Thousands of spectators at the Beaulieu Theatre or through the live streaming have followed the Prix de Lausanne 2026 Finals today, 7 February.
Among the 21 Finalists, 14 Prize Winners were awarded a scholarship allowing them to enter one of the partner schools or companies of the Prix de Lausanne. Tomorrow, Sunday, the candidates will take part in the Networking Forum, where they will have the opportunity to meet directors of the partner schools or companies of the Prix de Lausanne.
Of the 81 candidates initially selected for the 2026 edition, 78 took part in the competition week, and 21 made it through to the Finals, held in front of a packed house at the Beaulieu Theatre.
At the end of the Finals, the Jury, chaired this year by Kevin O’Hare, named 14 Prize Winners. Thanks to their scholarship, the winners aged 15 and 16 will be able to study for a year at one of the partner schools of their choice. As for the 17–18-year-old winners, they will have the opportunity to undertake a one-year internship with the partner company of their choice.
The 14 Prize Winners of the Prix de Lausanne 2026
FONDATION CARIS
| 424 | GYVES | William | United States | 18.7 years old |
BOURSE JEUNE ÉTOILE
| 302 | YEOM | Dayeon | South Korea | 17.1 years old |
BOURSE ASTARTE
| 301 | HUANG | Jingxinyu | P.R. China | 17 years old |
FONDATION MAURICE BÉJART
| 314 | QIN | Yihan | P.R. China | 18.1 years old |
CURÉL
| 201 | SAI | Yusei | Japan | 15 years old |
BOURSE JEUNE ESPOIR
| 213 | CAO | Yufei | P.R. China | 16.10 years old |
FONDATION ANITA ET WERNER DAMM-ETIENNE
| 309 | SHIN | Ara | South Korea | 17.9 years old |
FONDATION HÉLÈNE ET VICTOR BARBOUR
| 203 | THIJS | Jetro | Belgium | 15.6 years old |
BOURSE AUD JEBSEN
| 413 | GRAMADA | Dragos | Romania | 18.1 years old |
OAK FOUNDATION
| 306 | KIM | Tae Eun | South Korea | 17.5 years old |
BOURSE ROLAND PETIT ZIZI JEANMAIRE
| 417 | BANG | Suhyeok | South Korea | 18.3 years old |
FONDATION COROMANDEL
| 418 | SON | Mingyun | South Korea | 18.3 years old |
RUDOLF NUREYEV FOUNDATION
| 415 | DEMEULENAERE | Milo | USA | 18.2 years old |
FONDATION FRANÇOISE CHAMPOUD
| 310 | JEON | Jiyul | South Korea | 17.9 years old |
Other Awards :
BEAULIEU AWARD offered by BEAULIEU SA
| 413 | GRAMADA | Dragos | Romania | 18.1 years old |
CONTEMPORARY DANCE AWARD offered by MINERVA KUNSTSTIFTUNG
| 413 | GRAMADA | Dragos | Romania | 18.1 years old |
BEST SWISS CANDIDATE AWARD offered by FONDATION JACQUELINE DE CÉRENVILLE
| 424 | GYVES | William | USA | 18.7 years old |
WEB AUDIENCE FAVOURITE AWARD co-organised by FONDATION EN FAVEUR DE L’ART CHORÉGRAPHIQUE & ARTE CONCERT
| 107 | REGO DE SOUZA | Pietra | Brazil | 15.8 years old |
AUDIENCE FAVOURITE AWARD co-organised by FONDATION EN FAVEUR DE L’ART CHORÉGRAPHIQUE & ARTE CONCERT
| 302 | YEOM | Dayeon | South Korea | 17.1 years old |
Finalist Award
Finalists who have not been awarded any prize receive the Finalist Award (a sum of CHF 1000.-) offered by Bobst SA.
Networking Forum
On Sunday, 8 February 2026, the Networking Forum offers an additional chance for candidates not selected for the Finals to meet directors of Prix de Lausanne partner schools and companies interested in offering them training or employment. This half-day networking event crowns the experience gained during the week of equal opportunities for all candidates.
Live streaming
This year, the daily sessions – almost 8 hours live per day – and the Selections have been watched by more than 552,312 spectators on ARTE Concert, YouTube, and on the Prix de Lausanne website.
Graham Spicer, aka ‘Gramilano’, is a writer, director and photographer based in Milan. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy. His articles have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the Danza in Italia column for Dancing Times magazine. Graham was the historical advisor on Codice Carla, the 2023 documentary on Carla Fracci.
Graham also works as a dance photographer, and his photos have appeared in many books, theatre programmes, and magazines, including Dancing Times, Dance Spirit and Ballet2000, as well as all the major Italian newspapers.
He is a member of the Dance Section of The Critics’ Circle.