On 24 October, the city of Florence will welcome the Maestro Ottico Day (Optical Expert) and the 2021 edition of the Graziella Pagni Eyewear Award.

On Sunday 24 October, Palazzo Borghese in Florence will play host to the Maestro Ottico Day organised by Eidos Communication and AIO (Italian Association of Opticians and Optometrists) in collaboration with l’Ottico magazine and with the support of MIDO and Omisan Farmaceutici.

The event, which will take place in the imposing Galleria Imperiale hall, will be presented by Dr. Mario Casini (President of AIO), Giovanni Susti (managing director of l’Ottico magazine) and Roberto Pregliasco (Business Retail Coach). Special guests at the event include: Francesco Gili (Chief Operating Officer of MIDO), Alessia Bellotti (Marketing Manager of Omisan Farmaceutici), and Massimo Barberis (General Manager of Oxo Italia).

During the ceremony, five types of award will be presented:
1) diploma of Maestro Ottico (dedicated to opticians who qualified at least 30 years ago, thus with diplomas awarded before 31 December 1991) 2) metal pin of Maestro Ottico (reserved to Maestri Ottici of previous editions)
 3) ‘Cross of Honour’ (for opticians who qualified at least 60 years ago, thus with diplomas awarded before 31 December 1961)
 4) historic shop plaques (for opticians' shops operating for at least 50 years) 
5) special plaque for historic shop (for optical retailers operating for at least 100 years).

The event will also comprise the 10th edition of the Graziella Pagni Eyewear Award 2021, the international contest dedicated to the world of independent eyewear. This contest rewards the most innovative and creative ideas, promoting the eyewear industry. The award is dedicated to Graziella Pagni, in memory of the wife of AIO president Dr. Mario Casini. Established in 2008 as an award for eyewear companies which stand out in the field of communication, since 2016 the contest has rewarded the most innovative and original glasses on the market. Since 2018, there have been 3 distinct categories: Fashion (interpretation of fashion trends), Innovation (innovative content: materials, technique, functionalism, aesthetics) and Design (the partnership between form and use). In 2019, a fourth award was introduced – the Grand Jury Prize – for the most-voted glasses overall, while 2021 saw the inclusion of the Grand Prize for Elegance.

The top prize, the Marzocco d’Argento, is a silver heraldic lion that symbolizes the independent power of the city of Florence. Created by Donatello, it is today kept in the Museo del Bargello, with a copy on display in Piazza della Signoria in front of Palazzo Vecchio.

Participants undergo three judging phases, whereby the jury first analyse the applications and nominate participants for each category, then select the finalists, and finally choose the winners via a voting system. All finalists participate in the final event where the Maestri Ottici announce the winners of each category and the special awards. The juries of Vicenza, comprising leading Italian opticians and designers, are headed by architect and designer Cosimo Sedazzari. Publications Blink, l’Ottico and Spex! will all feature the contest in special articles with photos of participants and winners.

The different stages of the selection process and award ceremony can be followed via the Facebook group, Filiera Produzione Occhiali https://www.facebook.com/groups/508056326042831

The finalists

Fashion category

Ingrovision with the Via Guinigi collection

Open Channel with the Kreuzenbergkinder level2 collection

Prophilo with the Oscar Mamooi collection

Design category

Vava eyewear with the A/W 21/2 collection

Jean-Francois Rey with the J.F. Rey collection

Piero Massaro with the Pixel collection

Innovation category

Mar.vas with the Bust out collection

Dolpi with the Cinema Cento collection