Nike’s Doernbecher Freestyle Collection is back for its 22nd year, with six new sneakers designed by young patients from Oregon Health & Science University’s Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. Each kid got to work with Nike employees on their own shoe, adding things from their everyday lives, personal interests, and experiences growing up.

The program has been around since 2004, and one thing that hasn’t changed is how much freedom the kids get with their designs. Some go with their favorite hobbies, while others include little reminders of what they’ve been through. This year’s group has plenty of both, with each pair telling a different story.

For 2026, the lineup includes the Nike Air Max 1/97, Air Jordan 11 Low IE, Nike ACG Rufus, Nike Air Force 1 Mid, Nike Structure Plus, and Nike GT Future. None of these models have been part of a Doernbecher Freestyle collection before, making all six first-time additions to the program.

There’s also a bigger reason Nike keeps doing this every year. Since the partnership began, Doernbecher Freestyle has raised more than $44 million for the children’s hospital. Every dollar of profit goes back toward patient care, specialized treatments, and medical research.

The Nike Doernbecher Freestyle 22 Collection was unveiled at an auction in Portland on October 16, 2026. The six pairs are scheduled for a wider release in January 2027 through Nike SNKRS and select retailers.

Here’s a closer look at each sneaker and the kids who designed them.

Owen William Flint went with the Air Max 1/97, a model that hasn’t returned since Sean Wotherspoon’s popular 2018 collaboration. Owen, who received a kidney transplant, packed his design with things he enjoys, including superheroes, baseball, and dirt bikes. His baseball number 88 appears on the shoe, along with a spinning wheel lace accessory, a biker keychain, and splattered details that look like mud.

Avery Wilson had some fun with her Air Jordan 11 Low IE, covering it with characters she came up with herself. One of them is Greg, a British alien with a fancy personality. She also added the word “neurospicy,” which speaks to her experiences with OCD. There’s a more personal detail in the license plate pin, which features the number 143 in memory of her grandfather, Poppy. The numbers stand for the letters in “I love you.”

Charlye Cosgrove looked back at a pair of pink camouflage shoes she wore as a baby when coming up with her ACG Rufus design. She added fuzzy green material that looks like moss found around the Pacific Northwest, along with graphics that only show up when sunlight hits the upper. There’s also a date hidden underneath a stitched tag: June 11, 2025, the day she finished treatment for bone cancer.

Royce Short is into rodeos, and his Air Force 1 Mid makes that pretty obvious. Instead of the usual strap setup, he went with a belt buckle closure and rope-style laces. The shoe also has branding for the bucking bull business he hopes to start one day. A large bass fish appears underneath, while the Western print inside doubles as a map showing places he wants to visit.

Aurora Loss has plans to open a cute hotel someday, and she used her Nike Structure Plus to show what that might look like. The nine-year-old kidney transplant recipient is a fan of Japanese kawaii culture, so her design comes covered in fluffy pink material, cherry blossoms, and an anime character. She also included a removable hair bow and a charm bracelet that can be detached from the shoe.

Kamoryn Marshall’s Nike GT Future comes from something he remembers after having hip replacement surgery at 12 years old. While recovering, he imagined goldfish swimming down from the ceiling, and that memory ended up becoming part of his shoe. The design includes water-themed details and a chrome Swoosh that represents his titanium hip. Hidden stitching marks his surgical scar, while the bottom reads, “If you see this, you’re too late.”