​​​​​​​An award designed to discover the future protagonists of auteur photography while they are still in school—just as happened to Oliviero Toscani, when Flavio Lucchini first spotted his talent at the Kunsthaus in Zurich. Together, MIA Photo Fair BNP Paribas and Superstudio have created an award unlike any other, in collaboration with Europe’s leading photography schools, which submitted projects by their most promising students. Dedicated in its first edition to Oliviero Toscani, the Superstudio Photo Award will be a must-see event this March at MIA Photo Fair BNP Paribas, in Via Tortona.

Ten distinct perspectives, capable of breaking free from citationism and rejecting imitation of the great masters in order to pursue an original path.

This is the defining trait highlighted by curator and journalist Nicolas Ballario during the selection of the ten finalist artists for the Superstudio Photo Award—an initiative created in collaboration with MIA Photo Fair BNP Paribas, which each year chooses a major photography master as a guiding figure for emerging talents. This first edition is dedicated to Oliviero Toscani—one of the founders of Superstudio 13, and a lifelong advocate for young people and education—and proposes Metamorphosis as its creative challenge, here interpreted through a direct, personal lens as Differently Me.
The project began with an open call involving the most promising students from Europe’s top photography schools. From the fifty submissions received, an expert jury selected ten finalist artists who will have the opportunity to exhibit their projects during MIA Photo Fair BNP Paribas at Superstudio Più, from 19 to 22 March 2026.
The jury’s decision—made up of Gisella Borioli, founder of Superstudio; Francesca Malgara, Director of MIA Photo Fair BNP Paribas; curator and journalist Nicolas Ballario; Lola Toscani of Oliviero Toscani Studio; photographer Toni Thorimbert; and art director Pier Paolo Pitacco—evolved into a clear-eyed reflection on the future of the field.
Ballario observed a recurring tendency among participants: “I appreciate that the students didn’t simply do their homework by quoting Oliviero. However, they often fail to realise that by focusing exclusively on the medium, they end up ghettoising themselves—closing photography within a fenced-off territory, where it entrenches itself outside the broader art systems.” While this distance from citationism is a positive sign, it also makes clear how essential the guidance of great masters still is. Ballario himself underlines its value: “If I hadn’t encountered someone like Oliviero, I would have had far fewer tools to understand this world. That’s precisely why it’s crucial for all of us to commit to training these young people at the very beginning of their journey.”
In this context, the truly encouraging note lies in the energy and willingness to engage shown by the younger generation. The initiative’s success is confirmed by the exceptionally high number of applications received—a signal that Francesca Malgara welcomed enthusiastically as proof of the new generations’ desire to step forward and put themselves on the line.
During the fair, visitors will not only be spectators but also jurors. Through a QR-code voting system available in the exhibition, each guest will be able to vote for their favourite project. The public vote will determine the final award, created to reward the most compelling vision with a concrete professional opportunity: a full-day, professional authorial photoshoot at the historic Superstudio 13 studios, produced with the support of Superstudio Set and E-Photo. Special thanks go to Fujifilm for technical sponsorship and to the Istituto Italiano di Fotografia—founded at Superstudio 13 forty years ago—for its wide-ranging collaboration.

SUPERSTUDIO PHOTO AWARD
19–22 March 2026
MIA Photo Fair BNP Paribas
Superstudio Più, Via Tortona 27, Milan