"The Ceremony," originally titled "Alam Danai (Strangers in the Night)," by Antonia Gaeta and Ardalan Nabavinejad, is the winning project of the 2026 Franco Solinas Prize for Best Story. The announcement took place this afternoon at Punta Tegge, during the event that has brought authors, screenwriters, producers, and audiovisual professionals to La Maddalena over the past few days.

Annamaria Granatello, president and artistic director of the Solinas Prize, announced the verdict along with the entire jury. The decision comes after the jury, composed of numerous industry professionals, had completed its work evaluating the projects that reached the final stage.

"La cerimonia" was among the eleven shortlisted for the 41st edition of the Franco Solinas International Prize, chosen from 597 stories initially submitted anonymously. The award for the best shortlist carries a prize of €2,000 and opens the authors to the next stage of screenplay development.

During the awards ceremony, the winner of the 2026 Solinas Experimenta Serie Award was also announced: the award went to “MÈSA,” originally titled “Fuori dalla mia testa,” by Federica Corti and Michela Nuti.

The Solinas Award ceremony continues on the island until September 27th with meetings and events dedicated to writing and the future of cinema and TV series.