SaloneSatellite Award 2026 honours designs upholding craft-led innovation

As the only natural satellite of Earth, the Moon not only signals the nuances of its progression in time but also plays a much deeper role: that of a cosmic anchor, critical to balancing the planet’s intrinsic forces. As an ancillary exhibit to Salone del Mobile.Milano—one of the largest global design fairs showcasing products and innovations from renowned international brands and designers—SaloneSatellite also plays a crucial role in equalising the conversations around the present and future of design by contributing young, contemporary ideas and voices to the discourse. For the last 15 years, the prestigious platform has also commemorated its most innovative and impactful displays with the SaloneSatellite Award. Continuing the tradition of reflecting, displaying and amplifying critical discussions at the forefront of contemporary design discourse, the 2026 edition of SaloneSatellite is defined by the theme Maestria Artigiana + Innovazione (Skilled Craftsmanship + Innovation).

Speaking with STIR at the event, Marva Griffin Wilshire, the founder and curator of SaloneSatellite, shares the idea behind starting the awards in 2010. She says, “Initially, the [then] CEO, [Manlio Armellini], who had asked me to start SaloneSatellite, considered that creating such as platform was already a gift to young designers. But upon learning and seeing their creativity, I think it became an obligation for us to promote and reward them with something. This is the reason for the award. 15 years since, we have given [the award] to more than 43 young designers from an incredible number of different countries.”

The theme of this edition aims to revise the role of traditional crafts and knowledge systems, recognising their profound potential as a reinforcement to contemporary design innovation. It envisions a world where the latest technological advancements are complemented by traditional systems, and the importance of the craftsperson is amended to a catalyst for modern innovations, rather than a resistance to it.

On April 22nd, 2026, the winners of the SaloneSatellite Award were announced, selected by a jury panel chaired by Paola Antonelli, senior curator in the Department of Architecture and Design at MoMA, New York, alongside distinguished architects, designers, design critics, educators and journalists. Antonelli, who has chaired the award jury every year since its inception, tells STIR how she cherishes the opportunity: “As a curator of contemporary design, there is nothing better than seeing the work when it's just blossoming, and just seeing what happens afterwards when it goes from idea to production. [...] So many winners of the SaloneSatellite Award and many participants go on to become great designers. I have quite a lot of their products in the collection of MoMA.”

Every year, the SaloneSatellite Award identify revolutionary ideas that provide a deeper insight into the future of the product markets and design industry. Through three legacy awards and two special mentions—offered as the Róng Design Award, supported this year by Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation—SaloneSatellite commends, and promotes, solutions and visions of the new generation of designers. This year’s awardees are those who identified the potential in the union of technological innovation and manual skills, bringing an essence of care, emotion, tradition and personalisation to the design landscape otherwise dominated by economic and industrial efficiency. 

The third prize has been awarded to German design studio Jüngerkühn for their project Soft Touch, an exploration of the expanse of digital fabrication in honing tactile crafts. The device uses a twin-axis arm and a turntable to record and respond to object surfaces, emulating the handiwork of a craftsperson. The result is a series of porcelain vases in which each object is carved out in layers to reveal a unique pattern while highlighting the inherent qualities of the material through craft.

Ious Studio from Rotterdam has been awarded the second prize for their 3DP Ceramic Tiles, the product of an experimental manufacturing system that aims to redefine the behaviour of ‘traditional’ materials such as clay, and expand their aesthetic and functional possibilities. As the name suggests, it uses 3D printing and computational design to mould clay into a cladding system for retail, commercial, hospitality, residential and public architecture and interiors. 

The first prize of the SaloneSatellite Award 2026 was presented to another design practice from the Netherlands, the Denmark-based lighting designers Russo Betak, for Nippon. The pendant lamp is 3D printed with seashells and sculpted by hand. Part of their Ark collection (Danish for ‘sheet’), also launched during Salone del Mobile 2026, the manufacturing process allows moulding of the warm, freshly printed material by hand, with its final form preserving the gestures and fluidity as a layered texture.

In 2019, China-based Róng Design Library collaborated with SaloneSatellite to offer, in addition to the three legacy awards, a design residency to two free-spirited designers, introducing a cross-cultural dialogue between traditional Chinese craft and global voices. This year, the opportunity was offered to Chile-based Aiko Design for Númina Lamp, a luminary objectinspired by ancestral weaving techniques that use wicker and horsehair and realised through digital fabrication. Further, Yixian Wang from China is felicitated for Foggy, an experimental product range that uses a reinvented glass material produced from a soft fibreglass fabric in a resin-less process to reveal airy, intricate strands.

For the SaloneSatellite exhibition, almost one-fifth of proposals—submitted by more than 700 designers under 35 from 43 countries—were selected for display hosted at Rho Fiera during Milan Design Week 2026. Selected by ‘Lale Mmamma’ Wilshire and a committee of designers, architects, design critics, journalists and marketing executives from prominent interior and product design brands, the displays narrate an inter-cultural dialogue between indigenous crafts and latest technological innovations. Ideas from 22 design schools and universities across 39 countries also contribute to the conversation, an avenue first explored two years ago, for the event’s 25th edition.

Beyond this year’s displays, the SaloneSatellite extended its theme through its own legacy by inviting past exhibitors to create 12 panels, on site, using materials from their respective debuts at the event. Designed by Domenico Orefice (debued in 2018), Alessandro Corina (2022), CALE Gambioli Partners   (2023) and Paolo Stella (2025)  , with their proprietary ceramic designs that received immense praise and collaboration offers in the past editions from renowned global organisations—Ceramiche Keope, Bosa and Ma.Vi. Ceramica, to name a few—stood as a backdrop of the showcase, signifying the connection between design, material and craftsmanship, while echoing the SaloneSatellite Permanent Collection notion that ‘dreams come true’.

Stay tuned for exclusive coverage and highlights of Milan Design Week 2026 and Salone del Mobile.Milano 2026 on STIR. Tap here for regular updates on all design districts, including Fuorisalone, Brera, 5vie, Isola and beyond.