The organizers of the Sergio Cereda Eyewear Design Award have announced its top 10 contenders for the 2026 competition, selected from 101 student submissions worldwide—a record level of international participation. Founded by eyewear industry executive Harvey Ross in memory of his longtime friend and business partner Sergio Cereda, the award is presented by the Viva Ross Family Foundation in partnership with Mido | Milano Eyewear Show and the Cereda family.

This year’s competition coincides with Mido 2026 and the Milano–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, both taking place in Italy. The design brief asked students to develop Olympic-inspired eyewear and sunglass concepts suited for winter sports, extreme conditions, and contemporary wear.

The top 10 contenders, listed alphabetically and unranked, are:

• Elisa Albertini, Libera Accademia di Belle Arti di Brescia (LABA), Italy

• Connor Bybee, Savannah College of Art and Design, United States

• 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, Italy

• Mahra Mustafa, Istituto Marangoni Milano Design, Italy

• Alessandro Oberti, LABA, Italy

• Giada Tosana, LABA, Italy

• Leon Voegtle, Muthesius Kunsthochschule Kiel, Germany

The top 3 finalists will receive monetary awards of $10,000, $5,000, and $2,500. Final placements will be announced during a live awards ceremony on Saturday, January 31, at 4 p.m. on the Vision Stage at Mido. The 3 winning designs will also be exhibited at the Vision Stage Lounge during the show, alongside original prototypes and archival sketches by Sergio Cereda.

An international jury selected the finalists, including representatives from eyewear manufacturing, retail, design, and trade organizations. Jurors included Harvey Ross; Stefania Cereda Oppermann of EssilorLuxottica North America; Caterina Cereda, independent design and strategic consultant; Lorraine Berton, president of Mido and the Italian Optical Goods Manufacturers' Association; David Friedfeld, president of ClearVision Optical; Giovanni Vitaloni of Vanni Eyewear; and eyewear designer Bruno Palmegiani.

All participating students have been invited to attend the ceremony and related events at Mido, where they will have opportunities to connect with industry professionals, educators, and manufacturers.