XJTLU Cultural & Creative Product Design Competition 2025

Introduction

We’re excited to announce that the first XJTLU Cultural & Creative Product Design Competition is now officially launched! This competition aims to spark innovative thinking, discover outstanding design talents, and enrich the campus culture through unique cultural and creative products that capture the essence of XJTLU.

The competition is open to all XJTLU students, staff and alumni. We call for XJTLUers to draw inspiration from XJTLU’s culture, architecture, landscape, and academic spirit, to create innovative and practical souvenir designs.

Hosted by University Marketing and Communications and organised by the XJTLU Souvenir Shop, the competition features a professional judging panel that will evaluate the entries based on creativity, cultural significance, production feasibility, sustainability, etc. Winning designs won’t just bring you exciting prizes - they could become official XJTLU souvenirs, spreading the spirit of the University.

We sincerely invite you to participate in the competition - sign up now, show us your talent and creativity, and make the XJTLU’s culture even more vibrant!

Participants

The competition is open to all XJTLU students, staff, and alumni. The entry can be submitted by either an individual or a team.

The competition is aimed at creating cultural and creative products that reflect XJTLU’s unique identity. Product categories include but are not limited to: stationery, plush toys, gifts, clothing and accessories, and homeware. Please incorporate XJTLU elements in your designs, such as the University’s logo, Captain Bird, campus landmarks, or “Light and Wings” (relevant design materials can be accessed by scanning the QR code). All design materials may only be used for the creation, submission, and evaluation of entries related to this competition. Any unauthorised commercial use, redistribution, or actions that may result in intellectual property disputes by participants is strictly prohibited.

The competition includes evaluation by the professional panel and a public vote.

The public vote will take place on the “XJTLU Souvenir Shop” WeChat official account.

We will evaluate the submissions based on the following eight criteria: Creativity & Innovation, Cultural Representation, Target Groups of XJTLU, Aesthetic Appeal, Functionality & Practicality, Marketability & Mass Production Feasibility, Sustainability & Material Consideration, and Presentation & Explanation.

Judging panel:

• Jacob de Baan, Senior Associate Professor, Department of Industrial Design, Design School
• Ivan Parati, Associate Professor, Department of Industrial Design, Design School
• Fang Liu, Associate Professor, Digital Technology Subject Group Leader, Academy of Film and Creative Technology

The prizes are as follows:

• First Prize (1 winner): DJI Osmo Pocket 3
• Second Prize (1 winner): Marshall Middleton Portable Bluetooth Speaker
• Third Prize (1 winner): Polaroid NOW+ Generation 2 Instant Camera with 8 sheets of film
• Best Creativity Award (5 winners): Blue Bottle Craft Instant Coffee (Canned) and Tumbler

Winners of the First, Second, and Third Prizes will also have the opportunity to collaborate with the XJTLU Souvenir Shop to produce the designs.

Submission

Deadline: Submissions are open from now until 17:00, 9 May, 2025.

Format: Scanned hand sketches, renderings, or photographs of physical prototypes are all acceptable. All submissions must be in PDF format. If your submission involves multiple product categories, please save each category in a separate PDF file. Each PDF file must include an explanation including your design concept, materials, and manufacturing process.

How to submit:

Please save your design file as: “XJTLU product design_product type_name.pdf”. For example: “XJTLU product design_stationery_John Doe.pdf”.

Please send your work to souvenirshop@xjtlu.edu.cn in the following format:

Subject: XJTLU product design competition_your name

Body: Please tell us your name and contact information, and attach your design files to the email.

Copyright statement

• All submitted entries will not be returned. Please keep your own copies.
• All entries should be original and unpublished, and must not infringe upon any third party’s legal rights. Participants shall not use or authorise others to use or develop their submitted works in any form during the competition. If an entry contains any rights-related defects, plagiarism, or other infringement, XJTLU reserves the right to disqualify the participant. The participant shall bear all legal responsibilities, and the University reserves the right to seek legal recourse for any negative impact or loss incurred.
• The intellectual property rights and usage rights of the winning entries will belong to XJTLU. The University reserves the right to modify, integrate, further develop, promote, display, license, and protect the winning designs as needed.
• By participating in the competition, all entrants are deemed to have fully understood and accepted the terms and conditions outlined in this notice.
• The final interpretation of this competition rests with the organizer.

Contact us

Email: souvenirshop@xjtlu.edu.cn