About us
Origin & Mission
Prix Italia is the oldest and most prestigious International Radio, Television and Web competition.
Prizes are awarded for quality productions in the fields of drama (single plays and serials), documentaries
(culture and current affairs), performing arts (TV) and music (radio).
The aims of Prix Italia are:
- to promote and award quality, innovation and creativity in radio and television programmes and web contents;
- to encourage member organisations to broadcast the programmes submitted to the competition;
- to encourage communication and co-operation between all those who work creatively in the field of radio,
TV and the web;
- to stimulate and disseminate the study and discussion of creative and cultural issues.
Prix Italia is to be considered a “market of ideas” for anyone aiming at raising quality in radio,
TV and the web.
History & Winners
Prix Italia was founded by RAI in 1948 on the island of Capri. Its 60th edition will be held
in September 2008 in Cagliari. It has been staged in almost all important cities of Italy, a fact
which has greatly contributed to its extraordinary international prestige. Prix Italia’s long
list of winners includes names of writers, directors and producers who make up the history of
international television.
Among the innumerable personalities who over the years have entered their works are writers
such as Jean Anouilh, Riccardo Bacchelli, Heinrich Böll, Bertolt Brecht, Italo Calvino,
Jean Cocteau, Eduardo De Filippo, Marguerite Duras, Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Umberto Eco, Max
Frisch, John Osborne, Alain Robbe-Grillet, Françoise Sagan; directors such as David
Attenborough, Ermanno Olmi, Sidney Pollack, Francesco Rosi, Roberto Rossellini, John
Schlesinger, Andrej Wajda, Krzystof Zanussi. Among the winners are equally illustrious
names such as Samuel Beckett, Ingmar Bergman, Peter Brook, René Clair, Federico Fellini,
Werner Herzog, Peter Greenaway, Eugène Ionesco, Kean Loach, Harold Pinter, Dylan Thomas.
The Membership
Prix Italia's partners and permanent members are made up of 80 public and private Radio and
Television companies, representing 42 countries from all five continents. Only Prix-members
can enter programmes into the competition. The organisational and decision-making structure
is unique among the many international prizes and festivals in as delegates of all member
organisations meet twice a year for a General Assembly to take strategic decisions and elect
the President.
Past Festivals
Festival
The festival is held each year during the second half of September and is accompanied by a
series of major cultural events and performances. Attending are high-ranking representatives
from the media world such as directors, producers, writers, as well as Italian and foreign
press. RAI ensures wide radio and TV coverage on its channels and is responsible for the
prize-awarding ceremony. Prix Italia particularly caters for good relations with the local
area by widely promoting all events and providing full information for both the general
public and special interest groups. During the Prix Italia-week, RAI presents its major
previews of its autumn-season with the participation of the respective main actors.