The Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana and the Univerde Foundation, from 2020, are committed to rewarding those who have particularly distinguished themselves in the promotion and spread of the True Neapolitan Pizza culture in Italy and around the world. The delivery of the Sant’Antuono Awards takes place on January 17, recognized as "City Day of the Neapolitan Pizzaiolo". The reasons that link the date of January 17 to the figure of the pizza-maker are many, and all of a historical and cultural nature. Since the beginning of the last century and up to fifty years ago, the Neapolitan pizza-makers families used to close their pizzerias on this day to celebrate their patron saint, Sant'Antuono, the saint of fire and protector of bakers, around a great propitiatory fire. At that time, everyone had an image of the saint near the wood-fired oven, which can still be found today in some historic pizzerias in the city of Naples.
"We wanted to pay tribute to the media that had and continue to have a determining role in this that we could define a real Renaissance of Neapolitan pizza. And it is our intention to make this award a fixed appointment over the years." – Antonio Pace
