The Italian Society of Musicology announces the sixth edition of the SIdM Prize, intended for the best theses in musicological and ethnomusicological disciplines defended at Italian and foreign universities and conservatories. The prize consists in the publication of the winning dissertation in the “Percorsi” series of SIdM/Anthology Digital Publishing.
Requirements for participation in the competition Members of SIdM may participate in the 2026 edition of the SIdM Prize if they have obtained a master’s degree, specialist degree, or single-cycle degree from an Italian or foreign university, or a second-level academic diploma awarded by a conservatory of music or an equivalent foreign institution. An essential requirement for admission to the competition is that the dissertation belong to the musicological or ethnomusicological field. There are no chronological or repertorial limitations regarding the subject of the thesis.
For the 2026 edition, theses defended starting from the 2023–24 academic year are eligible.
Procedures and deadline for submitting the application The application to participate in the competition must be submitted no later than the peremptory deadline of 30 May 2026 to the following address:
Applicants are requested to indicate in the subject line of the email: “First Name Last Name – Premio SIdM 2026”.
The application, on plain paper (Annex 1), must contain the following information:
• first name and surname;
• personal details of the candidate;
• title of the thesis;
• date and place of the defense;
• email address to be used exclusively for any communication relating to this call and telephone number.
On pain of exclusion, the following documentation must be attached to the application:
• copy of the thesis in PDF format, conforming to the original;
• copy of the degree certificate or of the second-level academic diploma or equivalent qualification obtained abroad;
• sworn declaration certifying that the copy of the thesis sent to the SIdM Prize committee conforms to the original (Annex 2).
• sworn declaration certifying that the thesis is unpublished (Annex 3);
• copy of a valid identity document;
• commitment to produce, in the event of winning the prize, a final revised version of the work ready for publication no later than 31 May 2027 (Annex 4).
Applications that do not fully meet the required conditions will not be taken into consideration.
Participation in the competition implies full acceptance of these regulations.
Obligations of participants By participating in the competition, applicants authorize the dissemination through the press or through SIdM’s social media channels of all information relating to the awarding of the SIdM Prize and of various extracts from the thesis and/or the subsequent monograph for promotional purposes. The editorial copyright of the monograph shall belong to the publisher and may not be transferred to third parties. It is the responsibility of the author to ensure that the use of images, data, and illustrations in the chapters does not violate copyright law and that authorization to reproduce them has been granted by the holders of any such rights.
SIdM Prize The prize consists in the publication of the winning thesis in the “Percorsi” series of SIdM/Anthology Digital Publishing.
Procedure for awarding the prize The prize is awarded, through a peer-review-based selection, by a judging committee appointed by the SIdM Board and composed of scholars in the disciplinary areas relevant to the theses received. Notice of the constitution of the judging committee and of its members will be published on the SIdM website. Evaluation will be based on the degree of innovation and originality, and on the scientific perspectives and impact of the thesis submitted. The judging committee reserves the right not to award the prize if, in its sole judgment, an adequate qualitative standard has not been reached. The committee’s decision is final.
The winner will receive notification of the awarding of the prize by email, at the address indicated in the application. The outcome of the selection will also be published on the website www.sidm.it, and the designation of prizes and mentions will take place during the members’ assembly to be held during the 33rd Annual Conference of the Italian Society of Musicology, which will take place in Palermo from 23 to 25 October 2026. Winners must be present at the proclamation ceremony.
Processing of personal data The processing of personal data collected for the purposes identified in this call takes place in compliance with the provisions of EU Regulation 27 April 2016, no. 679 (General Data Protection Regulation, GDPR). Full information is available on the website www.sidm.it.
General information This call for applications is available on the SIdM website (www.sidm.it).
Marco Mangani
President of SIdM
