The Award operates under the auspices of the Senate of the Republic and enjoys attention from the President of the Republic of Italy. It is also sponsored by the University of Naples “Federico II,” the National Research Council (CNR), and relevant ministries of the Italian government.To date, over four hundred recipients have been honored with the Dorso Award, including recent graduates, leading figures in politics, institutions, economics, science, culture, and the arts — many of them of Italian descent living abroad. Notable recipients include Presidents of the Italian Republic Giovanni Leone and Giorgio Napolitano, Nobel Laureates Renato Dulbecco and Franco Modigliani, as well as several Presidents of Italy’s Constitutional Court.

Schools, universities from the United States, Japan, and the People’s Republic of China have also been recognized. This impressive record affirms that the culture of sustainable and inclusive development is not a relic of the past but remains vibrant, with many goals already achieved — even during times of adverse political and economic circumstances. The Dorso Award consists of an original bronze artwork exclusively created by the sculptor Giuseppe Pirozzi.