The City Council approved, by a specific resolution, the inclusion of the “National Arts Award – 20th Edition, L’Aquila 2026” into the official program for L’Aquila, Italian Capital of Culture 2026, accepting the project proposal put forward by the Academy of Fine Arts of L’Aquila, chaired by Rinaldo Tordera and directed by Marco Brandizzi.
The City has endorsed the idea of hosting the National Arts Award (PNA), sponsored by the Ministry of Universities and Research (MUR), in the city in 2026: this is an event of national significance dedicated to showcasing the best artistic works by students at Italian fine arts academies.
L’Aquila will oversee the section dedicated to the visual arts, while Florence, through ISIA, will host the segment dedicated to design.
The biennial, traveling exhibition will bring over 500 works and 25 art academies from all over Italy to L’Aquila, in a large-scale event spread across multiple exhibition venues in the historic center.
The National Arts Award will offer the public a journey of discovery through painting, sculpture, graphic arts, photography, installations, video art, and new technologies, as well as a special section dedicated to the performing arts and design.
In addition to the exhibitions, there will be open labs, workshops, meetings with artists and critics, cultural outreach activities, and educational programs for students and families, all designed to make art accessible and engaging.
The initiative aims to support the next generation of artists and promote advanced artistic education as a driver of innovation and social cohesion, in line with the vision outlined in the application dossier, which places culture at the center of urban and community regeneration processes.
The project, which received the approval of the Supervisory Committee, was recognized for its high educational, symbolic, and institutional value.
The collaboration between the City, the Academy, the Ministry, and other local cultural institutions reinforces L’Aquila’s role as a hub for contemporary artistic research and production, in dialogue with Italy’s most significant cultural initiatives.
“With this resolution,” said Pierluigi Biondi, mayor of L’Aquila, “we are continuing to implement the L’Aquila 2026 program —Italian Capital of Culture—by strengthening the relationship between institutions and the local community and reaffirming the central role of culture as a driving force for renewal and collective identity. The National Arts Award – L’Aquila 2026 will be one of the most significant events of our year as Capital, combining education, creativity, and participation, and restoring L’Aquila’s role as a national laboratory for the arts and contemporary culture. We are ‘one region and a thousand capitals’: an expansive and diverse city, an entire region made up of towns and communities, and a thousand capitals—places, people, institutions—that represent the human and creative heritage upon which the project is founded.”
In the coming days, additional projects will be announced that, together with the National Arts Award, will make up the overall program for L’Aquila 2026 – Italian Capital of Culture.
The calendar of events will be presented during a national meeting with the institutions and strategic partners of the project, which will outline the overall program and guidelines for the year as Capital.