The finalists have officially been selected for The Americas Shoe Shining Championships 2026, taking place live at the Chicago Super Trunk Show x Stitchdown Expo on Saturday, November 7th.
This year marks a new chapter for the competition. What began as the U.S. Shoe Shining Championships at our New York Super Trunk Show has now expanded to include entrants from across North America, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean — hence the new title, The Americas Shoe Shining Championships.
And judging by the entries we received, there is certainly no shortage of shoe-shining talent on this side of the world.
After reviewing the qualifying submissions, our judging panel selected three finalists who will now go head-to-head in Chicago:
Jeriah Rocha — Tulsa, Oklahoma
Mario Cesar Samaniego — Pharr, Texas
Josh Swidler — Seattle, Washington
All three will compete live in front of the Chicago crowd, with just 20 minutes to transform a brand-new brown Oxford using Saphir Médaille d’Or shoe care products.
The event is brought to you by the Super Trunk Team: Justin FitzPatrick of The Shoe Snob, Jesper Ingevaldsson of Shoegazing, and Kirby Allison, also teaming up with Ben Robinson of Stitchdown, as well as world-renowned shoe care producers, Saphir.
The Finalists
Jeriah Rocha — Tulsa, Oklahoma
Jeriah Rocha submitted a beautifully executed polish with a distinctly classic look.
His entry featured a heavily darkened cap toe paired with a strong shine at the front and rear of the shoe, while allowing the center of the upper to remain slightly more understated. The contrast gives the shoe depth without turning the entire upper into one continuous mirror shine.
Jeriah operates The Scuff Doctor, a shoe-shining service based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He has built his business both locally and through customers who send shoes to him for polishing and restoration.
His submission was a great example of something we have always tried to emphasize with this competition: great shoe shining is not simply about making a toe as reflective as possible. It is about creating balance throughout the entire shoe.
Mario Cesar Samaniego — Pharr, Texas
Mario Samaniego returns to the championship stage after also reaching the final of last year’s U.S. Shoe Shining Championships.
Over the past year, he has continued refining his technique, and it showed in this year’s qualifying entry.
Mario submitted a deep burgundy Chelsea boot with an impressive mirror finish across the toe. The richness of the color combined with the clarity of the shine immediately stood out.
Mario works professionally as a shoe shiner in Hidalgo County, Texas, and his continued progression since last year’s competition made him a strong candidate to return to the final.
Having someone return to the championship is also a nice reminder of what these competitions are intended to encourage: not simply winning, but continuing to improve the craft.
Josh Swidler — Seattle, Washington
Our third finalist, Josh Swidler, represents a very different path into shoe shining.
Josh is a teacher based in Seattle and only became seriously interested in shoe shining roughly two years ago. Since then, he has immersed himself in learning the craft through online resources, Saphir master classes, and — most importantly — a considerable amount of practice.
His qualifying entry was an oxblood wholecut Oxford with a beautifully executed mirror shine and burnished toe.
Josh’s high shine accentuated the shape and contours of the wholecut particularly well, while the darker coloration at the front added another layer of visual depth.
It is always great to see an enthusiast reach this level in such a relatively short amount of time, and Josh’s entry earned him his place alongside two professional shoe shiners in Chicago.
20 Minutes. One Shoe.
The format of the live final is deliberately simple. Each contestant receives one brand-new shoe and has just 20 minutes to create the best possible finished result. For the 2026 final, the competition shoe will be a brown Bridlen Oxford.
The finalists will work with Saphir Médaille d’Or Pâte de Luxe and Mirror Gloss, choosing their preferred colors. They will also have water, brushes, and polishing cloths available to them.
Twenty minutes might sound like enough time until you actually attempt to build a deep, refined shine from scratch. It isn’t. It is a lot harder than it looks.
That time pressure is one of the things that makes the competition so interesting to watch. Every decision matters: where to apply wax, how much product to use, when to add water, how aggressively to build the toe, and how much attention to give the remainder of the shoe.
And importantly, the winner is not necessarily the person with the brightest mirror shine. The overall finish matters.
We look at the depth and clarity of the shine, how much of the shoe has been polished, the transitions between highly polished and softer areas, color work, cleanliness, balance, and ultimately which shoe looks the most beautiful when the 20 minutes are finished.
From the U.S. Championships to The Americas
The expansion of the competition feels especially appropriate this year.
For the past several years, the championship formed part of our New York Super Trunk Show. With the event now moving to Chicago and joining forces with Stitchdown Expo, it made sense to expand the competition at the same time.
The result is a championship that now welcomes entrants from throughout the Americas rather than limiting qualification to the United States.
It also fits perfectly with what we are trying to accomplish with the Chicago event. The traditional Super Trunk Show world of fine shoes, bespoke shoemaking, tailoring and shoe care is meeting the boot, leather, repair and workwear community that Stitchdown has developed through its Expo.
Different styles, perhaps, but fundamentally the same appreciation for craftsmanship and well-made products.
The Prizes
The three finalists will compete for the title of The Americas Shoe Shining Champion 2026, along with medals and an $800 prize pool provided by Saphir Médaille d’Or:
- 1st place — $500
- 2nd place — $200
- 3rd place — $100
The winner will also take home the pair of Bridlen shoes used for the competition.
But as anyone who has competed in one of these championships will tell you, there is another prize that is harder to quantify: having your work judged live, under pressure, in front of a room filled with people who genuinely understand and appreciate the craft.
See the Final Live in Chicago
The final takes place on Saturday, November 7th, 2026, as part of the Chicago Super Trunk Show x Stitchdown Expo at Artifact Events in Chicago.
The weekend itself runs November 6th–7th and brings together shoemakers, bootmakers, tanneries, repair specialists, shoe-care brands, menswear companies, and enthusiasts from around the world.
The Americas Shoe Shining Championships will be one of the main live events on Saturday.
Congratulations to Jeriah Rocha, Mario Cesar Samaniego, and Josh Swidler for making the final.
Now we get to see what they can do when the clock starts ticking.
If you haven’t purchased your tickets yet, you can do so here.
See you in Chicago!
—Justin FitzPatrick, The Shoe Snob
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