For Immediate Release · August 22, 2026 · Maui, Hawaiʻi

Maui’s Harry Donenfeld Calls on Hawaiʻi to Help Send Him to New York Fashion Week

Former Maui County Film Commissioner and Netflix participant is currently third in the Next Runway Star quarterfinals and must finish first to advance.

MAUI, HAWAIʻI — Maui producer, photographer, adventurer and storyteller Harry L. Donenfeld has advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2026 Next Runway Star competition. As of August 22, Donenfeld is in third place in his group and must finish first to reach the semifinals.

Voting for the round closes Friday, August 28 at 4:00 p.m. Hawaiʻi time (10:00 p.m. EDT). Supporters may cast one free vote every day through Donenfeld’s official contest page.

“At 60, I want people to see that new chapters do not have an expiration date. I have spent my career telling other people’s stories. This is a chance to tell my own—and to represent Maui on a New York runway.”

A Maui Story with an Unusual History

Donenfeld is a former Maui County Film Commissioner and was featured in Netflix’s Million Dollar Secret. His career spans international television production, photography and entrepreneurship. Recognized by the 2016 Diving Almanac & Book of Records as the first known person to dive both beneath Antarctic icebergs and beside an active lava flow entering the ocean, he describes himself as the world’s first “Fire & Ice” diver.

He is also the grandson and namesake of legendary DC Comics publisher Harry Donenfeld. His Next Runway Star campaign brings together that storytelling legacy, a lifetime of adventure, and a message that confidence and reinvention are not reserved for the young.

More Than a Fashion Competition

The competition winner will walk during New York Fashion Week and receive $20,000. Donenfeld says his first priority for the prize would be food, veterinary care and long-term security for the rescued animals who depend on him. That support would also allow him to devote more time and energy to community-centered storytelling from Maui.