shenzhen kunpeng global design award 2026

17.02.2026 Member events

ICoD is pleased to announce the Member Event Shenzhen Kunpeng Global Design Award 2026 organised by Shenzhen Culture, Creativity & Design Association (SCCDA) The deadline for call for entries is 6 April 2026.

The Kunpeng Global Design Award (KPA) aims to discover designers with creativity, vision, foresight, and influence. It also aims to enhance the exchanges and cooperation among all designers from different countries and inspire the industrialization of creative designs as well as the promotion of creative design concepts.

This award is administered by the Shenzhen Innovation & Creative Design Development Office, and organized by Shenzhen Culture, Creativities & Design Association.

I. Eligibilities & Prerequisites

The award is open to individual designers, teams and companies. Each entrant can submit unlimited number of entries which must fulfill the following criteria:

1. Entries must be projects that are fully constructed, completed, on the market or being mass-produced. Entries’ completion date must be between 1 January 2024 (1 January 2022 for architectural entries) and 6 April 2026.

2. Entries must comply with relevant scientific and technological standards.

3. Projects that are conceptual, or still under construction, or not commercially developed, or unfinished displays including models, renderings, etc. are NOT eligible as entries.

4． Entries must be submitted by the project’s owner/client/brand owner/designer/design consultancy, and the same project can be submitted by one entrant ONLY. If one entry involves more than one party, it is necessary to submit a contract or an agreement between relevant parties to confirm the entrant and state clearly the settlement of possible prize money. Otherwise the entrant will be disqualified.

5. Projects that have participated in any of the previous KPA or SDA (Shenzhen Global Design Award) are NOT eligible as entries for the KPA 2026.

II. Categories

The KPA 2026 targets 5 categories: Urban Design / Industrial Design/ Fashion Design/ Digital Design / Communication Design.

1. Urban Design

Urban Planning and Management & Municipal Services

Urban planning, smart city system, traffic systems, Sewerage system, eco-city and green building, etc.

Landscape & Public Space

Landscaping, urban blocks, public facilities, amusement facilities, parks, plazas, greenways, installations (digital, interactive, bricks-and-mortar etc.) in public exhibition and public spaces, etc.

Architecture

Urban renewal, old city renovation, monument revitalization, cultural heritage preservation, roads, airports, bus stations, parking facilities, port facilities, railway stations, etc.

Interior Design

Public and cultural spaces, commercial spaces, leisure spaces, offices & accommodation, etc.

2. Industrial Design

Telecommunication

Including 3C products & accessories (computer, communication & consumer electronics), gaming devices & accessories, VR devices & accessories, etc.

Automobiles & Vehicles

Including cars, ships / boats / yachts, trains, airplanes, accessories & devices, entertainment systems, etc.

Sports & Leisure

Including sports equipment, fitness and activity trackers, outdoor products, hiking gear, bicycles & accessories, musical instruments, pet products, etc.

Babies & Kids

Including all products for babies and kids, lifestyle accessories for children and babies, playground equipment, kitchen aids, toys, school essentials, teaching supplies, etc.

Office

Including lounge furnishings, office accessories, office equipment, stationary, etc.

Lighting

Including lamps, built-in lighting, ceiling lighting, decorative lighting, mobile lighting, outdoor lamps, construction lighting, solar-powered lamps, guidance systems, etc.

Household

Including kitchen appliances, household appliances, cookware and tableware, home furniture, bath and sanitary wares, gardening tools, etc.

Medicine & Health

Including assisted living products & technology, clinical and laboratory equipment, medical / healthcare devices & equipment, skincare devices, etc.

Robotics

Including autonomous mobile robots, exploration robots, humanoid robots, industrial robots, medical robots, service robots, toy robots, robotic components, etc.

3. Fashion Design

Apparel

Including men’s apparel, women’s apparel, children’s apparel, homewear, lingerie, functional apparel, e.g. safety clothing & personal protective equipment design, clothing for special needs (for elderly, disabled, infant), uniform & occasion apparel, etc.

Accessories

Including belts, bridal fashion, jewelry, eyewear, watch, gloves, hair accessories, hats & caps, mobile & tablets accessories, scarf, footwear, smart accessories, swimwear & accessories, wallets & purses, etc.

Bags & luggage

Including handbags, schoolbags, suitcases, backpacks, travelling bags, briefcases, camera bags, carrier bags, dry bags, etc.

