A young woman unleashing her energy in a leap, suspended between creative momentum and the desire to overcome limits. This is the image chosen to represent the 78^th edition of Prix Italia, Rai's International Competition for Radio & Podcasts, TV, and Digital media, which will take place in L'Aquila, the Italian Capital of Culture 2026, from September 28^th to October 2^nd thanks to the collaboration with the Municipality of L'Aquila, the Abruzzo Region, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. "The key visual, accompanied by the slogan 'Play Human' - the Prix's Secretary General Chiara Longo Bifano explains - "aims to be a manifesto for a new digital humanism, a willingness to take risks, demonstrating how technology and creativity can interact to produce new and shared cultural experiences". The meaning of the entire event is concentrated in the performer's gesture: during the leap, her phone seems to slip out of her hand, or being deliberately thrown upward.

"It's not an act of rebellion against technology" - says the Director of Rai Creativa Pierluigi Colantoni - "but rather the representation of the ability to seize its extraordinary opportunities and transform them into something new, authentic, and engaging. Technology must be a tool that does not replace but amplifies human creativity.

Behind the figure stands the profile of the Gran Sasso mountain, a symbol of the extraordinary natural beauty of Abruzzo but also of a region that today represents one of Italy's most dynamic hubs for innovation and research. A dialogue between landscape, culture, and the future that perfectly encapsulates the spirit of the L'Aquila edition.

"Play Human" thus becomes an invitation to rediscover the value of the creative and relational act, starting from the narrative of the regions, engaging very different generations and sensibilities. The 2026 edition of the Prix Italia will be dedicated to the Performing Arts, which will become the common thread of a rich programme of events, shows, and original productions. Among the most significant events is a special collaboration with the Orchestra of the Istituzione Sinfonica Abruzzese, which will give life to a musical project capable of transforming the very sounds, notifications, and digital signals that punctuate and often imprison our daily lives into a new collective artistic experience.

Among the protagonists of the programme is the New Zealand choreographer Corey Baker, internationally recognized for his dance performances in extreme environments and for his projects that have gone viral worldwide. He will be joining in the project, involving some of the region's most important cultural and artistic realities, including the Teatro Stabile d'Abruzzo, the historic Group of Flag-Waivers of L'Aquila, athletes from the Polisportiva L'Aquila Rugby, and dancers from the Gruppo e-Motion contemporary dance company, in an ongoing dialogue between tradition, performance, and contemporary languages.


PRESSE RELEASE (Italian Language)