Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) students and recent alumni earned top honors in the 2026 Core77 Design Awards. Presented annually by the design publication Core77, the awards highlight outstanding achievements across 20 disciplines and provide a global platform for emerging and established practitioners.
The projects recognized this year reflect the ingenuity, experimentation, and interdisciplinary thinking that characterize design education at the GSD. Selected by juries of design leaders and experts, the honored works address contemporary social, technological, and environmental challenges across a range of scales.
The project “Hikarigami” received the Student Winner distinction in the Sustainability Award category. Developed by Luke Fiorante (MDE ’26), Joseph Fujinami (MArch I ’26), Annie Xing (MDes ’27), and Chi Zhang (MDes ’27), the project transforms flat aluminum sheets into light-filtering architectural forms through a robotic fabrication process inspired by the art of kirigami. “Hikarigami” also received a Student Notable designation in the Furniture & Lighting category.
The project “Radio Ga Ga” earned Student Runner-Up honors in the Emerging Technologies Award category. Created by Lilith Yu (MDes ’27), Jiayue Chloe Ni (MDes ’27), and Yanchen Shen (MDes ’27), the project reimagines the household radio as an AI-powered device that combines physical controls with personalized and shared listening experiences.
The project “The Anemoia Device,” created by Cyrus Clarke of the MIT Media Lab, received the Winner award in the professional division of the Emerging Technologies Award category. Alongside Clarke and Hiroshi Ishii, the project team included three GSD alumni: Qiyao “Melo” Chen (MDes ’26), Nomy Yu (MDes ’26), and Yuen Zou (MArch ’26). The project uses generative AI to transform archival photographs into custom fragrances that evoke memories and emotions associated with places and times never personally experienced.