2026 WFO Annual Awards
The executive committee of the World Federation of Orthodontists (WFO) and the annual awards committee are delighted to announce the winners for the 2026 annual awards. Below are the winners (not in order of merit) for each of the five categories.
This award, named for former WFO President Dr. Lee W. Graber, is presented to WFO Fellows who provide a story that demonstrates a patient’s “changed life” due to orthodontic treatment.
2026 Winners
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Submitted by
Antonio Ledergerber
Sociedad Ecuatoriana de Ortodoncia
Submitted by
Cristina Grippaudo
Societa Italiana di Ortodonzia
Submitted by
Maria Janet Mapa Pandan
Association of Philippine Orthodontists
Athanasios E. Athanasiou Master’s Thesis Award
Named for former WFO President Dr. Athanasios E. Athanasiou, this annual award is presented to WFO Fellows who have excelled in their completed Master’s thesis from a WFO affiliate-recognized orthodontic specialty training program.
2026 Winners
Brandon Chow
University of Melbourne
Eric J. Coy
University of Illinois Chicago
Beril Erdil
İnönü University
Roberto Justus “Rising Star” Travel Scholarship Award
This annual award, named for former WFO President Dr. Roberto Justus, is presented to fellows aged 38 and under who have excelled in the field of orthodontics and deserve support to present their work internationally.
2026 Winners
Wiem C. Ben Amor
Tunisian Society for Orthodontics Studies
Anna Iliadi
Orthodontic Society of Northern Greece
Xianrui Yang
American Association of Orthodontists
Aldin Kapetanović
Dutch Association of Orthodontists
Allan R. Thom WOHD Art Competition
This annual award, named for former WFO President Dr. Allan R. Thom, is presented to patients of WHO Fellows or student members who have related a story of orthodontics in the form of a two-dimensional art piece in any medium.
2026 Winners
Asif Ali (Age 21)
Submitted by Ashish Kumar
Indian Orthodontic Society
Anaisha A. Kering (Age 11)
Submitted by Rajaganesh Gautam
Indian Orthodontic Society
Luciana Valverde (Age 21)
Submitted by Sergio Gernana Valverde
Peruvian Orthodontic Society
Marita Edward El Asmar (Age 7)
Submitted by Eliane Ziade
Lebanese Orthodontic Society
Oh Chen Yu Elyssa (Age 13)
Submitted by Seow Yian San
Association of Orthodontists Singapore
WFO Regional Award of Merit
The WFO Regional Award of Merit was created in 2015 to recognize WFO members who make significant contributions to orthodontics, whether through academic, research, clinical practice or organized orthodontic pursuits.
2026 Winners
Himawan Halim
Indonesian Association of Orthodontists
Keiji Moriyama
Japanese Orthodontic Society
Melissa Disse
Dutch Association of Orthodontists
Amanda Maplethorp
Canadian Association of Orthodontists
Vasileios P. Stathopoulos
Greek Association for Orthodontic Study & Research
Jyothindra Kumar
Indian Orthodontic Society
Nejat Erverdi
Turkish Orthodontic Society
Ricardo Machado Cruz
Asociacion Latinoamericana de Ortodoncia
A huge congratulations to all the worthy winners for the 2026 awards. Submissions for the 2027 awards will be open soon! Please refer to WFO Awards for further information on these awards.
