Sele d'Oro Mezzogiorno Award
Ten days of meetings, theater, cinema, and singer-songwriter music focused on the future of the South, in Oliveto Citra
About Sele d'Oro
An award that has been questioning the South for over forty years
Founded in 1985, the Sele d'Oro Mezzogiorno Award is one of the longest-running cultural festivals in Campania. Every September, Oliveto Citra, a small town in the upper Sele valley in the province of Salerno, becomes a place for discussion on the development of Southern Italy and the country's inland areas for about ten days. The event is promoted by the Ente Premio Sele d'Oro ODV, based in Largo Rotondo, and involves scholars, journalists, administrators, social enterprises, and young researchers from all over Italy.
The formula has remained faithful to itself: not just a simple program of shows, but a blend of research, civic engagement, and art. The award ceremonies are accompanied by debates, book presentations, exhibitions, theater festivals, and musical evenings, hosted in the village's spaces — the Castello Guerritore, the Auditorium, the municipal EcoTeatro «Sandro Rufolo», the Bibliocafè, and Piazza Europa.
Competition sections
- Non-fiction: volumes dedicated to Southern Italy and its development;
- Euromed: unpublished essays reserved for those under 35;
- Journalism – Michele Tito Award: journalistic investigations and stories about the South;
- Bona Praxis and Bona Praxis Young – Mario Raffa Award: best practices from social organizations and enterprises, with a section reserved for young people between 18 and 35.
Participation in the calls for entries is free and open to authors, researchers, journalists, storytellers, organizations, and social enterprises: evaluation criteria reward originality, impact on the community, and the replicability of the initiatives.
Theater, cinema, exhibitions, and innovation
Alongside the competition, thematic sections make the Sele d'Oro a truly multidisciplinary event. The SeleTeatroFest is an international theater festival that brings Italian and foreign companies to the municipal EcoTeatro: in 2025, groups from Latvia, Lithuania, and Iran performed on stage alongside companies from Milan, Rome, and Bari. SudShortFilms is dedicated to short films by young authors telling stories about the South, in collaboration with historical figures of Campanian cinema such as Claudio Gubitosi of the Giffoni Film Festival. The Bibliocafè hosts daily presentations and meetings with authors and journalists, while the Smartcafè addresses innovation, robotics, artificial intelligence, and clean energy with accessible language. Photographic and art exhibitions enliven the Castello Guerritore and the municipal library. Starting in 2026, FantaSele will be added, an event dedicated to comics, cosplay, video games, board games, and pop culture.
Mediterranei: singer-songwriter music in Piazza Europa
The Mediterranei section traditionally closes the event with a concert in Piazza Europa, immediately after the award ceremony. It is a space that favors the storytelling of Italian singer-songwriters: over the years, artists such as Lucio Dalla, Antonello Venditti, Fiorella Mannoia, Carmen Consoli, Brunori Sas, Ermal Meta, Noemi, Elodie, Raphael Gualazzi, Simone Cristicchi, and Tiromancino have performed there, among others. In 2025, the final evening was entrusted to Mr. Rain, with Los Carosones, Matsby, and the popularizer Vincenzo Schettini.
The 42nd edition in 2026
The forty-second edition takes place from September 3 to 12, 2026, and is dedicated to the theme «Storm Warnings – Knowing how to be a community, facing unstable times»: an invitation to reflect on the fragilities of the present and the ability of territories to maintain bonds, face change, and generate new perspectives, especially in inland areas. During the same period, the twenty-eighth edition of the SeleTeatroFest will be held from September 3 to 6, and the debut of FantaSele will take place on September 5 and 6.
Oliveto Citra and the Sele Valley
Dominated by the Castello Guerritore, the town overlooks the Sele river valley, halfway between the Sele plain and Irpinia. It is a territory of inland areas made of villages, olive groves, and thermal springs — Contursi Terme is just a few kilometers away — which the Award highlights and brings to the center of the national debate. For the Municipality of Oliveto Citra and the entire Campania Region, the Sele d'Oro represents one of the most recognizable late-summer cultural events outside of large urban centers, capable of attracting speakers, theater companies, and audiences from all over Italy for ten days.
Sele d'Oro — edition 2026
The Sele d'Oro Mezzogiorno Award reaches its forty-second edition in 2026, scheduled in Oliveto Citra, in the province of Salerno, from September 3 to 12. The theme chosen by the Sele d'Oro Award Organization — «Storm Warnings – Knowing how to be a community, facing unstable times» — invites reflection on the fragilities of the present and the ability of communities, particularly those in inland areas, to hold together bonds and development perspectives.
