Art, young talent and sustainability come together in the first edition of the contest supported by Acea and promoted by Valore Italia as part of the Made in Italy Days

From painting to sculpture, from photography to digital art, from performance to design and fashion, Acea, together with Valore Italia, launches the Premio Acea Contemporanea: a project centred on art and culture as strategic levers to generate concrete and lasting impacts on ESG issues. Central to the initiative is water, a vital but not infinite resource. The prize was established to activate an authentic dialogue between business and artistic creativity, promoting the talent of new generations and enriching Acea’s corporate collection with works capable of interpreting through a contemporary lens one of the most central themes for our future.

The Premio Acea Contemporanea is a contest designed for students and recent graduates of the Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome, Accademia Italiana and SAE Institute, invited to reflect on the value of water as a precious resource, today at the heart of deep environmental, social, and economic issues. The works will be a synthesis of the relationship between man, nature and water, exploring themes such as scarcity, pollution, climate change, responsible management and inequalities in access to water.

Selected students will take part in immersive experiences, including guided tours of the Roman aqueducts and a hydroelectric power station, symbols of the history and innovation related to water management. These moments will serve as a direct source of inspiration for the creation of their works.

Contest winners will receive a cash prize from Acea, awarded by a jury made up of Acea representatives, curators and art critics, to support young artists’ university and training expenses. The finalist works, selected through internal calls issued by the participating institutions, will be included in a joint permanent exhibition at Acea Heritage, the new exhibition space at the historic headquarters in Piazzale Ostiense: a place where vision, innovation and memory come together to shape the future.

The opening of the exhibition, with the award ceremony, will take place on Tuesday, 19 May 2026, as part of the Made in Italy Days, an initiative promoted by the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy to promote manufacturing excellence, creativity and innovation among Italian businesses. On Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 May 2026, visitors will be able to visit the exhibition at the Acea Heritage exhibition space, guided by some of the students who created the works.

“This project confirms that education today is a fundamental driver for the cultural and professional development of young people – said Salvatore Amura, CEO of Valore Italia – Academies are privileged places where talent, creativity and skills meet and transform into concrete value. Our commitment is to accompany these paths, offering young artists real growth opportunities and connections with the business world, so that they can fully express their potential and actively contribute to the future of the country.”

 

“For Accademia Italiana, participating in the Premio Acea Contemporanea is a confirmation of an educational approach that has always sought contact with local territories and the excellence they express – said Nicola Accurso, Managing Director, AD Education Italy – Bringing research and artistic experimentation into dialogue with impactful and relevant themes, such as the role of water for communities and the future of the planet, is exactly the kind of approach in which creativity becomes a tool for sharing culture and responsibility. We are proud that students of SAE Institute are also part of this initiative: it is a demonstration of how the institutions of the AD Education group can play a leading role on the contemporary creativity scene, each with its own identity, all with a shared vision.”

“In today’s landscape, art is emerging ever more clearly as an instrument of knowledge and reflection on the world and the most urgent issues of our time – said Cecilia Casorati, Director of the Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome -  Art is a tool for research and a language of connection, capable of highlighting complex and controversial themes and stimulating debate and collective reflection. The students of the Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome enthusiastically took part in Acea’s excellent initiative, demonstrating through their works how artistic education is a path of personal growth, but above all a method that contributes to fostering awareness in all of us.”