Bebe Vio Grandis presents the WEmbrace Awards 2025 – “TOGETHER OR NOTHING” Edition

The WEmbrace Awards are back this year, save the date: 27 March 2025, Fabbrica del Vapore (Milan).

Also in this edition, Hotel VIU Milan confirms itself as one of the Main Partners of the initiative and will be Chef Giancarlo Morelli to sign the whole menu of the charity dinner.

The event, organised by the art4sport ONLUS Association, of which Beatrice ‘Bebe’ Vio Grandis is the founder and Ambassador, is a genuine celebration of strength and redemption, of how reacting to life’s adversities can be inspirational and helpful to others, especially through the sharing of personal experiences and acting together.

‘Together or Nothing’ is, in fact, the motto of this third edition, as the project’s official press release tells us:

The event, organized by the Associazione art4sport ONLUS, is a tribute to the transformative power of stories and the people who make them possible. It is scheduled for Thursday, March 27, at the Fabbrica del Vapore in Milan.

Milan, February 3, 2025 – After the great success of the first two editions, the WEmbrace Awards are set to shine once again, bringing extraordinary and emotionally impactful stories to the stage—stories capable of truly changing the world around us. This evening is much more than just an event: it is a tribute to the power of collective action and shared experiences.

This year, under the powerful claim “TOGETHER OR NOTHING”, the WEmbrace Awards celebrate the true meaning of unity through the incredible experiences of individuals and projects that refused to give up and turned their dreams into reality. It is a unique opportunity to be inspired and to discover how unity can make a real difference. The ability to come together, collaborate and build relationships by combining efforts and ideas is the only natural force that has always changed the world.

The event, conceived and organized by the Associazione art4sport ONLUS founded by Beatrice “Bebe” Vio Grandis alongside her parents, Teresa Grandis and Ruggero Vio—will take place on Thursday, March 27, at the Fabbrica del Vapore in Milan. It is a memorable evening where the extraordinary becomes possible—because together, anything is possible.

The Event and the Stories – Thanks to the dedicated work of a stable observatory composed of communication professionals who have been involved with art4sport for years, a selection of outstanding individuals, associations, and organizations that embody the philosophy behind this initiative has been made. From an initial pool of 120 stories, 20 have been shortlisted for their uniqueness and their ability to tackle contemporary challenges. These will be celebrated during the evening.

The Awards Jury then made a final selection, identifying four standout stories to be honored as “WEmbracers” at the event.

The Jury consists of distinguished figures from both the Italian and international landscapes:

• Barbara Stefanelli (Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Corriere della Sera)
• Beatrice “Bebe” Vio Grandis (Paralympic Fencing Champion)
• Giovanni Malagò (President of CONI and the Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation, IOC member)
• Guido Harari (Photographer)
• Laura Pausini (Grammy, Latin Grammy, Golden Globe rewarded Artist and Oscar Nominee)
• Luca Pancalli (President of CIP, Vice President of the Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation, IPC Governing Board Member)
• Luca Parmitano (ESA Astronaut)
• Maria Grazia Chiuri (Creative Director of Dior’s Women’s Haute Couture, prêt-à-porter and Accessories collections)
• Nicoletta Mantovani (President of the Fondazione Luciano Pavarotti)
• Shiva Ahmadi (Iranian-American artist and professor of Art at the University of California)
• Telmo Pievani (Biology philosopher, evolutionist, essayist, TV and theater presenter and writer)
• Teresa Cherubini (Illustrator and comic artist)

The “Spheres of Interest”– This year, the finalist stories are divided into four “Spheres of Interest”:

• CREATIVITY SPHERE: celebrating the power of imagination as a shared language that connects communities and fosters dialogue. “TOGETHER OR NOTHING” is reflected in creativity that inspires, unites and shapes new possibilities, proving that artistic expression and innovation are bridges that bring us closer;

• ACTION SPHERE: focused on those who chose to take action, recognizing the necessity and importance of taking that first step. While one can start alone, true world-changing transformation requires collective effort. Here, “TOGETHER OR NOTHING” is the motto of those who believe that every meaningful action must connect, include and build;

• OPPORTUNITY SPHERE: igniting the power of a second chance—one that brings life, hope, and new beginnings. In these selected stories, “TOGETHER OR NOTHING” represents the drive to give and receive, showing that transformation is only possible when no one is left behind;

• THE WORLD SPHERE: embracing initiatives in seemingly distant places, reminding us that “TOGETHER OR NOTHING” is a universal principle spanning all latitudes. Exploring how it is lived and interpreted elsewhere reveals new worlds and demonstrates that every action, wherever it happens, contributes to collective change.

The WEmbrace Movement and Its Charitable Purpose – The WEmbrace Awards 2025 is an event conceived and realized by art4sport, the Associazione ONLUS founded in 2009 by Beatrice “Bebe” Vio Grandis, the Paralympic fencing champion, along with her parents Teresa Grandis and Ruggero Vio. It is a convergence of voices, a weave of experiences capable of inspiring and opening new possibilities. WEmbrace is not just an award—it is a movement that embraces the power of communication, networking, and empathy to shed light on what often remains hidden. Like a great embrace, WEmbrace welcomes, warms, and empowers, creating unexpected opportunities for human connection. WEmbrace is an invitation to collectively redefine inclusion, turning silence into dialogue and distance into closeness.

The movement’s annual events organized by art4sport include the WEmbrace Awards (Milan), WEmbrace Sport (Milan), and WEmbrace Games (Rome).

All proceeds from the WEmbrace Awards 2025 evening will be donated to support children and young people with limb prostheses, whom the Associazione art4sport ONLUS has supported since its inception. The goal is to provide concrete assistance in sports practice through the purchase of prosthetics, wheelchairs, and other adaptive sports equipment.

Partners of the WEmbrace Awards 2025 – The event can count on the patronage of the Comune di Milano and the Fabbrica del Vapore and is backed by the Main Partners Algida, Costa Crociere, Damiani, Hotel VIU Milan, Rilastil, Sorgenia, Toyota and Venini. Corporate Partners include ACPV ARCHITECTS Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel, BELFOR, Centralcargo, Dior, Endowment Fund Banijay Group, L’Oréal Paris, McCann Worldwide Group, OMEGA, Quadro Advertising, Progetto Robotti, Technogym and Volvo Penta. The event’s dinner menu will be crafted by Chef Giancarlo Morelli. Additionally, Wine & Beverage Partners Ferrari Trento, Tenute Lunelli and Surgiva will contribute to the evening.

Attendance at the evening is linked to the purchase of a ten seats table through a donation.

For more info email to: eventi@art4sport.org

Teresa Grandis, President of the Associazione art4sport ONLUS: “Once again, this year, the WEmbrace Awards return to celebrate extraordinary and moving stories of inclusion and collective commitment to tangible initiatives that can truly transform the world around us. The third edition’s claim, ‘TOGETHER OR NOTHING,’ underscores and reminds us how crucial cohesion and teamwork are. I would like to thank all the people and partners involved in this initiative—we are ready to celebrate this evening together”.