V. Categories of the Competition
The competition includes three categories and ten specific groups centered on Impressions of Kunming, China-chic Products (ethnic culture and intangible heritage), Future Technology for a Better Life, etc.
Three major competition categories
(A) “Impressions of Kunming”
1. “Taking away the Beauty of the Seasons”
Design elements and inspirations should come from the seasonal beauty of Yunnan Province, including Kunming. The scenic views should be transformed into portable items, such as dynamic live photo frames, 3D scenic albums, etc.
2. “Taking in Biodiversity in a Glance”
Design elements and inspirations should come from good reputation of Yunnan Province as “Kingdom of Animals” and “Kingdom of Plants”. The biodiversity should be transformed into designs that embody the unique characteristics of Yunnan’s endemic species to vividly showcase the vibrant, magical, abundant, and beautiful essence of Yunnan Province, such as bionic immortal plants, silicon-based pets, animated products, edible mushroom sorting machines, floral packaging machinery, etc.
3. “Experiencing Ethnic Charm”
Design elements and inspirations should come from the unique beauty of the 26 indigenous ethnic groups in Yunnan Province. Designs should feature elements of ethnic cultures, festivals, attires, household necessities, etc., such as innovative water pipes, the Water Festival, cosplay accessories, etc.
4. “Savoring the flavor of Spring”
Design elements and inspirations should come from Kunming’s unique food culture to reflect the features of Kunming and the topic of “A Bite of Yunnan Province” through food products and derivatives in Kunming’s cuisine.
(B) “China-chic Product”
1. “Honoring History and Culture”
Design elements and inspirations should come from the historical culture of Yunnan Province, including ancient and modern rise and fall in history, celebrity biographies, ancient villages, and Anti-Japanese War, such as lamps, tableware, or household items in Anti-Japanese War or the time of The National South-West Associated University, to pay tribute to history in retrospection and nostalgia.
2. “Revitalizing Intangible Heritage”
Design elements and inspirations should come from Yunnan Province national intangible cultural heritage representative projects and provincial intangible cultural heritage representative projects. Intangible culture and modern products should be combined through modern design techniques and innovation.
3. “Serving 7+11 South and Southeast Asia”
Design works should be from 7 South Asian and 11 Southeast Asian countries, or domestic designs inspired by the historical and cultural elements in South and Southeast Asia.
4. “Creating Modern China-Chic Style”
Design elements and inspirations should come from the latest trends and combine elements of Yunnan Province or Kunming with currently popular style, such as creating innovative China-chic brands or reviving traditional brands, to embody the soft power of Kunming and appeal to modern youth with products targeted at them.
(C) “The Future of Technology”
1. “Creating a Beautiful Technological Life”
This group is targeted at Kunming-based technological companies, and mainly showcases Kunming’s advanced manufacturing capabilities for technological products.
2. “Leading the Future with Concepts”
This group is mainly open to students and other submitting conceptual designs that have not yet been commercialized.
Ten major creative directions
VI. Participation Requirements
(A) Eligible Participants
This competition is open to domestic and international organizations in culture and tourism, manufacturing enterprises, design institutions, students and faculty at design schools, professional designers, design lovers, etc. (Participants must be at least 18 years old. If applying as a team, the team size shall be up to five.)
(B) Requirements for Entries
1. All entries should align with the Core Socialist Values, comply with laws, regulations, and industrial policies, and have complete intellectual property rights and commercialization potentials. Product entries should be launched or in production within the last year. Conceptual designs should not be on the market by October 1st, 2024.
2. Entries should include 1-5 pages in A3 size (420mm x 297mm, 300 dpi, JPG format) The first page should display the main design (including name, concept, visuals, and description). Other pages may provide detailed information such as theme, design concept, diagrams, photos, and technical details. The text should be 12 pt, clear and readable, with page numbers and the number of all pages included. The designer’s name or any identifying marks must not appear on the entries, otherwise the entry will be considered invalid.
(C) Ways for Participation
1. Registration and submission are conducted online through the official website of the competition (the official website: www.souvenirofkm.cn; the e-mail: souvenirofkm@126.com). After registering, participants must fill in their details and submit their designs in the competition’s designated system according to hints on the website. All registration information is subject to online, and participants can submit multiple entries, but each entry can only be submitted to one category, otherwise it will be regarded as invalid submission.
2. All finalists who are shortlisted for the final evaluation must mail the original application form and relevant supporting materials. Physical samples are required for product entries, and 3D models for conceptual entries. The above entries shall be submitted to the Committee as required, otherwise it will be deemed to have given up the final evaluation qualification.
VII. Awards
(A) Special Award
One Special Award will be chosen from the Gold-winning entries across all the 3 categories, with a cash prize of 50,000 RMB (pre-tax, the same below. Do not enjoy the single category gold prize twice.), a certification, and a trophy, issued by the Committee.
(B) Category-Specific Awards
Each category will have the following awards:
1 Gold Award;
2 Silver Awards;
3 Bronze Awards;
5 Excellence Awards;
Several finalist recognition and Outstanding Instructor Awards.
The Committee will award bonuses, certifications and trophies, respectively (among them, only bonuses and certifications will be awarded to Excellence Awards, and only certifications will be awarded to the shortlisted works and excellent instructors).
Gold Award: 3 winners, ¥30,000 each
Silver Award: 6 winners, ¥20,000 each
Bronze Award: 9 winners, ¥10,000 each
Excellence Award: 15 winners, ¥2,000 each
(C) Special Regional Awards
For entries from Hong Kong, China, Macau, China, and Taiwan, China, and entries from South and Southeast Asian countries, the competition introduces additional awards across all categories.
