From Inner Space To Outer Space: Niko Cray Crowned At The 2026 CHAMPS Glass Games Masters Final
24 of the country’s top flameworkers spent fourteen hours at the torch
For four days in early May, the Las Vegas Convention Center became the center of gravity for American functional glass. Normally held annually in February, this year’s CHAMPS Las Vegas Winter Show (where the Masters Finals always runs) happened May 6th through May 9th, 2026. At the heart of the show floor, twenty-four invited artists stepped up to their torches to compete in the 2026 CHAMPS Glass Games Masters Final, the grand culmination of a year-long competition circuit that runs through every stop on the CHAMPS calendar. Each stop artists competed for their spot in the Masters Finals which keeps the competition
The theme: “From Inner Space to Outer Space.” The clock: fourteen hours of flameworking, split across the run of the show. The prize purse: more than forty thousand dollars in cash, with $20,000 going to the artist whose piece took the top spot.
The Theme and the Judges
“From Inner Space to Outer Space” gave artists a wide creative runway, asking them to bridge the microscopic and the cosmic, the internal and the universal. In practice, that translated into entries that swept across cellular and biological imagery, nebulas, planetary forms, and figurative work navigating the space between.
This year’s judging panel brought decades of combined experience to the table:
- Dave Strobel (@strobelglass)
- Micro (@Microsworkshop)
- Cool Hand Suuze (Suuze Rateliff)
The Field
Twenty-four artists qualified through the 2025 Glass Games circuit and accepted invitations to compete:
Amorphous Symphony (@Amorphous_Symphony), Burtoni Glass (@BurtoniGlass), c.a.s.t.o (@c.a.s.t.o), Charisma (@CharismaForU), Dan Hoffman (@DanHoffmanGlass), Dojo Glass (@DojoGlass), Eternal Flameworks (@EternalFlameworks), Ethan Windy (@Ethan_Windy), Fargo Flameworks (@FargoFlameworks), Guido Glass (@GuidoGlass), Habitat Glass (@Habitat_Glass), JMass Glass (@JMassWhat), JRed Glass (@JRedGlass), Niko Cray (@NikoCray), Phil Siegel (@PhilSiegelGlass), Punty (@Puntington), Ryan Fitt (@RyanFitt), Ryno (@sdRyno), Slob Glass (@Slob_Glassblower), Solfire Glass (@SolFireGlass), Takoda Madrona (@Takoda.Madrona), Terry Sharp (@TerrySharp), Warwick Glass (@Warwick_Glass), and Zam Chaotik Universe (@Zam_ChaotikUniverse).
The Winners
After fourteen hours at the torch, hours of judging, and the kind of deliberation a field like this demands, the 2026 results landed as follows (click any picture to enlarge):
- 1st Place: Niko Cray (@NikoCray) – $20,000
- 2nd Place: Ryno (@sdRyno) – $7,500
- 3rd Place: Burtoni Glass (@BurtoniGlass) – $5,000
- 4th Place: Phil Siegel (@PhilSiegelGlass) – $4,000
- 5th Place: Warwick Glass (@Warwick_Glass) – $3,000
- 6th Place: JRed Glass (@JRedGlass) – $2,000
- People’s Choice: Solfire Glass (@SolFireGlass) – $1,000
- Artist’s Choice: Charisma (@CharismaForU) – $1,000
The People’s Choice and Artist’s Choice awards each carry their own weight inside the community. People’s Choice reflects the buyers, retailers, and attendees walking the show, while Artist’s Choice comes from the competitors themselves, the people who know exactly how hard the piece in front of them was to pull off.
What’s Next
The 2026 circuit is already in motion. CHAMPS shows in Atlantic City, Austin, and the Las Vegas Summer Show each carry their own Glass Games competitions, with first-place finishes earning a seat at the next Masters Final. Artists who weren’t on the floor in May have plenty of runway ahead.
For now, the trophy belongs to Niko Cray. Congratulations to every artist who showed up, plugged in, and lit the torch. Make sure to follow @CHAMPSTradeShows and @CHAMPSGlassGames on Instagram for the full recap and additional photos from the Masters Finals!
