Tenco Prize 2026: here are all the winners. This edition will be titled "Dio è morto"

The Premio Tenco returns to Sanremo from October 22 to 24, 2026, for its 49th edition, once again on the stage of the Teatro Ariston. The historic festival dedicated to Italian singer-songwriter music, founded in 1974, will this year carry the title "Dio è morto" ("God is dead"): a theme chosen to explore what languages, forms of community and creative gestures can still push back against violence, conformity and a conception of art increasingly shaped by the market and by algorithms. At its core remains the conviction that singer-songwriter music can still safeguard memory, bring people together and give voice to what struggles to find space elsewhere. This edition will be dedicated to the memory of Sergio Secondiano Sacchi.

The winners of the 2026 edition

The Premi Tenco alla carriera, lifetime achievement awards given by the Club's board to artists who have made a significant contribution to Italian singer-songwriter music, will go to Manuel Agnelli and Afterhours, Enzo Avitabile, Frankie hi-nrg mc, Max Manfredi and Paola Turci. Cesare Bermani and Andrea Scanzi will instead receive the Premio Tenco all'Operatore Culturale, while Juan Carlos "Flaco" Biondini will be presented with the Premio Yorum, established in collaboration with Amnesty International Italy to give visibility to artists committed to defending human rights and freedom of expression.
The recognition given to Biondini carries particular significance this year. The guitarist and singer left Argentina in the mid-1970s, shortly before the 1976 military coup, moving to Italy, where he would go on to become above all one of Francesco Guccini's most important collaborators. In doing so, the Club Tenco intends to honor both his artistic career and, symbolically, the generation of young Argentines forced into exile by the dictatorship.

The best works of 2026

During the first of the three evenings, on October 22, the Targhe Tenco 2026 will also be awarded, recognizing the best works released between June 1, 2025 and May 31, 2026. Caparezza took the prize in the overall best album category with "Orbit Orbit", while Carmen Consoli won the award for best dialect album with "Amuri Luci". Piji picked up the award for best debut work with "Sta registrando audio…"; Avincola won in the performers' category with "Avincola canta Carella"; Emma Nolde claimed best song with "Quello che deve essere sarà". The award for best concept album went to "80 Buon compleanno Ivan (live in Teramo)", produced by Filippo Graziani.

The festival programme

The Tenco's programme will extend well beyond the three evenings at the Ariston. Things kick off on October 20 with the first edition of "Tenco Off", offering free screenings at the Ariston's Sala Roof 3 of three documentary films: "Quando passa Paolo – Un docufilm per Paolo Benvegnù", "Una vespa targata Cuneo", dedicated to the life and artistic career of Ernesto Bassignano, and "Ancora in Assemblea", about the experience of the Assemblea Musicale Teatrale.
October 21 will be devoted, among other events, to Franco Battiato, the subject of a masterclass for schools featuring don Luigi Ciotti, Carmen Consoli, Carlo Guaitoli, Gennaro De Rosa, Rossana De Pace and Stefano Senardi. In the evening, at the Teatro dell'Opera del Casinò, Paola Turci will perform with the Orchestra Sinfonica di Sanremo in "Donne in punta di note", with a guest appearance by Gino Castaldo.

The three evenings at the Ariston will be hosted by Neri Marcorè on October 22, Chiara Buratti on the 23rd and Silvia Boschero on the 24th. The stage design, meanwhile, will bear the signature of Mexican artist Javier Marín. Guests announced so far include Anastasio, Claudia Crabuzza, Fabri Fibra, Sara Gioielli, Francamente, Giulia Mei, Santamarea and Satantango. In particular, the Club Tenco has chosen to invite four finalists for the award for best debut work – Francamente, Sara Gioielli, Santamarea and Satantango – to spotlight new artistic paths capable of moving freely across genres and languages.

There will also be numerous events scattered throughout Sanremo. At the Club Tenco's headquarters, presentations and talks are planned, including the round tables "La canzone ai tempi dell'Intelligenza Artificiale" ("The Song in the Age of Artificial Intelligence") and "La musica è finita" ("The Music Is Over"), as well as a tribute to Sergio Secondiano Sacchi titled "Quel Vulcano di Secondiano. Progetti di e per Sergio Sacchi". On October 24, at the Teatro dell'Opera del Casinò, the discussion will turn to "La canzone democratica" ("The Democratic Song"). The Pigna district will host, from October 21 to 31, the exhibition "Quino, la pace e i diritti umani. Mafalda al Tenco". From October 22 to 24, three shows are also scheduled: "Tierra y Pueblo" with Claudia Crabuzza, "Misteri Buffi. Cent'anni di Dario Fo" with Alessio Lega, Guido Baldoni and Giulia Angeloni, and "David Dei Miracoli" with Chiara Riondino and a guest appearance by Paolo Hendel.
Subscriptions and tickets for the individual evenings are already available for pre-sale online and at the Teatro Ariston box office. For the first time, the Premio Tenco is also offering a 15% discount on subscriptions for those under 25, valid for purchases made directly at the box office.

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