Formica Canada is proud to announce that for the seventh year in a row, Canadian students rank among the winners of the 2026 FORM Student Innovation Competition. Kassandra Avila from Cégep de Trois-Rivières won the first place for her creation entitled "VIVO", while Émile Tessier, from Cégep de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu tied for the second place with a student from the US, for his design "The Foam". Third place went to Nicholas Luter from Ringling College of Art & Design in Sarasota for his design "The Pylon Pets".
For this ninth edition, students were challenged to design a furniture piece interpreting the theme of "Mood-Boosting Design." The 303 submitted designs demonstrated how bold colours, unexpected colour combinations and layered textures can bring meaningful, mood-boosting spaces to life. The designs were required to incorporate three or more Formica® Brand, FENIX® Innovative Materials or other products from the Formica® Portfolio of Surfacing Solutions and could be used in residential or commercial settings.
"The FORM Student Innovation Competition continues to strongly engage students and educational institutions across Canada. This year, 126 projects were submitted by Canadian students, demonstrating both a high level of creativity in interpreting the theme and remarkable rigor in concept development," said Christelle Locat-Rainville, Marketing Director at Formica Canada.
"We would like to congratulate all participants for their dedication and the quality of their work, and especially Kassandra Avila from Cégep de Trois-Rivières, the grand prize winner of this edition, as well as Émile Tessier from Cégep Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, who distinguished himself by earning a tie for second place. Year after year, the caliber of submissions continues to rise, reflecting the talent of emerging designers and the strength of the future of the design industry."
First-place prize: Kassandra Avila from Cégep de Trois-Rivières in Quebec, Canada, is the grand prizewinner for her entry "VIVO", a versatile furniture piece primarily designed for children that supports a range of activities, encouraging creativity, play and self-expression while fostering independence and exploration. Thoughtfully designed for children of varying sizes, its components can be arranged to suit different needs and engage users in multiple ways. With its rounded forms and soft blue and white palette, VIVO creates a calming, luminous atmosphere that inspires joy.
"VIVO stood out for its sophisticated and thoughtful use of Formica® Laminate, both in its form and use of color. Each piece works beautifully on its own while also contributing to a cohesive system," said Ayse Birsel, competition judge and industrial designer.
Second-place prize: Émile Tessier from Cégep Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu in Quebec, Canada and Vania Lau from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana tied for the second-place prize.
Émile Tessier's "The Foam" draws inspiration from the light, fleeting quality of soap suds to create a playful, practical furniture piece designed to spark wonder, encourage creativity and support short-term activities in educational and child-focused spaces.
Vania Lau's "Lumine" is an all-in-one bedside table designed to create a calm, clutter-free nighttime experience with a built-in lamp emitting a gentle glow and features a pull-out lap desk with integrated storage.
Third-place prize: Nicholas Luter from Ringling College of Art & Design in Sarasota, Florida, received the third-place prize for "The Pylon Pets," a versatile seating system featuring stylized dog and cat silhouettes inspired by Art Deco geometry. Blending whimsical sculpture with everyday function, the stackable chairs are designed to make seating a playful experience and bring joy to kid-centric public spaces.
The competition winners will receive cash prizes and will be invited to attend NeoCon, taking place June 8-10, 2026, at The Mart in Chicago. The grand prize winner will also have the opportunity to see her design brought to life at one of the most important events in commercial design and the premiere gathering place for design professionals.
In addition to attending NeoCon 2026, the winning students also will take part as featured speakers as part of the official show program.
Honorable mentions: The other top 10 finishers - in no particular order - include:
- Maryssa Baril from Dawson College
- Fátima Cervantes from Universidad de Monterrey
- Faith Schneider from Ohio State University
- Miguel Angel Aguilera Saenz from Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez
- Natalie Darbonne from Middle Tennessee State University
- Grace McCoy from Ohio State University
For more information about the winning students' designs, please visit formica.com/FORMCompetition.