Most Promising Award: 1 winner, ¥10,000 each
Most Valuable Award: 1 winner, ¥10,000 each
Outstanding Organization Award: 3 winners, ¥5,000 each
These awards include both monetary prizes and certifications, issued by the Committee. (Except for the Outstanding Organization Award, winners may also qualify for monetary prizes in single-category awards.)
(D) Additional Incentives
1. Student who qualify for the concept design preliminary evaluation and proceed to the physical model submission stage are eligible for production cost subsidies. For each entry that meets competition requirements, a subsidy of up to ¥500 will be provided. For entries requiring specialized craftsmanship (e.g. in fashion design), a maximum subsidy of ¥2,000 may be granted upon application and review.
2. Award-winning designs are encouraged to commercialize with support for entrepreneurship and employment opportunities and extra awards. Specific measures will be formulated later.
3. Award-winning designs submitted under the name of Kunming-based enterprises will receive governmental endorsement for participation in national and international industrial design awards. The relevant designers will be recommended the title of the relevant designer series.
4. Students who win the Special Award or Gold Award can be recommended for the “Star of Dragon Design Innovation Award” nomination candidate list. Students who win the Special Award can be recommended to “Dragon Design Innovation Award – Top Ten Outstanding Young People in Chinese Design Industry” candidate list.
(E) Outstanding Organization Award
Several Outstanding Organization Awards will be presented to enterprises, associations, universities and other units that actively publicize and organize outstanding works to participate in the competition. Each award-winning unit will receive ¥5,000 as monetary prize and a certification.
(F) If the number of valid submissions in a category is insufficient, the category will be canceled, and its entries will be merged into other categories for evaluation based on the recommendations of the Award Evaluation Panel. To ensure an orderly evaluation process, the Committee and the Award Evaluation Panel reserve the right to reassign entries to different categories in accordance with competition rules and the actual circumstances of the entries.
VIII. Event Schedule
(A) Preparation and Promotion (November 2024)
Establish the Committee, formulate and distribute the work plan of the competition, and prepare the budget plan of the competition, etc. Improve the submission channel. Take advantage of various media, platforms associations and other channels to promote the competition and widely mobilize participants.
(B) Submission Period (from November 30, 2024 to January 17, 2025)
Collect entries globally through online submission, with tour recommendation in key regions, major universities across China, and universities in Yunnan Province. (the official website: www.souvenirofkm.cn; the e-mail: souvenirofkm@126.com)
(C) Evaluation Process
Invite well-known industrial design experts from China and abroad, along with relevant industry experts, enterprise leaders, heads of design departments, chief engineers, and university faculties, to establish the Award Evaluation Panel. The panel experts shall strictly implement the withdrawal system. The panel experts shall withdraw when they have an interest in the participating units or when there are circumstances that may affect their impartiality in the evaluation.
1. Preliminary Evaluation (from January 18 to 24, 2025)
The Award Evaluation Panel will conduct an online evaluation of entries across the three categories, selecting those recommended for the semi-finals.
2. Preliminary Evaluation Announcement (from January 25 to February 5, 2025)
The Award Evaluation Panel will publicly announce the preliminary evaluation results, listing the shortlisted entries.
3. Submission of Shortlisted Physical Entries (from February 5 to 15, 2025)
Participants with shortlisted entries must mail their physical entries. (The mailing address and contact information will be provided via e-mail, the official WeChat account, and the official website of the competition.)
4. Open Reply and Final Evaluation (February 20, 2025)
The Committee will organize the Final Evaluation Panel to review physical samples or models of the finalist entries. Based on the open reply of finalists, the winner of the Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Excellence Awards will be selected in three categories, respectively, with a Special Award selected from among the three Gold Award winners. Outstanding Organization Awards and a list of recommended instructors will also be recommended at the same time.
(D) Awards Ceremony (February 22, 2025)
A ceremony will be held to recognize the winning entries of the Souvenir Design Competition of Kunming.
VIV. Contact Information
(A) Competition Hotlines
For competition inquiries: 17787159983
For business activities: 17787159331
For the Committee: 17787159915
(B) Official Website of the competition: www.souvenirofkm.cn (Registration period for entries is from November 30, 2024 to January 17, 2025.)
(C) E-mail of the competition: souvenirofkm@126.com
(D) WeChat Official Account: Search on WeChat: 春城有礼
X. Additional Provisions
1. There is no entry fee for this competition.
2. Entries must be original. Works that are identical or highly similar to published works will be disqualified. Entries must not infringe on the intellectual property or rights of others. If disputes arise, the participant assumes full responsibility. The Committee reserves the right to unilaterally disqualify the participation and award qualification of any entry at any stage, and at the same time will not reassign disqualified awards. In order to guarantee the quality of entries, the Committee reserves the right to withhold or reduce awards if necessary.
3. Participants retain the ownership of their intellectual property. The Committee retains the right to promote, exhibit, publish, and publicize all entries in other forms.
4. Award winners may co-brand their products under the “Souvenir of Kunming” regional public brand after signing an agreement with the brand operator. These entries can be used as a joint public brand product of “Souvenir of Kunming”, and be eligible for sales channels of “Souvenir of Kunming” as a public brand. The award winners can enjoy the revenue sharing under this brand.
5. The Committee may use various channels to showcase and promote digital showrooms to enhance the influence of the Souvenir Design Competition of Kunming. No institution, individual, or third party can redesign, produce, sell, promote, publish, exhibit, or market the competition entries without authorization by the Committee and participants. For design plans or products with commercial potential, the Committee will facilitate partnership with local manufacturing companies to drive industrialization.
6. The Committee reserves the right to the final interpretation of the competition.