4. Digital Design

New Media

Including E-Commerce, E-magazine, E-paper, landing pages, microsites, news portals, newsletters, online platforms, online shops, social media, corporate websites, public service websites, community / networking websites, App, etc.

Interface & User Experience Design

Including operating systems, screen design, Interactive media design, smart home solutions, user interfaces, virtual reality, wearable technology, data visualization, etc.

Film and Animation

Including games, animations, documentaries, film crafts, image films, movie teasers, videos, online films, short films, station IDs, trailers, TV commercials, visual effects, motion graphics, etc.

5. Communication Design

Identity & Branding

Including corporate design & identity, brand design & identity, etc.

Advertising

Including digital Campaigns, direct marketing, image campaigns, integrated campaigns, out-of-home & ambient, print campaigns, promotions, social campaigns, product and advertising brochures, POS advertising, content marketing, etc.

Packaging

Including packaging of CDs & LPs, fashion, beverages, food, beauty, health, household, leisure, lifestyle, consumer electronics, etc.

Publishing & Print Media

Including books, brochures, calendars, cards & flyers, magazines, annual reports and other publications, etc.

Illustrations

Including advertising illustrations, cover illustrations, editorial illustrations, etc.

Posters

Including art posters, events & exhibitions, infographic posters, poster series, etc.

Typography & Signage

Including pictograms, signets, signage, symbols, sign system, brochures & catalogues, books & covers, film titles, information systems, etc.

III. Awards and Prizes

1. The "Special Award for Sustainable Development” is set up in order to reinforce public interest and promote the spirit of building a community with a shared future for mankind, with prize of CNY 150,000. This special award winner will be selected by the special final jury composed of the chairmen and vice-chairmen of five Juries.

Winner of the Special Award will be chosen from all entries and is not limited to projects that have already received other awards. Winner of the Special Award can also be winner of other awards.

2. All prizes are pre-tax amount. All prizes are subject to income tax in accordance with local law. KPA Secretariat will pay the prize after paying tax on winners’ behalf.

3. The payment of the prize could take up to 6 months. Winners are required to provide all the info and materials needed for making the payment to the KPA secretariat before deadline. If submission of info and materials is delayed, the recipient of the prize changes or any other unexpected situation happens on the winner's account, the KPA Secretariat has the right to postpone the payment and Secretariat's explanation shall be final.

4. Overseas winners (including those from the Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan regions) can ONLY use personal accounts to receive the payment. If the prize recipient and the entrant are different entities or individuals, a Prize Reception Authorization Letter is required.

IV. Criteria

Winning projects should be:

(I) Original, experimental, exploratory and forward-looking; proposing creative ideas for future development;

(II) Public-oriented, practical, eco-friendly and recyclable; proposing new urban living concepts;

(III) Pioneering, dynamic, facilitative and transformative; improving the efficiency of industrial development;

(IV) Influential, attracting wide international attention.

(V) Criteria for Sustainable Development Special Award refer to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the 2030 Agenda promoted by the UNESCO. The award goes to the project that can best help realize these goals.

V. Judging Panels

(I) Each category has its Jury consisting of five jury members, and each Jury is responsible for selecting the Gold, Silver, Bronze, Merit Award winners. Each Jury consists of world-leading designers, managers of design organizations, editors of design magazines or digital media, or professors of leading design institutes from different countries and regions. Members of the Jury possess recognized authority and outstanding professional achievements worldwide. Biographies of Jury members will be announced on the official website before the judging dates. The Chair of each Jury is elected by the members of the Jury of each category and is responsible for convening the meetings, monitoring the assessment procedure and delivering the final results. The chairmen and vice-chairmen of each Jury will form the special final Jury and select the winner of the "Special Award for Sustainable Development”.

(III) Members of the Juries should not enter the competition. If an entry is a project designed by a juror, or involving a juror, or a project by an entrant who has previously cooperated with a juror or is currently cooperating with a juror, the involved juror should NOT participate in the review of this entry.

(IV) The organizer will invite world-leading architects, designers, professional magazines or publication editors, and professional organizations to nominate projects. The list of nominators (individuals and institutions) will be posted on the official website in due course.

(V) The judging is mainly based on the tangible objects, images and supporting materials. The panels will meet and judge in Shenzhen. Tangible projects and supporting materials of entries will be presented at the Jury meeting (Some of the overseas Jury members may participate in the final judging meeting through real-time video). The panels will select all the awards winners in this final judging.

