The award dedicated to the most memorable events
of the Milan Design Week.
— Vote from April 22 —
Fuorisalone Award selects and promotes both the most memorable installations showcased in Milan and contents, projects, activities of relevance and interest for the international design community (Special Mentions). With the 2026 edition the Special Mention “Essere Progetto” is introduced which aims to reward the project that most significantly reflects the theme chosen for Fuorisalone 2026.
The Fuorisalone Award is aimed at the 12 most memorable installations/events of the 2026 edition, selected by the Fuorisalone.it editorial team. The award aims to have a strongly democratic value, as it is decreed on the basis of direct public votes. In a dedicated section of the Fuorisalone.it platform, the public will be able to find out more about the competing installations (via links to the relevant event pages) and vote for their favourite, thus helping to decree the most exciting events and installations of the Fuorisalone.
Concurrently, a collaborative effort between a Technical Committee and the Fuorisalone.it editorial team will focus on highlighting content relevant to the world of design and projects. These selected projects will compete for the 5 Special Mentions (Sustainability & Research, Technology & Innovation, Engagement & Interaction, Media Partners and the new entry "Essere Progetto”). This section of the award supports the value of Design Culture, which is not necessarily manifested only in its physical and aesthetic expression, but also in its deeper content, producing value and offering alternative and increasingly avant-garde visions.
For the production of the awards, we would like to thank Pollodesign Factory, a Milan-based design and production company.
Special Mentions
The collaborative effort between our Technical Committee and the Fuorisalone.it editorial team will focus on highlighting content relevant to the world of design and projects, qualitatively innovative and rich in meaning.
The Special Mentions aim to recognise the objective value linked to the Culture of the Project, not so much the physical/aesthetic aspect of the artefact or installation.
These selected projects will compete for the Special Mentions across categories:
SUSTAINABILITY & RESEARCH
Recognition for projects that focus on materials research and experimentation as key elements of sustainability, understood as a continuous process capable of generating new responsible practices. An approach that values time, analysis, verification and reuse as active tools in the project.
TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION
This award recognises projects that integrate technology, including Artificial Intelligence, into the design process to open up new scenarios for production, language and use. Innovation that extends design thinking without replacing it.
ENGAGEMENT & INTERACTION
This mention is dedicated to projects that activate a real dialogue with people and the context, transforming design into a shared experience capable of engaging, including and generating participation. The project is also measured by the quality of the relationships it manages to build.
Special Mention Media Partner
Introduced in 2024, the Media Partners Special Mention entrusts the authority of the media involved in Fuorisalone.it with the judgement based on a shortlist of the 12 most memorable projects. A “critics” award' that will accompany the one voted by the public.
Special Mention “Essere Progetto”
New for 2026 is the Special Mention ‘Essere Progetto’, which rewards the project that most significantly interprets the theme of Fuorisalone 2026, valuing the process as an essential part of the final result. It is a recognition of design practices capable of making method, research and responsibility visible, beyond form and object.
The Jury
Check out the leading figures in the sector who will be part of the Technical Committee
voting for the Special Mentions chosen by Fuorisalone.it.
Europe editor at large, Monocle magazine (based in Milan)
The Jury of Media Partners
Check out the Fuorisalone.it Media Partners who have joined the project and will vote for their favourite event among those identified by Fuorisalone.it.
