Press kit no. 5562-02
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Press Kit | no. 5562-02
The Canadian Creators Collective Announces the Winners of the CCC Emerging Design Awards 2026
CCC Canadian Creators Collective
Montréal-based studio Atelier Fomenta, grand prize winner, recognized for their strategic ingenuity
The Canadian Creators Collective (CCC) is pleased to announce the winners of its first edition of the CCC Emerging Design Awards, recognizing emerging design talent from across Canada. The Award honours the excellence and rigour of a studio, team or practitioner, reviewing work from across their practice.
AN IMPARTIAL INTERNATIONAL JURY
Setting the bar high, the evaluation process was led by a jury of established industry leaders. Originally from Montréal, Philippe Malouin is an internationally-acclaimed industrial designer known for his minimalist, experimental furniture and installations who recently won the coveted Compasso d’Oro; Kwangho Lee is a designer and artist blending traditional craftsmanship with avant-garde form, with works held in permanent museum collections like the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Manuel Bañó co-founded Mexico City's renowned EWE Studio, bridging raw material integrity with functional sculpture; Anna Caradeuc is an influential New York-based creative strategist and publicist driving the narrative of the collectible design market; and Laura May Todd is a leading design journalist and Milan correspondent for Wallpaper* magazine whose editorial critique heavily influences how modern architecture and interiors are perceived worldwide. The international character of the jury not only ensured the highest standard, but also addressed the issue of impartiality in a small, interconnected industry.
SUBMISSIONS CATEGORIES
Reflecting the CCC’s focus on the built environment, winners submitted their work across three categories: Form-giving, Spatiality, and Future-building. The Form-giving category focused on the made object and was open to practices centred on sculpture, furniture, lighting, etc., with the caveat that products must be real (rather than rendered or AI-generated). The Spatiality category encompassed both traditional and innovative spatial design, aiming to reshape our world through architecture and interior design. The Future-building category was dedicated to forward-thinking designers, exploring speculative design, cutting-edge technologies, and research projects that challenge expectations and transform the discipline's future.
ANNOUNCING THE 2026 WINNERS
Category Winners
The winner for the Spatiality category is Halifax-based architectural firm Bishop McDowell, founded in 2024 by Matthew Bishop and Lucas McDowell. The studio works across a range of project types, including private residences, commercial developments, and custom furniture.
The winner in the Future-building category is Florian Berthelin, a designer whose practice uses speculative design to challenge dominant industrial models.
In the Form-giving category, Montreal-based design studio Atelier Fomenta took the honours for a body of work that expresses innovation through an economy of means and gestures, with a touch of humour.
2026 Grand Prize
“The execution excels in its sophisticated articulation of materiality. The strategic ingenuity behind the approach is deeply impressive, making this project a promising prelude to the studio's future endeavours,” stated Korean designer and Jury Member Kwangho Lee about Atelier Fomenta, the studio that was chosen by the jury as the overall winner, the CCC Emerging Designer of 2026. Formed by the collective practice of Julia Arvelo, Florence Barnabé, and Muriel Bentolila, the studio distinguished itself for its “great use of material, fun colours, and great photography,” according to Jury Member Philippe Malouin.
2026 Student Winner
The student prize, the CCC Student Designer of the Year, was awarded to Maxwell Sims, a designer exploring how materials, form, and meaning shape the built environment. A recent graduate of OCAD University in Toronto, Sims studied at The Royal Danish Academy in Copenhagen, and his projects have been featured in publications such as Dezeen and Design Milk. Jury Member Kwangho Lee praised his work for “their remarkable level of craft and finish."
CELEBRATING EMERGING CANADIAN DESIGN
As an annual award, the CCC Emerging Design Awards were created to support and celebrate the next generation of Canadian design talent, providing emerging designers with opportunities to present their work to a wider design community, gain visibility and recognition, and build meaningful connections across the industry. The winners represent the best of the future of Canadian design.
ABOUT
Partners
v2com newswire is an integrated international public relations agency and specialized media distribution platform dedicated exclusively to architecture, design, and lifestyle sectors. Founded in 2008, the network connects design firms with over 7,000 global publications, serving as an official distribution pipeline for professional press kits and high-resolution media materials.