VI. Judging Procedure

The judging is mainly based on the tangible objects, images and supporting materials, and is divided into two phases:

Phase One: Preliminary Evaluation

The panels will conduct the first screening online according to the judging criteria. The projects nominated by nominators (individuals and institutions) do not need to go through the preliminary evaluation and go directly to the final judging.

Phase Two: Final Judging

The panels will meet and judge in Shenzhen. Tangible projects and supporting materials of entries will be presented at the jury meeting. The panels will select all the awards winners in this final judging.

VII. Schedule

Call for Entries: January 2026

Online registration deadline: 6 April 2026

Tangible projects submission deadline (Arrival date at the warehouse designated by the Secretariat): 6 April 2026

Final judging: 18-19 April 2026

Award presentation ceremony and exhibition: Late April 2026

VIII. Registration and Application

Entrants must register on the official website of the Award (www.k-p-a.design) and submit supporting documents (all materials must be written in English) before 24:00, 6 Aripl 2026 (GMT+8:00) by following the steps below):

1. REGISTER & CREATE MY ACCOUNT: Read the terms and conditions carefully, create user name and password before logging in;

2. COMPLETE PROJECT INFO ONLINE: Log in to the account, complete information about designers and projects, upload profile photos and project materials, save and submit;

3. DELIVER PROJECT: Deliver tangible projects(after receiving the notification email of shipping tangible projects) and make sure “entry label” is attached and the projects arrive at the designated warehouse before 24:00 6 April 2026 (GMT+8:00).

Note:

1.Please do NOT deliver projects to the Secretariat office! Address of the warehouse will be sent to the entrant’s registered email with the notification email of shipping tangible projects.

2. Entrants must submit the supporting and other legal documents requested by the KPA Secretariat by 24:00 6 April, 2026 (GMT+8:00). Templates can be downloaded from the "download" section of www.k-p-a.design.

3. Please keep the original copies of the above documents. THE ORGANIZER has the right to re-inspect the documents after the final judging. Please wait for the official email notification for details.

4. Entries for Urban Design, Digital Design, illustration, poster and AI projects can be submitted online for judging without shipping tangible objects.

IX. Fees

Online registration and entry submission are free of charge. Any costs arising from packaging, shipping, postage, customs clearance, insurance and any other necessary fees are at the expenses of the entrants.

X. Terms and Conditions

Please read the Terms and Conditions of the KPA 2026 below carefully. By entering this competition, entrants declare that they agree to all these articles.

1. All entries must meet moral and ethical standard accepted world-wide, and be in accordance with the theme, purposes, and regulations of this Award. The Secretariat reserves the right to refuse to accept entries which it considers do not meet these standards.

2.The Entrant hereby acknowledges and warrants that the Entrant is the sole owner of the Design and owns all rights including but not limited to copyright, design rights and all other proprietary and intellectual property rights in or pertaining to the Design. Any infringement would result in immediate disqualification of the entrant and total withdrawal of his or her entries. THE ORGANIZER should be indemnified against all actions, claims, loss, damages, costs and expense which it may incur or has incurred as a result of any infringement.

3. The Entrant hereby represents and warrants that the Design is original and independently created and does not infringe, breach, prejudice or violate the property, interests or rights (including but not limited to contractual rights, user rights, copyright, design rights, patents and all other proprietary and intellectual property rights whether registered or otherwise) of any third party. The Entrant agrees to fully indemnify THE ORGANIZER against all actions, claims, loss, damages, costs and expenses which it may incur or has incurred as a result of any breach of this representation or warranty. Should it prove in retrospect that a registered or even awarded entrant breaches third-party rights, THE ORGANIZER reserves the right to disqualify the entrant and revoke the relevant award. The above liability provisions apply accordingly to all items supplied by THE ORGANIZER in connection with the Entrant's participation in the Award.

4.The Entrant hereby grants, on a gratuitous basis free of any fee, royalty or remuneration, to THE ORGANIZER, the right or license to use, edit, amend, copy, reproduce or publish in any size the Design (which includes but is not limited to drawings, artworks, photographs, images, sketches, transparencies, sculptures, models, prototypes, and printed or digital materials) submitted for the Award or any part thereof in the promotional/exhibition materials or any publications in any media or medium related to the Award.

5. The Jury will have the right to determine the number of winners; and the right not to name a winner for any of the awards. The Entrant agrees that the decisions of the Jury will be final. No appeal will be entertained.

