New York, NY & Cannes, France — The adidas Supernova Rise 3 Adaptive, certified by the GAMUT Seal of Approval™, has been awarded the Grand Prix in Innovation at the 2026 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

The shoe is adidas’ first performance running shoe designed for people with disabilities, and has been certified with the GAMUT Seal of Approval™ from Runway of Dreams, an organization of Fedcap.

The award follows a three-year development process that began after Chris Nikic – the first athlete with Down syndrome to be sponsored by a global sportswear brand and the first person with Down syndrome to complete an Ironman triathlon – struggled to finish races due to ill-fitting shoes.

Research and consulting led by GAMUT Management revealed the scale of the challenge, with 66% of people with Down syndrome reporting difficulty finding properly fitting footwear. What followed was a rigorous, community-driven design process involving hundreds of miles of wear testing and ongoing feedback from the Down syndrome and broader disability community.

Runway of Dreams and GAMUT Management were deeply embedded throughout the development process. Following extensive focus groups and product testing with members of the disability community, the Supernova Rise 3 Adaptive earned the GAMUT Seal of Approval™, recognizing a high standard of inclusive design shaped by lived experience and real-world functionality.

“We awarded the Grand Prix to ‘Supernova Adaptive’ not because adidas simply built a shoe, but because it expanded the possibility of running for people with Down syndrome and moved society forward,” said Kazuhiro Shimura, Innovation Lions Jury President and Executive Creative Director, Dentsu Inc., Japan. “In the age of AI, creating is easier than ever, but creating change is not. Our jury judged by one perspective: Innovation is a shift from Proof of Concept to Proof of Change.”

"This recognition at Cannes confirms what Fedcap’s GAMUT Seal of Approval was designed to signal – that rigorous, community-driven design produces work that the world takes notice of,” said Christine McMahon, President and CEO of Fedcap, parent organization of Runway of Dreams. "The GAMUT certification is becoming the benchmark by which the industry measures organizational commitment to people with disabilities, and adidas has demonstrated what earning that distinction actually requires.”