Sergio Cereda’s Legacy Takes Center Stage as the Next Generation of Eyewear Designers Debut at MIDO

In the days leading up to Milan–Cortina 2026, MIDO | Milano Eyewear Show became the global stage for the future of eyewear design.

Presented in partnership with the MIDO exhibition, the Sergio Cereda Eyewear Design Award 2026 brought emerging designers from Italy, Germany, and the United States to the Vision Stage at Milan, unveiling sports-inspired eyewear concepts that fused fashion, performance, and engineering.

The Sergio Cereda Eyewear Design Award, the ceremony welcomed international press, educators, industry leaders, and students who traveled with their professors from around the world to participate in the live presentation, underscoring the award’s growing global importance.

Founded by Harvey Ross and powered by MIDO | Milano Eyewear Show, the Viva Ross Family Foundation, and the Cereda Family, the award exists to preserve and carry forward the design philosophy of Sergio Cereda, a designer whose work bridged creativity and manufacturing with rare mastery.

A Sports-Inspired Design Brief for a Global Moment

This year’s brief challenged students to design eyewear inspired by sport, movement, and performance, reflecting the energy, innovation, and international attention surrounding Milan–Cortina 2026.

Award Winners & Finalists

Top Three Award Winners

Grand Prize - $10,000

Giada Tosana

LABA | Libera Accademia di Belle Arti di Brescia, Italy

Second Prize - $5,000

Elisa Albertini

LABA | Libera Accademia di Belle Arti di Brescia, Italy

Third Prize - $2,500

Mahra Mustafa

Istituto Marangoni Milano, Italy

Special Recognition Awards

Two designers received $1,000 Special Recognition Awards, personally selected by founder Harvey Ross, for exceptional creativity and written submissions:

Megan Broad Merkel - Savannah College of Art and Design (USA)
Alessio Accardi - IED Torino, Italy

Finalists

Alessandro Oberti - LABA | Libera Accademia di Belle Arti di Brescia, Italy
Gustav Craft - Istituto Marangoni Milano, Italy
Camille Ferreira - Istituto Marangoni Milano, Italy
Anping Chu - Istituto Marangoni Milano, Italy
Connor Bybee - Savannah College of Art and Design (USA)
Leon Voegtle - Muthesius Kunsthochschule Kiel, Germany

Judges & Industry Leadership

Designs were evaluated by an international panel of distinguished judges:

Harvey Ross - Founder, Viva International; Chairman, Ross Holdings; CEO, OPTYX New York
Lorraine Berton - President, MIDO | Milano Eyewear Show
Stefania Cereda Oppermann - Design Consultant, EssilorLuxottica
Caterina Cereda - Design & Strategic Consultant; Co-Founder, Sergio Cereda Eyewear Design Archive
David Friedfeld - President, ClearVision Optical
Giovanni Vitaloni - Founder & Creative Director, VANNI Eyewear
Bruno Palmegiani - Eyewear Designer & Industry Consultant

The Sergio Cereda Eyewear Design Archive - Varese, Italy

A defining element of the ceremony was the spotlight on the Sergio Cereda Eyewear Design Archive, located in Varese, Italy, where Sergio’s original design studio has been transformed into a permanent archive and educational resource. The archive preserves original sketches, prototypes, and conceptual work and is open to students, designers, and brands seeking inspiration rooted in real-world manufacturing intelligence.

A Legacy Carried Forward

Reflecting on the purpose of the award, founder Harvey Ross shared:

“This competition was created for a reason beyond awards. It exists to safeguard Sergio Cereda’s legacy - a way of designing where beauty, function, and production are inseparable. Sergio was the designer’s designer. He could move effortlessly between extraordinary complexity and everyday accessibility, always honoring materials, process, and cost without ever diluting creativity. That mindset, that discipline, is what we are passing forward to the next generation.”

The President of MIDO, Lorraine Berton, added:

“More than 100 applications from students from all around the world demonstrated the vital and global impact of eyewear design. Each project reflected passion, skill, and a deep connection to our culture and to Made in Italy. The Cereda Award aims to highlight exactly this: the future of eyewear in the hands of young talents, carrying forward Sergio Cereda’s influence on the industry, and MIDO’s commitment as an international platform connecting talent, companies, and creativity worldwide”.