and listen to the songs from the joint album CVLT live for the first time. The tour will see them protagonists of two special event dates in Milan (15 June) and Rome (21 June), as well as the main summer festivals, including the Red Valley Festival in Olbia on 17 August.
As a symbol of the awarding of the Costa Smeralda Prize, as usual the winners will be given a work by the sculptor Giuseppe Sanna, made up of a naturally shaped stone for each category, basalt for Fiction, trachyte for Nonfiction, granite for International Award, marble for the Mediterranean Culture Award and limestone for the Special Award. The Costa Smeralda Prize is the first literary prize that uses the stone as an emblem. Expression of the bond with the territory, symbol of concreteness, solidity, ability to resist over time, the stones typical of the Sardinian landscape and forged by nature, are of different geological expression, because each author is different from the other, unique and unrepeatable. Stones united by a crystal base that recalls the color of the Costa Smeralda and its renewed appointment with contemporary culture.
Partner and main sponsor of the event is Smeralda Holding. The operational organization, scenographic setup and production of the award event is entrusted to Filmmaster, who also created the logo, the coordinated graphic image and the concept of the material award.
The event is open to all and free entry.