The Interior Design Show (IDS) is Canada’s premier design fair and a platform for industry innovation, trends, and collaborative designed spaces. Operating for over two decades, the annual exposition features curated installations, professional development conferences, and exhibitions from both emerging practitioners and legacy design brands.
Principal is a Montreal-based strategy and graphic design firm specializing in the development of visual identities and brand solutions. The studio helps private, public, and cultural organizations express their core values through graphic systems across both digital and print media.
About the CCC Emerging Design Awards
An official distinction established by the Canadian Creators Collective (CCC), a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the professional trajectories of early-career creators. Designed to celebrate exceptional, standard-setting work and recognize emerging practices, the initiative offers a very limited number of prizes to ensure rigorous selection standards. The evaluation is conducted through a highly curated, impartial vetting process led by an international jury of established industry leaders. By focusing on a designer's comprehensive body of work rather than isolated products, the award provides objective validation and industry credentials intended to serve as a practical catalyst for global professional opportunities.
About the CCC Emerging Design Awards Visual Identity
Under the creative direction of Bryan-K. Lamonde at Principal, the visual identity was developed in collaboration with photographer Alex Lesage, who produced both the still photography and stop-motion sequences. Grounded in physical materiality, the visual concept utilizes raw, real clay to provide a tangible texture throughout the campaign assets. This choice of medium serves as a structural metaphor, symbolizing the malleability and experimentation inherent in emerging creative practices.
About the Canadian Creators Collective
The Canadian Creators Collective (CCC) is a Montréal-based nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and promoting Canadian design nationally and internationally. The CCC connects designers, studios, manufacturers, retailers, educators, institutions and other members of the design community to create opportunities for collaboration, visibility and professional development. It especially encourages bold and innovative projects which highlight Canadian savoir-faire.
For more information
Media contact
- Canadian Creators Collective (CCC)
- Ana Masut, Executive Director
- info@cccollective.org
- 514-804-8982
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Atelier Fomenta
Medium-resolution image : 5.69 x 8.53 @ 300dpi ~ 270 KB
Atelier Fomenta
Very High-resolution image : 18.35 x 22.93 @ 300dpi ~ 7.3 MB
Atelier Fomenta
Very High-resolution image : 18.35 x 27.52 @ 300dpi ~ 4.2 MB
Atelier Fomenta
Very High-resolution image : 27.52 x 18.35 @ 300dpi ~ 9.8 MB
Maxwell Sims
Medium-resolution image : 4.55 x 6.83 @ 300dpi ~ 370 KB
Maxwell Sims
Medium-resolution image : 4.55 x 6.83 @ 300dpi ~ 290 KB
Maxwell Sims
Medium-resolution image : 4.55 x 6.83 @ 300dpi ~ 610 KB
Florian Berthelin
Florian Berthelin
High-resolution image : 8.5 x 12.35 @ 300dpi ~ 2.4 MB
Bishop McDowell
Medium-resolution image : 3.75 x 5.0 @ 300dpi ~ 1.2 MB
Atelier Fomenta
Category Winner: Form-Giving
CCC Emerging Design of the Year 2026
William Daviau
Very High-resolution image : 20.04 x 26.71 @ 300dpi ~ 22 MB
Maxwell Sims
CCC Student Designer of the Year 2026
Melanie Garros
Medium-resolution image : 4.55 x 6.83 @ 300dpi ~ 480 KB
Category Winner: Future-building
Florian Berthelin
Low-resolution image : 2.77 x 4.16 @ 300dpi ~ 2 MB
Bishop McDowell
Category Winner: Spatiality
Low-resolution image : 2.48 x 4.18 @ 300dpi ~ 700 KB
Medium-resolution image : 8.0 x 10.0 @ 300dpi ~ 950 KB
Very High-resolution image : 17.2 x 17.2 @ 300dpi ~ 13 MB
Very High-resolution image : 27.52 x 18.35 @ 300dpi ~ 14 MB
Manuel Bano
Very High-resolution image : 14.93 x 22.4 @ 300dpi ~ 2.2 MB
Medium-resolution image : 6.67 x 7.42 @ 300dpi ~ 510 KB
Very High-resolution image : 27.52 x 20.64 @ 300dpi ~ 21 MB
Medium-resolution image : 3.6 x 6.4 @ 300dpi ~ 3.2 MB
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