Premio Strega · 2025 · Winner
Premio Strega
2025 Winner
Complete History
About the Premio Strega
The Premio Strega is Italy's most prestigious literary prize, awarded annually since 1947 to the best work of Italian prose fiction. Founded by the writers Maria and Goffredo Bellonci together with the Strega liqueur distillery, the prize takes its name from its sponsor and includes a bottle of Strega liqueur alongside a cash prize. The announcement ceremony is held each July at the Villa Giulia in Rome, a setting that has made it one of the most glamorous nights in the Italian literary calendar. Winners are chosen by the 'Amici della domenica,' a group of several hundred voters comprising writers, academics, critics, and public figures.
Frequently Asked Questions
- The prize is named after Strega (Italian for 'witch'), the Italian herbal liqueur produced by the Alberti family of Benevento, which has sponsored the prize since its founding in 1947. A bottle of Strega is traditionally included in the prize.
- The prize is voted on by the 'Amici della domenica' ('Friends of Sunday'), a group of several hundred voters including writers, academics, critics, journalists, and cultural figures. Votes can also be cast by Italian cultural institutes abroad.
- The winner is announced at a ceremony held each July at the Villa Giulia, a Renaissance villa and national museum in Rome.
- The Premio Strega includes a cash prize of approximately €5,000, plus a bottle of Strega liqueur. The real value is the enormous prestige and commercial success the prize generates.
- The prize is open to prose works in Italian — primarily novels — published in Italy in the year preceding the award.
- Books are nominated by members of the 'Amici della domenica.' Each member may nominate one book, and the nominations are then narrowed to a longlist of twelve, then a shortlist of five finalists.
- No. The prize is exclusively for works originally written in Italian.
- The Premio Strega is often described as Italy's most prestigious literary prize, making it a loose equivalent in terms of cultural prestige, although the selection process and prize value differ significantly.
- Yes. Unlike the Prix Goncourt, there is no rule preventing multiple wins. Sandro Veronesi, for example, won the prize twice — in 2006 and 2020.
- The Premio Strega was founded in 1947 by writers Maria and Goffredo Bellonci, who gathered a group of friends at their Rome home every Sunday, eventually formalizing their literary discussions into the prize. The first winner was Ennio Flaiano for 'Tempo di uccidere.'