Congratulations to the 2026 Prix de Lausanne Winners

The Winter Olympics may have gotten underway in Milan and Cortina this weekend, but just a few hours north in Switzerland, the ballet world was holding its own elite international competition: the 2026 Prix de Lausanne.

Seventy-eight candidates between the ages of 15 and 18, and representing 18 countries, took part in the weeklong scholarship competition. A nine-member international jury evaluated the dancers in ballet and contemporary classes, coaching sessions, and performances at Lausanne’s Beaulieu Theatre. Fans tuned in to the livestreamed events throughout the week to discover new talent and root for their favorite dancers.

Twenty-one finalists participated in Saturday’s final round in hopes of winning a one-year scholarship or internship with one of the Prix’s partner schools and companies. Fourteen total scholarships were awarded to eight boys and six girls, along with a handful of special prizes. And earlier in the week, the Prix presented Young Creation Awards to two student choreographers, whose solos will be among the contemporary options for next year’s competition.

But the Prix’s real reward is in the experience: working with esteemed coaches and master teachers, performing onstage, and meeting dancers from all over the world. On Sunday, the annual Networking Forum allowed non-finalist candidates to meet with directors from the Prix’s partner schools and companies. (Last year, over 224 scholarship offers were made to non-finalists.)

Below are the 2026 awardees. Congratulations to all who participated!

1. William Gyves, #424 (United States)

Age: 18

School: Zurich Dance Academy

William Gyves. Photo by Gregory Batardon, courtesy Prix de Lausanne.
William Gyves. Photo by Gregory Batardon, courtesy Prix de Lausanne.

2. Dayeon Yeom, #302 (South Korea)

Age: 17

School: Ballet West Studio

A teenage dancer wearing a black and red tutu, pink tights and pointe shoes does and echappé in fourth position effacé onstage. She holds a tambourine in her right hand and lifts her left arm up as she smiles at the audience. — Dayeon Yeom. Photo by Gregory Batardon, courtesy Prix de Lausanne.

3. Jingxinyu Huang, #301 (China)

Age: 17

School: The Affiliated Secondary School of Beijing Dance Academy

A teenage ballerina in a white tutu, pink tights, and pointe shoes stands in tendu derrière facing upstage right. She leans back and looks over her left shoulder, curving her left arm low and holding her right arm high over her head. — Jingxinyu Huang. Photo by Gregory Batardon, courtesy Prix de Lausanne.

4. Yihan Qin, #314 (China)

Age: 18

School: The Affiliated Secondary School of Beijing Dance Academy

A teenage ballerina in a white tutu, pink tights, does a développé devant on pointe in croisé with her left leg. She looks up towards her lifted right hand. — Yihan Qin. Photo by Gregory Batardon, courtesy Prix de Lausanne.

5. Yusei Sai, #201 (Japan)

Age: 15

School: Southland Ballet Academy

A teenage dancer lunges onto his left knee in an open position, his left hand on his hip and his right arm out. She wears a blue striped bolero jacket over a dark top, white tights, and white ballet shoes. He smiles towards the audience. — Yusei Sai. Photo by Gregory Batardon, courtesy Prix de Lausanne.

6. Yufei Cao, #213 (China)

Age: 16

School: The Affiliated Secondary School of Beijing Dance Academy

A teenage dancer does a grand jeté onstage and looks out at the audience, lifting his right arm up. He wears white tights and ballet slippers, and a blue striped bolero jacket over a dark blue top. — Yufei Cao. Photo by Gregory Batardon, courtesy Prix de Lausanne.

7. Ara Shin, #309 (South Korea)

Age: 17

School: Seoul Arts High School

A teenage ballet dancer does balloné on pointe in effacé devant. She holds the skirt of her white costume out to the side with both hands and looks toward her lifted right foot, smiling. — Ara Shin. Photo by Gregory Batardon, courtesy Prix de Lausanne.

