The contest is being run by Italy's Ministry of Education alongside the Milan Cortina Foundation 2026.

Organisers have promised that at least one of the mascots will be designed by students, with Regional School Offices established special working groups for the first phase of selection.

The selection process will then move onto national level, before a public vote is used to determine the final mascot, a system which has already been used for the Milan Cortina 2026 anthem and logo.

The school initiative is viewed as a means of promoting the involvement of female students in the preparations for the Games.

Schools are encouraged to take part in the contest "to free the creativity and imagination of children".

Mascots are a key feature of the Olympic Games, with long queues forming to purchase the popular Bing Dwen Dwen panda at Beijing 2022.

Milan Cortina 2026 received the Olympic Flag at the Closing Ceremony of last month's Winter Games in the Chinese capital.

Since then, Fino all'alba - translated to "Until the dawn" - has been chosen as Milan Cortina 2026's official anthem.

The song was composed by "La Cittadina" of San Pietro Martire, a youth music group in Seveso, and obtained 72 per cent of votes in an online ballot.

The Opening Ceremony is due to be held in the iconic football stadium the San Siro.

A new design entitled "The Cathedral" has been selected to replace the existing venue, although the project has been subject to significant delays.

Milan City Council own the San Siro, and it is hoped that redevelopment could begin next year if public approval is granted in time.

The Milan Cortina Winter Olympics are due to run from February 6 to 22 2026, with the Paralympic Games following between March 6 and 15.

Italy has previously held the Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo in 1956 and Turin in 2006.