Design Empowerment · Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Organizers：

• Department of Industry and Information Technology of Hunan Province
• Department of Education of Hunan Province
• Department of Science and Technology of Hunan Province
• Hunan Provincial Department of Finance
• Department of Human Resources and Social Security of Hunan Province

Hosts：

• Hunan University
• Lushan Laboratory
• Hunan Industrial Design Association
• Hunan Tongtian Industrial Design Innovation Center
• Hunan Lushan Chuangxing Entrepreneurship Investment Co., Ltd.

Organizing Committee：

The Organizing Committee for the Design Xiaoxiang Awards 2025 has been established. It is responsible for the overall planning, coordination, guidance, and supervision of the Awards, and making decisions on major Awards-related matters. Under the committee, functional units including an Office, a Secretariat, and a Judging Committee are in place, handling all aspects of the event from preparation and execution to evaluation and supervision.

Supporting Media：

Guangming Daily, Economic Daily, Science and Technology Daily, China Industry News, People's Daily Online, Hunan Daily, Hunan Satellite TV, Hunan Economic TV, Sanxiang Metropolis Daily, Xiaoxiang Morning Herald, Rednet.cn, Changsha Evening News, etc.

Eligible applicants: a) legally registered enterprises, design institutions, research institutes, and social organizations in China with favorable credit standing; b) full-time students currently enrolled in higher education institutions, or graduates including junior college students, undergraduates, master's students, and doctoral students within three years of graduation.

1. Call for Entries

• Human-AI Collaborative Design for Emerging and Future Industries

Focusing on emerging and future industries, it aims to promote the deep integration of "AI+" to enhance the quality and efficiency of human-AI collaboration. It includes, but is not limited to, industry applications of brain-inspired intelligence, embodied intelligence, and industrial applications of foundational architectures for multimodal large models; as well as products, systems, and services involving generative AI systems, novel human-AI collaborative entities, and industry-specific vertical large language model applications.

• High-End Equipment Design for Advanced Manufacturing

It focuses on the development of advanced manufacturing and service-oriented manufacturing and emphasizes the application of intelligent technologies and ergonomics design in smart equipment. It includes, but is not limited to, products, systems, and services in fields such as construction machinery, rail transit equipment, aerospace equipment, BeiDou application equipment, marine equipment, smart mobility and logistics, medical diagnostics and advanced therapeutic devices, agricultural machinery, precision instruments, as well as weighing and testing equipment.

• Digital Culture Innovation Design for Integrating Culture and Technology

Focusing on the deep integration of culture and technology, it aims to promote the innovative application of digital technologies in the cultural industry to create digital products, intelligent systems, and innovative services with cultural transmission influence and commercial value, thereby contributing to the development of a digital culture innovation ecosystem. It includes, but is not limited to, products, systems, and services in fields such as audio-visual media, cultural terminals and equipment, digital humans, intangible cultural heritage and creative products, animation and gaming, cultural museums and conventions and exhibitions, and new digital consumption scenarios.

• Lifestyle Aesthetics Design for Improving People's Well-being and Boosting Consumption

Focusing on people-centered innovative design, it aims to create renowned and high-quality products, demonstrating how design improves people's well-being, stimulates consumption, and fulfills people's aspirations for a better life. It includes, but is not limited to, products, systems, and services in fields such as smart consumer devices, smart home living, intelligent furniture and appliances, consumer electronics, senior care products, children and maternity supplies, fireworks and ceramics, luggage and bags, fitness equipment, and health monitoring devices.

• Characteristic Industry Design for Regional Coordinated Development and Comprehensive Rural Revitalization

It will actively explore new pathways for regional transformation and development. Different regions are encouraged to promote integrated development that fosters businesses, strengthens county economies, and improve residents' livelihoods based on local conditions. It will extend the value chain of characteristic industries while enhancing their efficiency, closely connect smallholder farmers with new agricultural business entities, and broaden channels for increasing farmers' incomes. Initiatives include, but are not limited to: exploring regional cultural and ecological resources to provide forward-looking plans and solutions for coordinated regional development; engaging in creative design based on intangible cultural resources and developing fashion and creative products with distinct regional characteristics; and developing products, systems, and services for the agricultural sector, aimed at holistic enhancement across processing techniques, logistics, packaging and brand design, and business model innovation.

2. Categories

The submissions are divided into two categories: Industrial Design and Innovation & Entrepreneurship.

• Industrial Design

The Awards invite submissions from entities including businesses, design agencies, research institutes, and social organizations. Eligible entries are products, systems, or services that have been mass-produced or launched to the market.

