Young Creation Award – 2026 Winners

For this sixth edition, 61 young choreographers applied for the competition and submitted a video of their variation. Out of them, five finalists were selected last November: Max Cowan, Isabella Howard, Clara-Maria Oniceag, Anastasiia Protsenko-Herman, and Kyra Wentzlaff.

The choreographers have worked with their dancers throughout the week and were coached by Véronique Jean. Tonight, the five finalists presented their original variations to the public and the jury. The two winners of this year’s choreographic competition are:

• Max Cowan (Ireland), from the School of the Hamburg Ballet Ballett, with the variation Ritual
  Dancer: Quetzalcoatl Flores Cardeña
  Music: African Food Truck, Sahara Skyli
• Kyra Wentzlaff (United States), from the the School of the Hamburg Ballet, with the variation Tidal
  Dancer: Paolo Leanza
  Music: Melting Glass, Eden Avery

The two winning variations will become part of the contemporary variations repertoire of the Prix de Lausanne 2027. To perfect their training, the two winners will return as coaches for the dancers during the next Summer Intensive in July and the Prix de Lausanne 2027, working alongside renowned choreographers.

The two winning variations will be performed again during the Finals’ Interlude performance on Saturday, 7 February, and at our Rising Stars performance on Sunday, 8 February. Get your ticket on Ticketcorner.

We congratulate all the candidates from our partner schools for their amazing work and huge talent!

The Young Creation Award is a choreographic and educational programme created by the Prix de Lausanne, thanks to its generous sponsors. Learn more.