Marzio G. Mian wins the 2025 Estense Prize

Marzio G. Mian, with "Volga Blues. Journey into the Heart of Russia" (Gramma Feltrinelli), is the winner of the 61st edition of the Estense Prize. The verdict was reached after the third round of voting, which, as is tradition, featured a lively and participatory debate between the Estense Prize's technical jury, chaired by Alberto Faustini and composed of Davide Berti, Giorgia Cardinaletti, Francesco Costa, Tiziana Ferrario, Paolo Garimberti, Giancarlo Mazzuca, Agnese Pini, Venanzio Postiglione, Alessandra Sardoni, Fabio Tamburini, and Luciano Tancredi, and the public jury.

The two juries met in the early afternoon at the Circolo dei Negozianti in Palazzo Roverella, Ferrara, to discuss and vote on the winner from the final four composed of Mian, Milena Gabanelli and Simona Ravizza with "Codice Rosso. How public healthcare has become a private affair" (Fuori Scena), Gad Lerner with "Gaza. Love and hate for Israel" (Feltrinelli), and Paolo Rumiz with "Verranno di notte. Lo spectre della barbarità in Europa" (Feltrinelli).

The awards ceremony, hosted as is tradition by Cesara Buonamici, took place this evening at the Claudio Abbado Municipal Theater in Ferrara. During the event, the 2025 Golden Eagle was awarded to Marzio G. Mian and the Silver Colubrina to Corrado Augias, the winner of the 41st "Gianni Granzotto Award. A Style in Information" by the jury composed of Gian Luigi Zaina, president of the Estense Prize Foundation, and ten entrepreneurs from the Bologna, Ferrara, and Modena areas (Marcello Bergamini, Riccardo Fava, Paolo Molinari, Laura Padovani, Mauro Padovani, Francesco Possati, Maria Silvia Salami, Donatella Sighinolfi, Giovanni Tamburini, and Luca Targa), with the favorable opinion of the technical jury. The award, established in 1985 in memory of Gianni Granzotto, president of the Estense juries for twenty years, is given to those who have particularly distinguished themselves for honesty, commitment, and professionalism in the information field.

The voting session for the finalists opened with a minute of silence to remember Federico Aldrovandi and Giancarlo Siani because—as jury president Alberto Faustini emphasized—"In the first case, there was a great journalistic effort to change the narrative surrounding the murder of the Ferrara student, and then there's the memory of a colleague who had the courage to report on the Camorra through his investigations."

The Estense Prize, which has honored excellence in Italian journalism since 1965, this year, with 80 entries, registered the highest number of entries in the event's history. Alberto Faustini, president of the Estense Prize jury, commented: "Marzio G. Mian's victory is truly significant for a journalism that still knows how to travel, seek understanding, and delve into stories. A month, 6,000 km along the Volga to recount a Russia we've never spoken about, the unknown borders between the individual territories that were once part of the Soviet Union, and to reward a journalism that still yearns to understand and seeks depth."

Marzio G. Mian commented on his win: "The Estense Prize repays me for the hard work of a career and the moments of panic I've experienced on this journey. This book is the fruit of my great passion for this profession. I'm a journalist, a reporter, and I wanted to tell what others weren't telling, to try to break an information blackout that affected not just any country, but the largest country in the world. I wanted to rewind the tape of history and events because you can't tell the story of today's Russia and what's happening without going backward."

Marzio G. Mian has conducted investigations and reports in 58 countries for Italian and international media. In 2023, he received the True Story Award for best international reporting in Bern. He founded the nonprofit journalism company The Arctic Times Project, based in the US, which aims to provide first-hand reporting on the consequences of climate change in the Arctic region. He co-founded the River Journal Project, a multimedia reporting group on current affairs through the world's great rivers. He contributes to Internazionale, L'Espresso, Rai, Sky Italia, Harper's, Reportagen, Revue XXI, Le Temps, and Neue Zürcher Zeitung. He is a member of the Pulitzer Center for Journalism in Washington. For seven years, he was deputy editor of Io Donna, the women's magazine of Corriere della Sera. His publications include: Guerra Bianca, Maledetta Sarajevo (with Francesco Battistini), Tiber Controcorrente, and Artico. The Battle for the Great North.

Gian Luigi Zaina, president of the Estense Prize Foundation, said: "I've been president of the Estense Prize Foundation for six years, and every time the vote amazes us. In this case, it was a close call because all the titles received similar approval ratings. In the third round of voting, there was a rapid and unexpected consensus on Marzio G. Mian, who won with a reportage on an unseen Russia. A journey along the Volga that captivated and enthralled us."

Monica Liverani, CEO of Azimut Capital Management and Chief Sustainability Officer of Azimut Holding, as sponsor, stated: "Supporting the Estense Prize means believing in culture as a tool for dialogue and cohesion, an even more valuable resource in the current uncertain climate. For Azimut, this is a concrete commitment, which is why we are proud to renew, for the third consecutive year, our relationship with an event that continues to grow in quality and relevance, enriching this journey with local events that have received great participation and appreciation." (by Paolo Martini)