The competition is divided into five sections: Non-fiction, Euromed for unpublished essays by those under 35, Journalism – Michele Tito Award, Bona Praxis, and Bona Praxis Young – Mario Raffa Award, reserved for young people between 18 and 35. Participation is free, and applications must be sent to the Sele d'Oro Award Organization within the terms indicated in the 2026 call for entries, published on seledoro.eu.
Around the competition, the usual program of meetings, exhibitions, and shows is developed: the twenty-eighth edition of the SeleTeatroFest, an international theater festival, occupies the first days at the municipal EcoTeatro «Sandro Rufolo», while on September 5 and 6, FantaSele debuts, a new section dedicated to comics, cosplay, video games, and pop culture. The day-by-day calendar, with the guests of the meetings and the final musical evening of the Mediterranei section, is released by the organization in the weeks preceding the start.
Programme Sele d'Oro 2026
The 42nd edition takes place from September 3 to 12, 2026, in Oliveto Citra on the theme «Storm Warnings – Knowing how to be a community, facing unstable times». The structure of the event and some appointments have already been announced, while the day-by-day calendar with the guests of the meetings and the final concert of the Mediterranei section will be published on seledoro.eu and on the official social channels.
- September 3-12 — Sele d'Oro Mezzogiorno Award, 42nd edition: meetings and Seledoro Talks at the Auditorium, book presentations and guests at the Bibliocafè, Smartcafè on innovation and sustainability, exhibitions at the Castello Guerritore and in the library, final award ceremony.
- September 3-6 — SeleTeatroFest, 28th edition of the international theater festival, at the municipal EcoTeatro «Sandro Rufolo», with professional and amateur Italian and foreign companies selected through a call for entries.
- September 5-6 — FantaSele, first edition: comics and illustration, cosplay competitions, modern video games and retro cabinets, board games, digital creators, and cultural associations. Guests announced by the organization in the preceding weeks.
- Competition sections — Non-fiction, Euromed (unpublished essays under 35), Journalism – Michele Tito Award, Bona Praxis, and Bona Praxis Young – Mario Raffa Award: free applications, with a deadline set for the beginning of August 2026 according to the terms of the call.
- SudShortFilms — section dedicated to short films by young authors about the South.
- Mediterranei — final evening of singer-songwriter music in Piazza Europa after the award ceremony; the name of the guest artist has not yet been announced.
Highlights Sele d'Oro 2026
- Ten days of meetings on the future of the South and inland areas
- 2026 Theme: «Storm Warnings – Knowing how to be a community, facing unstable times»
- Five competition sections, from non-fiction to journalism and social enterprises
- 28th edition of the SeleTeatroFest with Italian and international companies
- Debut of FantaSele on September 5 and 6, featuring comics, cosplay, and video games
- Final award ceremony and musical evening of the Mediterranei section in Piazza Europa
Prices Sele d'Oro 2026
Practical information — Sele d'Oro
How to get there
Oliveto Citra can be reached by car from the A2 del Mediterraneo motorway, Contursi Terme exit, then heading up the Sele valley; from Salerno, the journey is about fifty kilometers. The reference railway station is Contursi Terme, on the Battipaglia–Potenza line. The nearest airports are Salerno-Costa d'Amalfi and Naples Capodichino.
Where it takes place
The events are distributed in the town center: Auditorium, municipal EcoTeatro «Sandro Rufolo» for the SeleTeatroFest, Castello Guerritore and municipal library for exhibitions, Bibliocafè for daily meetings, and Piazza Europa for the final evening.
Information and contacts
Ente Premio Sele d'Oro ODV, Largo Rotondo 13, 84020 Oliveto Citra (SA) — [email protected] — seledoro.eu. The detailed program of each edition, calls for entries, and application forms are published on the website and on the official social media channels of the event.
Useful tips
Meetings are concentrated between late afternoon and evening, while mornings are dedicated to presentations and screenings: it is advisable to plan at least two days to follow multiple sections. For accommodation, you can refer to facilities in Oliveto Citra and the nearby Contursi Terme and Colliano; September evenings in the valley can be cool, so it is better to bring a light jacket.
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Where does it take place — Sele d'Oro
Centro di Oliveto Citra: Auditorium, EcoTeatro comunale «Sandro Rufolo», Castello Guerritore, Piazza Europa
Largo Rotondo 13, 84020 Oliveto Citra