City's design competition focuses on green transformation

Global designers and organizations are being invited to participate in the "Shanghai Design 100+" competition, with a prize pool of 2 million yuan (US$273,972) on offer and an emphasis on green transformation and consumer market stimulation.

Co-organized by UNESCO and the Shanghai government, the annual event aims to promote design innovation, foster new quality productive forces and drive consumer spending, according to the Shanghai Commission of Economy and Informatization.

Eligible design works, spanning industrial design, architecture, fashion, digital design, services, and related industries, must have been completed between January 1, 2024 and May 20, 2025. Submissions should demonstrate how creative design can advance technological transformation, enhance consumption, preserve cultural heritage, develop new quality productivity and promote green sustainability.

The competition has four award categories: the AI Innovation Design Award (for design tools and applications), the Green Sustainable Design Award and the Cultural Creative Design Award.

Applicants can submit their designs via the official website, http://www.creativecity.sh.cn/, until May 20.

The top 100 designs will receive extensive promotion and gain international exposure in Shanghai and globally, including at the World Design Cities Conference (WDCC) 2025 in September.

In 2024, the "Shanghai Design 100+" competition attracted over 2,700 projects from 19 countries and regions. Selected projects generated 55.9 billion yuan in sales, with a projected lifetime sales value of 470 billion yuan.