MIDO 2026 is shaping up to be a key moment for the next generation of eyewear talent. The Sergio Cereda Eyewear Design Award has announced its Top 10 Contenders for 2026, selected from 101 student submissions worldwide – a record year for international participation.
Presented by the Viva Ross Family Foundation in partnership with MIDO | Milano Eyewear Show and the Cereda family, the award spotlights emerging designers and the kind of forward-thinking creativity the optical industry needs especially as Milan gears up for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
What is the Sergio Cereda Eyewear Design Award?
Founded by eyewear industry leader Harvey Ross in honour of his longtime friend and business partner Sergio Cereda, the award celebrates design excellence and craftsmanship bridging concept, materials knowledge, and real-world prototyping.
In an industry where innovation increasingly sits at the intersection of design, performance, and manufacturing, the award has become a meaningful platform for students aiming to enter the global eyewear market.
The 2026 brief: Olympic-inspired eyewear for winter sport performance
For the 2026 edition, students were challenged to create Olympic-inspired eyewear and sunglass concepts designed for:
- Winter sport performance
- Extreme conditions
- Contemporary style and wearability
The brief reflects a timely convergence: MIDO 2026 in Milan alongside the build-up to the Winter Olympics in Italy, a moment that puts performance design, materials, and functional innovation firmly in the spotlight.
Top 10 Contenders (unranked)
The following students have been named the Top 10 Contenders for the 2026 Sergio Cereda Eyewear Design Award:
- Elisa Albertini — LABA | Libera Accademia di Belle Arti di Brescia (Italy)
- Connor Bybee — Savannah College of Art and Design (USA)
- Anping Chu — Istituto Marangoni Milano Design School (Italy)
- Gustav Craft — Istituto Marangoni (Italy)
- Camille Ferreira — Istituto Marangoni Milano (Italy)
- Megan Broad Merkel — Savannah College of Art and Design (USA)
- Mahra Mustafa — Istituto Marangoni Milano Design (Italy)
- Alessandro Oberti — LABA (Italy)
- Giada Tosana — LABA | Libera Accademia di Belle Arti di Brescia (Italy)
- Leon Voegtle — Muthesius Kunsthochschule Kiel (Germany)
Awards, exhibition and live ceremony at MIDO 2026
The Top Three designers will receive monetary awards of:
- $10,000 (1st place)
- $5,000 (2nd place)
- $2,500 (3rd place)
Final placement will be revealed live at MIDO:
Awards Ceremony: Saturday, 31 January 2026
Time: 4:00 PM
Location: The Vision Stage, Hall 1 — MIDO | Milano Eyewear Show
The Top Three designs will also be exhibited in The Vision Stage Lounge at MIDO, alongside original Sergio Cereda prototypes and archival sketches, creating a strong link between heritage craftsmanship and future-facing eyewear design.
Why this matters to the eyewear industry
For optical professionals, brands, and manufacturers, awards like this are more than a feel-good moment, they’re a window into what’s coming next.
This year’s Olympic-inspired brief puts emphasis on themes the industry is actively investing in:
- Performance eyewear design and sport functionality
- Materials innovation for cold-weather and extreme environments
- Design storytelling that supports brand identity
- The pipeline of emerging eyewear designers entering the market
MIDO President Lorraine Berton highlighted the alignment with MIDO’s broader mission where heritage meets innovation and future vision.