Optical Design Contest

A real springboard for the talents of tomorrow, this competition offers the opportunity to go beyond the boundaries of innovation and explore the countless possibilities of design in the world of optics. It's an exciting challenge that will reveal their vision of the future and inspire them to become players in a constantly evolving industry!

2026 theme: The futur of optics - What vision?

The 2026 Optical Design Contest invites design students to reflect on the place of vision in tomorrow’s world. What if glasses were no longer just a tool for sight, but a language of the future — a space for expression between technology and humanity?

Through this theme, participants are encouraged to imagine creations where innovation meets poetry: eyewear that expands perception, translates emotions, and reinvents our relationship with the visible and the invisible.

Areas of exploration :

• Sensitive Innovation – Materials, shapes, or technologies that express a more human vision, connected to our emotions
• Responsible Design – A conscious, sustainable, and life-respecting future for optics
• Poetic Technology – When progress becomes art, light, and sensation
• Vision of the World – Eyewear as a mirror of our values and the societies of tomorrow

Olivier Lapidus, President of the Jury

A renowned French designer known for his forward-thinking vision, Olivier Lapidus chairs the jury of the SILMO 2026 Optical Design Contest.

Trained at Balmain, he first made his mark in the world of fashion before expanding his creative universe to encompass global design. Beyond his personal work — from designing uniforms for Air China to creating a photobiomodulation mask for Dior — he tirelessly explores the dialogue between aesthetics and technology.

As President of the 2025 SILMO d’Or Awards, Olivier Lapidus naturally extends this journey by taking the helm of the Optical Design Contest jury. A natural choice, as his career — at the crossroads of fashion, technology, and design — perfectly embodies the spirit of openness, creativity, and transmission that SILMO seeks to inspire in young talents.

PRIZES

A prize will be awarded by the jury to the winner of the competition and its school. The sum of 10,000 euros will be awarded jointly and equally to the school and the winning student, who will be able to exhibit his or her creation throughout this edition. If they wish, SILMO Paris will also allow them to exhibit their work and projects at the SILMO Paris 2027 exhibition.