• Innovation & Entrepreneurship

The Awards invite submissions from full-time students currently enrolled in higher education institutions, or graduates (including junior college students, undergraduates, master's students, and doctoral students) within three years of graduation. Eligible entries are products, systems, or services that have been co-created by students and their teachers or independently developed by students.

• Entries must align with the theme and scope of this year's Awards and all submissions must be original works. Participants must hold full intellectual property rights to their submissions, ensuring no imitation or infringement on the rights of any other person or entity. Each participant may submit a maximum of three entries per category. Submission of award-winning works from previous "Design Xiaoxiang Awards" is not permitted.
• Preliminary Round Requirements: For both the Industrial Design and Innovation & Entrepreneurship categories, design entries must be presented in A2 (594mm × 420mm) portrait layout, saved in JPG or PNG format at 300dpi resolution. Each entry may consist of a maximum of three presentation boards (each board not exceeding 10M in file size). Board content should include: theme explanation, work value, market potential, renderings (or photos), structural diagrams, dimensional drawings, and design descriptions.
• Final Round Requirements: For each category, each entry is required to include 3-5 renderings or photos (A4 size, clearly demonstrating overall and detailed features, each file under 10M). A design description of approximately 200 words is required. A video file (AVI or MPG format) fully demonstrating product features and usage scenarios is required. Entries in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship category are also required to include a business plan. A presentation file is required for all entries advancing to the final oral defense. Entries in the Industrial Design category are required to include physical products, prototypes, or models (physical items should not exceed 1.5m³ in volume and product models are necessary for larger items). Entries in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship category may include physical products, prototypes, or models at their discretion.
• To guarantee the fairness of the adjudication, any personal information such as the author's name or any graphics that may reveal the author's identity shall not appear on the submitted entries or their accompanying boards.

• Contestants must be the designers or owners of the submitted works (intellectual property right holders), and the entries must be free from any intellectual property disputes.
• The intellectual property rights of the submitted works belong to the contestants. The organizing committee has the right to use the materials submitted by the contestants for promotional activities related to the awards, including, but not limited to, filming, exhibitions, news reporting, and compilation and publishing.
• If an award-winning work is found to have defects or disputes regarding its intellectual property rights, the Organizing Committee reserves the right to revoke the award, recall honors including the trophy and certificate, and reclaim the prize money.
• If an intellectual property right defect or dispute in an entry causes financial or reputational loss to the organizers, hosts, or other related entities, the affected party is entitled to seek compensation from the responsible participant. This compensation includes, but is not limited to, economic losses, reputational damages, and all related legal and professional fees (litigation, attorney, preservation, and appraisal).

• Preliminary Review: a panel of experts from the Judging Committee will conduct online evaluation in groups.
• Final Review: shortlisted entries will proceed to an on-site defense session, where experts from the Judging Committee will determine the final winners through on-site review.

The assessment of entries is based on three key dimensions: Design Quality, Value Expression, and Industrial Demand.

Design Quality

• Technical advancement: demonstrating the application of advanced technical means
• Ergonomic compliance: conforming to all ergonomic standards and requirements
• Aesthetic quality: possessing distinctive visual appeal

Value Expression

• Practicality: addressing real-world problems in production and daily life
• Sustainability: embodying principles of sustainable design
• Cultural value: demonstrating cultural significance

Industrial Demand

• Developmental merit: meeting high-quality industrial development requirements
• Exemplary role: setting a benchmark for industrial progress
• Future vision: aligning with future industrial directions and trends

124 awards with a total prize pool of RMB 900,000 are offered for the two categories.

Industrial Design Category

• Gold Award (1 winner): RMB 200,000, trophy, and certificate
• Silver Award (3 winners): RMB 80,000 for each, trophy, and certificate
• Bronze Award (8 winners): RMB 30,000 for each, trophy, and certificate
• Honorable Mention (50 winners): Certificate

Innovation & Entrepreneurship Category

• Gold Award (1 winner): RMB 50,000, trophy, and certificate
• Silver Award (3 winners): RMB 30,000 for each, trophy, and certificate
• Bronze Award (8 winners): RMB 10,000 for each, trophy, and certificate
• Honorable Mention (50 winners): Certificate
• Award for Excellence in Organization (awarded to several universities and colleges): Certificate

• Organizing Committee Contact: Chen Sanzhong (Tel: 0731-88955370; Mobile: +8618817105870)
• Secretariat Contacts: Yu Conggang (Mobile: +8619373181825) and Long Jing (Mobile: +8618975176957)
• Organizing Committee Office Email: hncy82212962@126.com
• Organizing Committee Address: Department of Industry and Information Technology of Hunan Province; No. 467 Xinshao East Road, Tianxin District, Changsha City, Hunan Province