8. Jetro Thijs, #203 (Belgium)

Age: 15

School: Mosa Ballet School

A young dancer does an arabesque with his left hand on his hip and his right arm reaching out to the side. He looks out to the audience with a big smile. He wears a white top and a flowered vest, yellow knickers and white tights. — Jetro Thijs. Photo by Gregory Batardon, courtesy Prix de Lausanne.

9. Dragos Gramada, #413 (Romania)

Age: 18

School: Zurich Dance Academy

A teenage ballet dancer kneels on his right knee in croisé, with his right hand on his hip and his left arm raised. He turns his head sharply left, and is costumed in a red velvet bolero jacket, white shirt, and high-waisted black tights and shoes. — Dragos Gramada. Photo by Gregory Batardon, courtesy Prix de Lausanne.

10. Tae Eun Kim, #306 (South Korea)

Age: 17

School: Seoul Arts High School

A teenage ballerina does a développé croise devant with her right leg on pointe during a performance. She wears a white tutu with layers of red underneath and a tiara. She looks out to the audience and smiles. — Tae Eun Kim. Photo by Gregory Batardon, courtesy Prix de Lausanne.

11. Suhyeok Bang, #417 (South Korea)

Age: 18

School: PNSD Rosella Hightower

A teenage ballet dancer kneels on his right knee in an open position, lifting his right arm and looking out triumphantly over his extended left hand. He wears brown shorts, brown arm bands, and a brown bandana. — Suhyeok Bang. Photo by Gregory Batardon, courtesy Prix de Lausanne.

12. Mingyun Son, #418 (South Korea)

Age: 18

School: Sunhwa Arts High School

A teenage ballet dancer in a white tunic and tights kneels onto his right knee, facing directly front. He opens his arms wide and smiles out to the audience. — Mingyun Son. Photo by Gregory Batardon, courtesy Prix de Lausanne.

13. Milo Demeulenaere, #415 (United States)

Age: 18

School: City Ballet San Francisco

A teenage ballet dancer in a black tunic and black tights kneels onto his left leg in an open position. His left hand is on his hip and his right arm is out, and he looks over his left shoulder at thte audience with a big smile. — Milo Demeulenaere. Photo by Gregory Batardon, courtesy Prix de Lausanne.

#14 Jiyul Jeon, #310 (South Korea)

Age: 17

School: Académie Princesse Grace

A teenage ballerina in a blue tutu and small tiara does a first arabesque on pointe, lifting her left leg. She looks out towards the audience and smiles. — Jiyul Jeon. Photo by Rodrigo Buas, courtesy Prix de Lausanne.

Young Creation Award

Max Cowan (Ireland), Ritual

Music: “African Food Truck,” Sahara Skylight

Performed by: Quetzalcoatl Flores Cardeña

School: School of the Hamburg Ballet

Kyra Wentzlaff (United States), Tidal

Music: “Melting Glass,” Eden Avery

Performed by: Paolo Leanza

School: School of Hamburg Ballet

Kyra Wentzlaff (left), a 2026 Young Creation Award winner, with dancer Paolo Leanza. Photo by Rodrigo Buas, courtesy Prix de Lausanne.
Max Cowan (left), a 2026 Young Creation Award winner, with dancer Quetzalcoatl Flores Cardeña. Photo by Rodrigo Buas, courtesy Prix de Lausanne.

Other Awards

Beaulieu Award: Dragos Gramada, #413 (Romania), Zurich Dance Academy

Contemporary Dance Award: Dragos Gramada (Romania), Zurich Dance Academy

Web Audience Favorite Award: Pietra Rego de Souza, #107 (Brazil), Espaco Etoiles de la Danse

Audience Favorite Award: Dayeon Yeom, #302 (South Korea), Ballet West Studio

Best Swiss Candidate: William Gyves, #424 (United States), Zurich Dance Academy

A teenage ballerina takes a bow center stage, lifting her arms and holding a piece of paper in her left hand as other dancers stand behind her an applaud. She wears a white tutu with gold trim and a dark red rose pinned to the left side of her skirt. — Pietra Rego de Souza won the Web Audience Favorite Award. Photo by Gregory Batardon, courtesy Prix de Lausanne.

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