6. THE ORGANIZER reserves the right to cancel, in part or in whole, postpone or bring forward the Award for any reason and is not obliged to reimburse entrants for any expenses related to such cancellation. While tangible works can be returned upon requests with entrants covering all relevant costs, all submitted material(s) relating to the Award will not be returned.

7. Entrants agree that his or her designs will be displayed in such exhibitions at the decision of THE ORGANIZER for a period of a minimum of one year subsequent to the competition, and agrees to provide information as requested by THE ORGANIZER about the winning designs for future activities, including but not limited to reports, publicity, marketing and exhibitions.

8. The Winner of the Award agrees to cooperate with THE ORGANIZER to promote the Award and play active role in relevant promotional activities in the future upon request.

9. The entrant agrees to obtain approval by THE ORGANIZER beforehand on using the endorsement mark in printing.

10. These terms and conditions shall be governed by the laws of the People’s Republic of China and local laws of the City of Shenzhen. Any claim or dispute must be determined exclusively by the courts in Futian District in Shenzhen.

11. These terms and conditions are prepared in both English and Chinese languages. If there is any inconsistency between the English version and the Chinese version, the Chinese version shall prevail.

12. The final interpretation of KPA belongs to THE ORGANIZER.

Special Conditions

Personal Data Protection

All personal information submitted will solely be used for the Award purposes. The entrants preserve the rights regarding access to and correction of personal data provided for nomination.

Prevention of Bribery Ordinance

Entrants are reminded that it is an offense to offer any advantages (e.g. money, gift, etc.) to the organizer, an employee of the organizer, supporting units or the Jurors as an inducement to or reward for favorable considerations.

XI. Materials Requirements and Arrangements

1. Photos: all photos should be uploaded on the Award website. Maximum 10 photos for each item submitted. All photos should be within 5Mb in JPEG/PNG format, over 300dpi. MUST be actual photos without special effects.

2. PDF files: maximum 12 Mb for each item submitted and should be uploaded on the website.

3. Video: maximum 2 minutes and 24 Mb, MP4 format only, could be uploaded online. Digital design works can be submitted online with no more than 2G video files, unlimited duration, in MP4 format. Unoriginal scores or music must come with copyright authorization.

4. Tangible projects：

The submitted entries must be completely assembled and fully functional. Electrical products must provide transformer and adapter to match Chinese electrical voltage: 220 volts AC, 50 Hz.

Shipping of entries bigger than 1m x 1m x 1m or with weight over 50 KG can proceed ONLY after consulting the Secretariat, who reserves the right to refuse any oversize entries.

Note

a. All texts must be English or bilingual, and non-English materials must be with necessary English translation.

b. When deliver tangible projects, entry label should be downloaded from the Award website and fixed on the top right-hand corner of the packaging of each submitted item (including supporting materials).

c. Posters, display boards, U-disks, documents, perishables and liquids are not returnable. It is not recommended for overseas entrants to send albums, portfolios and other printed materials.

d. The Entrant shall have adequate insurance coverage for his or her works submitted, particularly with regards to the risk of theft, fire, breakage and damage.

e. The Entrant shall be responsible for all costs (including but not limited to all packaging costs, transport costs, documentation, postal charges, courier charges, insurance costs, governmental / jurisdictional approvals and licenses, and any other costs necessary or likely) in the passing and transporting of the entries into the possession of the Secretariat or the return of the designs upon the entrant’s request.

f. The Entrant agrees that THE ORGANIZER shall not be liable for any loss or damage of the Design during the passing or transporting to and from THE ORGANIZER or at the premises arranged by THE ORGANIZER for the judging sessions.

g. While reasonable care will be taken when handling the Design in the premises arranged by THE ORGANIZER, THE ORGANIZER shall not, in the absence of negligence on the part of THE ORGANIZER, be liable for any loss or damage of the Design. For the avoidance of doubt, it is agreed that superficial rust, oxidation, discoloration, or any like condition due to moisture is not a condition of damage but is inherent to the nature of the Design and THE ORGANIZER shall not be responsible for such condition.

h. Entrants, except the winners of the Award, who intend to retrieve the designs, shall reply within 14 days after receiving email from the logistics. Otherwise, designs may be subject to disposal.

i. Before submitting their works, the Entrant acknowledge that you have read all terms and conditions above, understood and agreed that THE ORGANIZER has the right to make final decisions.

Contact

KPA Secretariat,

Phone: 0755- 8276 4480

Email: info@k-p-a.design

Wechat: 深圳环球设计大奖订阅号