Qualification is officially open for The Americas Championships of Shoe Shining 2026, with the live final taking place at The Super Trunk Show x Stitchdown Expo in Chicago on Saturday, November 7th.
Three finalists will compete on stage, each with just 20 minutes to transform one factory-new shoe into the most beautiful and complete shine possible.
This year represents a major evolution for the competition. After previously hosting the U.S. Championships of Shoe Shining at the New York Super Trunk Show, we are moving the championships to Chicago, collaborating with Stitchdown Expo, and opening qualification far beyond the United States.
For the first time, shoe shiners from across the Americas are eligible to enter. This includes North America, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean.
The championships will be presented by Saphir Médaille d’Or, the renowned French shoe care company that has supported the competition since its inception. The three finalists will compete not only for the title and prize money, but also for the opportunity to demonstrate their skills in front of one of the largest gatherings of quality-footwear enthusiasts in North America.
The Super Trunk Show x Stitchdown Expo
The Super Trunk Show x Stitchdown Expo will take place on Friday, November 6th, and Saturday, November 7th, 2026, at Artifact Events in Chicago.
This collaboration brings together two closely connected areas of the quality-footwear world. Stitchdown Expo has built an exceptional event centered around boots, leather, tanneries, makers, repair, and long-lasting goods. The Super Trunk Show has traditionally focused more heavily on classic shoes, bespoke shoemaking, shoe care, tailoring, and elegant menswear.
The Super Trunk Show section is curated by Justin FitzPatrick of The Shoe Snob, Jesper Ingevaldsson of Shoegazing, and Kirby Allison.
Alongside the exhibitors, demonstrations, and other activities taking place throughout the weekend, one of the main stage attractions will be the inaugural edition of The Americas Championships of Shoe Shining.
You can read more about the complete Chicago event in this article and find tickets to the event here.
The Americas Championships of Shoe Shining 2026
The Americas Championships of Shoe Shining is organized in collaboration with Saphir Médaille d’Or, which will provide all of the shoe care products used by the finalists during the live competition.
The purpose of the championships remains unchanged: to highlight the exceptionally high standard of shoe shining found throughout this part of the world and to give talented shoe shiners a platform through which they can promote themselves and their work.
The competition is open to both professionals and amateurs. Patina artists, professional shoe shiners, cobblers, and passionate shoe enthusiasts are all welcome to enter.
Whether shoe shining is your livelihood is irrelevant. The quality of your work is what matters.
The live final will begin at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 7th, at Artifact Events in Chicago.
Three finalists will compete on stage, with each contestant polishing one shoe as beautifully as possible within the allotted time. As has become standard for these shoe-shining competitions, the competition shoe will be a brown plain cap-toe Oxford.
The judges will not simply be searching for the largest or brightest possible mirror shine. The championship is intended to reward the most beautiful and complete overall polish job.
The jury will consider how much of the shoe has been polished, the depth and quality of the shine, the overall execution, and any attractive color variations created during the process.
Each finalist will receive one can of Saphir Médaille d’Or Pâte de Luxe and one can of Saphir Médaille d’Or Mirror Gloss, in colors of their own choosing.
They will also have access to water, a shoe brush, a polishing cloth—which they may bring themselves—and a nylon cloth.
The contestants will have exactly 20 minutes to polish their shoe.
That may sound like very little time, but previous editions have repeatedly demonstrated what a truly skilled shoe shiner can accomplish while working under pressure.
How to Qualify
To enter The Americas Championships of Shoe Shining 2026, contestants must submit three photographs of one pair of well-polished shoes.
The photographs should show as much of the completed polish job as possible. Use three different angles and consider including a close-up image that clearly captures the depth and quality of the shine.
The jury will be judging how beautifully and thoroughly the shoes have been polished.
This does not necessarily mean that the entry with the most pronounced mirror shine will qualify. The depth of the shine, the overall beauty of the finished work, any attractive color variation, and how much of the shoes have been polished will all be considered.
These are the same general criteria that will later be used to judge the live final in Chicago.
Only one entry may be submitted per contestant. Each entry must contain three photographs of the same pair of shoes.
There should be no more than one pair visible in the submitted photographs. Please do not send an image of an entire collection or photographs showing several different polished pairs.
Everyone entering the qualification round must be able to attend the live final in Chicago on Saturday, November 7th.
The competition is open to residents throughout the Americas, including North America, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. Both professional and amateur shoe shiners are eligible to participate.
Minor photographic adjustments using software such as Photoshop are permitted.
More substantial alteration, strong filters, or any digital editing that misrepresents the true appearance of the polish is strictly prohibited.
Entries may be examined by a professional photographer. Should we believe that an image has been manipulated in violation of these rules, the contestant may be disqualified.
Remember that the jury will be judging the beauty and quality of the shoe shining, not the quality of the photography.
The Jury
The preliminary jury for The Americas Championships of Shoe Shining 2026 will consist of:
Justin FitzPatrick, The Shoe Snob
Jesper Ingevaldsson, Shoegazing
Kirby Allison
Ben Robinson, Stitchdown
Tom Costin, Saphir
Each jury member will choose their five favorite entries and award them between one and five points.
Once all of the votes have been counted, the three entries receiving the highest combined scores will qualify for the live final in Chicago.
Justin FitzPatrick will be the only member of the jury who knows which contestant submitted each set of photographs. The remaining judges will assess the entries without being told the identities of the people behind them.
Should two entries finish with the same score, Kirby Allison will hold the deciding vote.
The jury’s decision is final and cannot be overruled.
Prizes
The three finalists will compete for the title of The Americas Championships of Shoe Shining 2026, along with medals and a share of an $800 prize pool provided by Saphir.
The prize money will be distributed as follows:
First place: $500
Second place: $200
Third place: $100
Send in Your Entry
Send three photographs of one pair of well-polished shoes to [email protected] no later than August 16th.
Use the following subject line:
The Americas Championships of Shoe Shining 2026
Please also include your full name, where you are based, and confirmation that you will be able to attend the live final in Chicago.
The three finalists will be contacted after the qualification period has ended and will then be announced publicly across our channels.
Should you have any questions concerning the qualification rules or your eligibility to enter, please send us an email, and we will be happy to help.
Good luck to everyone who enters.
We are incredibly excited to expand the championships across the Americas and discover the level of shoe-shining talent that will emerge for the first-ever Chicago final.
—Justin FitzPatrick, The Shoe Snob
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