The event

Agnes Award: from Bricco to Gerry Scotti and Lino Banfi – here are the winners of the 2026 edition

The ceremony will take place on 25 June and will be broadcast on Rai1 on 3 July. Rai CEO Giampaolo Rossi said: “It is not simply an award; it is an occasion to recognise the journalistic and television excellence of our time.”

by Pietro Menzani

11 June 2026

William Di Liberatore, Mara Venier, Alberto Matano, Simona Agnes, Giampaolo Rossi, Alberto Barachini, Alessandro Onorato, Mons. Dario Edoardo Viganò, nel corso della presentazione XVIII edizione del Premio Biagio Agnes a Roma. (ANSA)

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

According to Rai’s chief executive Giampaolo Rossi, ‘Never before has journalism been such a driving force in a modern democracy as it is today, in this process of disintermediation brought about by technology. It is the watchdog that ensures that public debate, pluralism and access to critical tools of knowledge are essential”. And it is precisely to promote and safeguard the role of journalism as a guardian of democracy and freedom that the “Biagio Agnes Award – International Prize for Journalism, Information and Communication”, now in its 18th edition, honours professionals in the sector who contribute to making public information authoritative and independent, and to ensuring it remains an essential tool for navigating the complexities of the present day.

“It is increasingly essential, particularly today, that journalism takes on the responsibility of being beyond reproach in its ability to act as a mediator between the facts and the account of those facts, and of not succumbing to sensationalism,” continued Rossi.

The value of the prize

The award is dedicated to the memory of Biagio Agnes, journalist and Director-General of Rai. The awards ceremony will take place on Thursday 25 June in Piazza di Spagna, Rome, and will be broadcast on Friday 3 July on Rai1. As is traditional, Mara Venier and Alberto Matano will host the evening.

“The Agnes Award,” added the CEO of Rai, “is a great celebration: it is not simply an award. It is a celebration of Rai, of journalism, and of television. It is a moment when both the award winners and those presenting the awards are called upon to reflect seriously on the processes of transformation taking place in our communication models. The Agnes Award is not a gala event; it is an occasion to recognise the journalistic and televisual merit of our time.”

The winners

At the press conference to present the event, held at the Rai headquarters in Via Asiago, Rome, Simona Agnes, a member of the Rai board of directors and organiser of the Simona Agnes Award, announced the winners in the various categories of this prestigious award.

The 2026 Carta Stampata Award was presented by the jury to Paolo Bricco, special correspondent for *Il Sole 24 Ore*, in recognition of the historical significance and analytical rigour of his in-depth reports on the economy and industrial policy. Giovan Battista Brunori, head of the RAI Middle East Bureau in Jerusalem, and Andrea Nicastro of *Corriere della Sera* won the prize dedicated to correspondents.

The award for correspondents, meanwhile, went to Rosalba Castelletti of *la Repubblica* and Leonardo Panetta of Mediaset. And – partly in recognition of the courage shown during the attacks in November 2025 at demonstrations in support of Palestine – the Special Press Freedom Award was presented to the daily newspaper *La Stampa*, its editor-in-chief Andrea Malaguti and the editorial team.

Arianna Ravelli, the first female deputy editor of *La Gazzetta dello Sport* in the publication’s 130-year history, won the sports journalism award, whilst Valentina Pigliautile of *Il Messaggero* won the award for journalists under 30. The Journalist-Writer award, meanwhile, went to Claudio Cerasa, editor-in-chief of *Il Foglio*, for his book *L’antidoto. Libertà, ambiente, tecnologia. Manifesto ottimista contro la dittatura del catastrofismo* (The Antidote: Freedom, Environment, Technology. An Optimistic Manifesto Against the Dictatorship of Catastrophism). Finally, the prize recognising journalistic storytelling on the web – the Generazione Digitale-Podcast Award – was awarded to Andrea Gerli (Rai for Sustainability) and Guglielmo Nappi, editor-in-chief and head of the web division at *Il Messaggero*.

The world of television

The Agnes Award covers not only the world of journalism, but also the world of television. In recognition of the ‘professionalism, empathy and quality of entertainment’ that set them apart, Gerry Scotti and Stefano De Martino were awarded the television prize. The lifetime achievement award, meanwhile, went to Lino Banfi in recognition of his “unique talent and exceptional artistic career”, which have made him “one of the most beloved faces in Italian entertainment”. The historic revival of Emilio Salgari’s saga earned the special event series *Sandokan* the Audiovisual Award.

Finally, Professor Vincenzo Schettini, the presenter of “La fisica che ci piace”, won the Science Communication Award, whilst the short film “Tutti suonano Sanremo”, produced by Rai’s Communications Department, was awarded the prize for Creative Communication.

The 2026 edition

Alessandro Onorato, Councillor for Major Events at Rome City Council, speaking at the press conference to present the award, emphasised the importance of the event for the capital: “Rome is not just the capital of Italia. Rome has, in a sense, always been the capital of culture, entertainment, the performing arts and cinema. It seemed only right to us that the Agnes Award should come to Rome, where Director Biagio Agnes wrote indelible pages in the history of Italy’s first cultural organisation, the RAI. The city has therefore made itself available to host the award. It is a very important award, which provides an opportunity for journalism, culture, television and cinema to showcase excellence.”

Williams Di Liberatore, Director of Prime Time Entertainment, went on to add that 2026 marks the 18th anniversary of the awards and that, therefore, ‘we must celebrate in a fitting manner, and we have everything we need to do so. “This year, too, we will aim to combine the formal, institutional aspect with the spectacle and entertainment.”

The star of the ceremony on 25 June will be Mara Venier, who has admitted to having a particularly close emotional attachment to the award: ‘My emotional bond with the award is very strong: Biagio Agnes was my best man at my wedding. It’s an award that covers the full spectrum: it encompasses television, music and young journalists. It’s important to recognise great journalists, but it’s also important to give young people the chance – as we do every year – to take part.”

Joining Mara Venier in Piazza di Spagna will be the journalist and television presenter Alberto Matano, who emphasised that ‘this year the award comes of age and is more vibrant than ever, because – in an era in which reality has overtaken science fiction, conflicts that seemed dormant in the last century have resurfaced and geopolitical tensions are sky-high – the journalist is once again at the centre as a person, a human being, a mediator. And the Agnes Award celebrates journalism, established journalists, young people under 30, and emerging talent.”