Held from January 14-18, the Philharmonie de Paris Viola Making Competition announced the 2026 winners.

German luthier Andreas Hampel was awarded First Prize as well as the special Audience Prize for his viola. Polish luthier Piotr Pielaszek received Second Prize and a special prize from the luthiers' jury, and joint Third Prize was awarded to France's Marcus Klimke and Germany's Jonathan Magerl, both of whom also received special prizes from the members of the Orchestre de Paris.

The competition's jury of musicians also awarded a special prize to Japanese luthier Kenichi Hiratsuka. 

Sixty-three makers submitted instruments to the competition, the third edition of the Philharmonie de Paris Concours de Lutherie and the first dedicated to the viola.

The instruments were evaluated by a luthier panel composed of Jonathan Marolle, Ibiza Avalos, and Riccardo Angeloni, as well as a musicians' panel comprising Pauline Sachse, Miguel da Silva, and Ana Bela Chaves. During the semifinal and final rounds of the competition, the instruments were played by members of the Orchestre de Paris.

In addition to the main division, the competition also hosted a category for young luthiers. In this "talents of tomorrow" category, the First Prize was awarded to a cohort of students at the École Nationale de Lutherie de Mirecourt, including Sarah Chouvet, Simon Florent, Anne Cécile Guzzle, Noé Petiot, Sacha Procacci, and Zi Hui Wong.

Another cohort from the institution, comprising Fanney Comte, Nino Dupierris, Ondine Gentled, Matthias Hardy, Claire Szymczak, and Thomas Vibert, received the Second Prize.

The Third Prize and a special prize of the luthier jury was given to Laura Gartmann and Thibault Jaberg of the Schweizer Geigenbauschule Brienz.