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 came in first for her creation entitled “VIVO”, while Émile Tessier, from Cégep de Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu tied for second place with a student from the U.S., 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.”
For more information about the winning students’ designs, please visit formica.com/FORMCompetition.
