Antoniano ETS | Winner of the 2026 Cash Prize

Among the three winners of the 2026 Economic Award is Antoniano ETS, an organization founded in Bologna in 1954 based on a revolutionary vision by Father Ernesto Caroli: to combine hospitality and cultural production into a single project. In the post-World War II era, alongside the soup kitchen for the most vulnerable, the Cinema Teatro came to life, conceived not only as a place of entertainment but as a concrete engine of solidarity. For decades, Antoniano has shaped cultural life in Bologna and across Italy: through the Zecchino d’Oro and the Piccolo Coro Mariele Ventre, it became the quintessential symbolic space for children’s music and the national collective imagination, making culture an accessible and shared asset.

Today, following the closure of the historic hall in 2022, the institution is undergoing a phase of profound structural regeneration. The renovation process, already underway with the redesign of the cafeteria and reception areas, now culminates in the transformation of the new Antoniano Cinema Theater into a multifunctional cultural hub. It is an open, flexible, and technologically advanced space, featuring a new lobby, two auditoriums, and multifunctional spaces for cultural and audiovisual activities. A venue designed to host cinema, theater, music, and workshops, where art constantly engages with the institution’s social mission, offering a concrete response to the city community’s evolving needs for connection and participation.

The “Cantiere Cultura” project fits into this context of rebirth; it is an initiative designed to accompany the opening of the facility and its new positioning within the contemporary cultural landscape. The project represents not only an architectural transition but also an evolution of the institution’s very identity.

Through the creation of a renewed visual language and a new coordinated internal signage system, the project aims to make the complexity of this space accessible, transforming it into a vibrant community hub. The communication strategy will also extend to the entire urban fabric through a targeted billboard campaign and the installation of state-of-the-art indoor and outdoor digital displays. This integrated system will broaden engagement with diverse audiences, establishing the Antoniano as a cultural hub for Emilia-Romagna and the entire country, capable of blending historical memory with social innovation.