Five discoveries in the running for the Palmyra 2026 archaeological award

The five finalist archaeological discoveries for the International Archaeological Discovery Award “Palmyra” 2026 have been announced. The award will be presented on Friday, October 30, during the twenty-eighth edition of the Mediterranean Exchange of Archaeological Tourism, scheduled to take place in Paestum from October 29 to November 1.

Among the five selected discoveries are a Roman hypogeum-mausoleum found in Albania, the submerged port of Taposiris Magna in Egypt, a frescoed banquet hall in Regio IX in Pompeii, a Greek marble head from Vulci, and the mosaics of the baths of Heracleia at Latmos, in Turkey.

The award is given out each year based on a shortlist of nominations put forward by various specialized publications, and the announcement always takes place in the context of the Paestum event, Italy’s gathering dedicated to archaeological tourism which this year runs over four days, from October 29 to November 1.

The geographical variety of the five finalists — from Albania to Egypt, from Italy to Turkey — reflects the international character of the recognition, which over the years has rewarded discoveries from very different contexts, from Mediterranean sites to those in the Near East. The frescoed hall in Pompeii, in particular, is part of a series of finds in Regio IX that in recent years has repeatedly yielded finely decorated spaces, confirming the area as one of the most active in the excavations currently underway at the Vesuvian site.

The material gathered so far does not yet indicate which criterion will guide the final choice among the five candidates, nor whether a jury distinct from the one that selected the finalists is planned. It is also unclear whether the five discoveries are competing in different categories or in a single overall ranking. The only certain element at this stage remains the date of the announcement: October 30, as part of the Mediterranean Exchange of Archaeological Tourism in Paestum, an event that each year brings together operators, scholars and institutions from the Mediterranean archaeological sector.