In occasione della 15a edizione di MIA Photo Fair BNP Paribas, Superstudio is pleased to announce the launch of the new Superstudio Photo Award, a prize for students under the age of 28, con FUJIFILM in qualità di Sponsor. In un’epoca in cui l’intelligenza artificiale ridefinisce i confini della creatività, l’Award invita a riscoprire ciò che nessuna tecnologia può replicare: lo sguardo umano, unico e irripetibile.
2026 MIA Photo Fair BNP Paribas
Once again this year, Italy's first and most important fair dedicated to contemporary art photography, MIA Photo Fair BNP Paribas, torna a Superstudio Più dal 19 al 22 marzo 2026. Fondata nel 2011 da Fabio Castelli come MIA – Milan Image Art Fair, negli anni la manifestazione si è evoluta entrando a fare parte di Fiere di Parma nel 2022, mentre dal 2025, con l’ingresso di BNL BNP Paribas come title sponsor, ha rafforzato il suo profilo internazionale e il sostegno alla cultura visiva contemporanea.
The fair combines collecting, experimentation, and artistic research through an exhibition program divided into individual or group exhibitions, curatorial projects, and thematic sections. It is a true cultural platform that aims to promote art photography as a contemporary artistic language. It is a comprehensive journey that aims to establish a dialogue with all the visual arts and to involve galleries, artists, curators, and collectors.
The new Superstudio Photo Award (SPA)
There are ideas that change things
And there are gazes capable of transforming them into images
To those who observe with curiosity, to those who experiment,
to those who are seeking their own voice: this is the time to show yourself
From this edition the Superstudio Photo Award, frutto della collaborazione tra MIA Photo Fair BNP Paribas e Superstudio Events, con FUJIFILM in qualità di Sponsor. An invitation for those who see the world through different eyes, to give voice to young photographers and students seeking their own path, a language, a vision.
For 2026, the theme will be "Metamorphosis, from Garment to Skin: differently ME", an exploration of change, vulnerability, and the strength that comes from expressing oneself without filters. A personal journey of self-transformation and identity redefinition through imagery.
The award is open to students aged between 18 and 28 enrolled in European institutes, academies, or universities in the fields of photography, visual communication, design, or fashion. In line with the vision of MIA Photo Fair BNP Paribas and Superstudio, the aim is to promote the work of young talents and support them as they enter the world of work.
The 10 finalists selected by the jury will have the opportunity to exhibit their work free of charge in the award exhibition, which will take place during the opening days of MIA Photo Fair BNP Paribas, from March 19 to 22, 2026. At the end of the event, visitors and the jury will select one of the finalists who will have the opportunity to take part in a personalized professional photo shoot organized by the Superstudio Set e E-Photo teamat the Superstudio 13studios in Via Forcella, Milan. The exhibition and photo shoot are organized in collaboration with FUJIFILM.
A jury of excellence
The authors featured in the exhibition will be selected by a jury of experts and professionals in the field:
– Gisella Borioli, Presidente e Founder di Superstudio Group
– Francesca Malgara, Director of MIA Photo Fair BNP Paribas
– Lola Toscani, Oliviero Toscani Studio
– Nicolas Ballario, Curator and Journalist
– Toni Thorimbert, Photographer
– Pier Paolo Pitacco, Art Director
The final prize for the shooting at Superstudio 13 will be awarded by both the members of the jury and visitors to MIA Photo Fair BNP Paribas, who will be able to vote for their favorite project via QR Code.
A tribute to Oliviero Toscani
This edition of the Superstudio Photo Award (SPA) is dedicated to Oliviero Toscani, the great photographer who passed away last year. The award was created to pay tribute to his genius, freedom of expression, and revolutionary vision of photography, particularly in the fields of fashion and communication.
With this award, Superstudio also intends to celebrate the personal and professional bond that united Oliviero Toscani with founders Flavio Lucchini and Gisella Borioli, creators of the Città dell'Immagine della Moda (City of Fashion Image) in 1983.
The Superstudio Photo Award aims to become a bridge between the past and the future, inspiring young creatives to strive for “other and higher” goals. A unique opportunity for curious talents capable of looking beyond..
