Award announced by Sunrise Medical on 15 October 2026; EPDA 2026 winners published 29 September 2026, ceremony in Venice 18 October 2026. Design awards evaluate design merit, not clinical suitability.
A double win in Venice
The European Product Design Award published its 2026 winners on 29 September 2026, with the awards ceremony held in Venice on 18 October. The ergoflix vario appears twice on the official winners list: once under Automotive & Transport for Other Personal Vehicles, and once under Industrial for Healthcare: Medical Products. Sunrise Medical's announcement on 15 October 2026 frames the result as a design double, coming only months after the same chair won a Red Dot award in June 2026. Design awards judge the product's design on its own merit; they are not clinical evaluations, and they say nothing about how a chair performs for a specific user's body or daily routine.
What the vario is, on paper
The vario is a folding power wheelchair from ergoflix, the German company founded in 2017 by brothers David and Dennis Stadler in Hamminkeln and folded into Sunrise Medical at the end of 2025. According to the manufacturer, the chair offers adjustable seat height and depth, armrests, backrest height and angle, and footrests, with 10-inch front wheels, rear-axle suspension and a quiet sine-wave drive. Stated range is 25 kilometres. Folded, it is presented as transportable by car, bus, train and — subject to the airline's own rules — aircraft. As with any manufacturer's specification, the numbers describe the product as tested by the maker; range in particular varies with user weight, terrain and temperature.
Who ergoflix is
ergoflix began as a small German startup in 2017 and now employs around 120 people, working with more than 800 medical supply partners. Since late 2025 it has operated as part of Sunrise Medical, one of the larger global wheelchair manufacturers. That backing matters for buyers because it affects parts availability, dealer networks and warranty support — the unglamorous factors that decide whether a well-designed chair stays usable for years.
What to do if you are considering one
An award-winning design is a reasonable starting point, not a verdict. Book a seating assessment, try the chair on the surfaces you actually use, and check folded dimensions against your car boot and your airline's mobility-aid rules before committing. Ask the dealer who carries out warranty repairs, how long parts take, and whether a loan chair is available during servicing — the answers to those questions outlast any trophy.
