Ostana Prize – Writings in the Mother Tongue
The international festival of mother tongues at the foot of Monviso
About Ostana Prize
A festival for the world's languages
At the foot of Monviso, in the small town of Ostana (Province of Cuneo, Piedmont), lies one of the most original cultural events in the Alps: the Ostana Prize – Writings in the Mother Tongue. Established in 2008 on the initiative of the Chambra d'Oc, the prize brings together authors, poets, translators, musicians, and directors every year in late June who express themselves in minority, native, or endangered languages from every continent. It is not merely a literary award, but a true festival spread across the hamlets of this Occitan village in the Po Valley, at an altitude of over 1,300 meters.
The hamlets and the Lou Pourtoun Center
The heart of the event is the Lou Pourtoun Multifunctional Center, in the Miribrart hamlet: a contemporary architectural building inaugurated in 2016 that houses conference rooms, screening areas, and exhibition spaces. Conversations, concerts, and theatrical walks wind through the ancient hamlets of Ostana, overlooking the pyramid of Monviso and just a few kilometers from the sources of the Po River. The prize is supported by UNESCO as part of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages 2022-2032.
The 18th edition 2026: "Freedom lies on the margin"
The 2026 edition, from June 25 to 28, takes its title from a verse by the Occitan poet Joan Bodon: "Es sus la talvèra qu'es la libertat," meaning "freedom lies on the margin." The theme invites reflection on linguistic rights, the decolonization of knowledge, and the new challenges posed by artificial intelligence to minority languages. The major highlight is the inauguration of the Maison des Lengas, a permanent space dedicated to the world's mother tongues.
Awards and disciplines
Every year, the Ostana Prize grants recognition in several fields: literature, translation, music, and cinema, in addition to a prize for Italy's historical linguistic minorities and a youth award. Languages such as Occitan, Arbëresh, Friulian, Sardinian, Basque, Creole, Santali, and many others alternate in an international dialogue that makes this Cuneo village a small world capital of linguistic diversity.
A village that resists
Ostana is also famous as a model of rebirth for an Alpine town against depopulation: from the few inhabitants left in the eighties to a community that is now thriving again thanks to culture. The Ostana Prize is the symbol of this rebirth and a unique opportunity to discover the Occitan Valleys of Piedmont.
Ostana Prize — edition 2026
The eighteenth edition of the Ostana Prize celebrates languages that resist with the Occitan motto "Es sus la talvèra qu'es la libertat" ("Freedom lies on the margin"). For the first time, the event is extended by an extra day to inaugurate the Maison des Lengas, a permanent space dedicated to the world's languages. The 2026 program weaves together literature, translation, music, and cinema with reflections on linguistic rights and the challenges of artificial intelligence for minority languages.
Programme Ostana Prize 2026
Thursday, June 25
- 16:00 — Presentation of the Maison des Lengas, PNRR project by Smallcodes
- Following — Conversation on linguistic rights in Italy (Art. 6 of the Constitution, Law 482/99) with Domenico Morelli, curated by Fredo Valla
- Following — "Languages in the storm of artificial intelligence" with Carlo Zoli (Smallcodes), live streaming on the website and Radio RBE
- 21:00 — Inaugural Occitan dance with Aire d'Ostana
Friday, June 26
- 16:00 — Inauguration with the video screening of the Ostana Prize song (L. Percivalle, E. Barbera)
- Following — Conversation with Jean-Frédéric Brun (Occitan), curated by Eliane Tourtet
- Following — Short film "Si seus accappiaus" by Simone Paderi (Babel Film Festival award)
- 20:30 — Conversation on cinema with Dorino Minigutti (Friulian), curated by Antonello Zanda, followed by screenings of "Nûfcent", "Fantatis", and "Si Vîf"
Saturday, June 27
- 10:00 — Conversation with Vincenzo Bruno (Arbëresh) on theater and memory
- 11:30 — Conversation with Sripati Tudu (Santali, Youth Prize) on ancestral knowledge
- 14:30 — Lectio magistralis on the Faroese language (Gianfranco Contri) and conversation with Luca Taglianetti (translation from Faroese)
- 16:30 — Conversation with André Robèr (Reunion Creole)
- 21:00 — Conversation with Juan Mari Beltrán Argiñena (Basque) and concert of traditional Basque music with Juan Mari Beltrán Argiñena and Fernando Jalòn
Sunday, June 28
- 10:00 — Conversation with Tétéreho Ali-Tagba (Ewe and Tem languages, Togo)
- Following — "Coma te sònes?", theatrical and musical walk in Miribrart with Gigi Ubaldi
- 14:30 — Award ceremony with artistic performances, presented by Paola Bertello and broadcast via live streaming (Radio RBE)
Highlights Ostana Prize 2026
Prices Ostana Prize 2026
Practical information — Ostana Prize
How to get there
Ostana can be reached by car from the Cuneo plains by traveling up the Po Valley: from Saluzzo, continue towards Paesana and then drive up to the village (about an hour from Saluzzo). The nearest train station is in Saluzzo or Cuneo, from where you can continue by car or local connections.
Admission
Meetings, conversations, concerts, and screenings of the Ostana Prize are free and open to the public. The award ceremony is also broadcast via live streaming on the official website and on Radio Beckwith Evangelica (RBE).
Venue
Lou Pourtoun Multifunctional Center, Miribrart hamlet, Ostana (CN). Program events also take place in other hamlets of the village.
Contacts
[email protected] — tel. +39 339 5252749 — www.premioostana.it
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Where does it take place — Ostana Prize
Centro Polifunzionale Lou Pourtoun
Borgata Miribrart, 12030 Ostana