On 14 October 2025, the Opéra Garnier de Monte-Carlo bore witness to the elegant proclamation ceremony for the 2025 Prizes of the Prince Pierre Foundation of Monaco, under the distinguished presidency of Her Royal Highness Princess of Hanover, President of the Foundation. The evening was masterfully presented by Arnaud Merlin, a noted journalist from France Musique.
Princess of Hanover (Princess Caroline) and Charlotte Casiraghi stood beside the laureates as the awards were officially announced.
The prizes were conferred across four domains: Contemporary Art, Literature, Music, and Philosophy. Below is a summary of the laureates and notable works honoured in 2025.
Contemporary Art
The International Prize for Contemporary Art (PIAC) was awarded to Simone Fattal for her installation Sempre il mare, uomo libero, amerai! (2023). This prize is triennial and carries both a significant monetary endowment and support for new production.
Fattal’s installation, exhibited in Venice’s Ocean Space, weaves together myth, history, and material poetics across the Mediterranean.
A Research Grant (Bourse de Recherche) was awarded to the duo Basel Abbas & Ruanne Abou-Rahme for their ongoing project Until We Became Fire and Fire Us (2023–ongoing).
Literature
The Literary Prize was conferred upon Louis-Philippe Dalembert, the Haitian writer, in recognition of his entire body of work.
A Discovery Grant (Bourse de la Découverte) was awarded to Ruben Barrouk for his debut novel Tout le bruit du Guéliz (Éditions Albin Michel).
Not to forget the Lycéens’ Coup de Cœur which was awarded to Damien Lecamp for his first novel Un père sur le banc (Éditions Léo Scheer).
Music
Tremplin Musical (Music Springboard) was bestowed upon Mikel Iturregi for Elurra bezain isil (2024), composed for a sextet (flute, clarinet, piano, accordion, percussion and double bass). The work was self-published.
In this category the Coup de Cœur des Jeunes Mélomanes (Young Music Lovers’ Favorite) was awarded to Melinda Wagner for Limbic Fragments (2024), for ensemble, also self-published.
Finally, Philosophy
The Prize of the Principality (in partnership with Les Rencontres Philosophiques) was awarded to Siri Hustvedt for her overall body of work. After the ceremony, Hustvedt was slated to deliver a public lecture on 17 October 2025 at Monaco’s Théâtre des Variétés, under the title Betweens.
Highlights & Context
The Prince Pierre Foundation was created in 1966 by Prince Rainier III in memory of his father, Prince Pierre, with the mission of fostering artistic, literary, and musical creation. Its structure comprises three councils, for literature, music, and visual arts that propose laureates each year.
The PIAC (International Prize for Contemporary Art) is one of the foundation’s flagship awards and is granted every three years.
Regarding Simone Fattal’s honoured installation Sempre il mare, uomo libero, amerai! The title evokes a line from Charles Baudelaire’s poem “L’homme et la mer,” reflecting the artist’s dialogue with poetic text, memory, and the sea.
Her installation employs sculptural and glass elements to explore themes of interconnectedness, historical trade, and the Mediterranean’s cultural symbiosis. For the project Pearls (2023), commissioned by TBA21 in Venice, she created seven blown Murano glass spheres engraved with lines from a Sabir poem (a medieval Mediterranean lingua franca).
