The Design Xiaoxiang Awards 2025 culminated in a landmark Awards Ceremony and Outcomes Promotion Event held in Changsha (China) on 19 January 2026. Guided by the principles of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, the Awards were presented under the theme Design Empowerment · Innovation and Entrepreneurship, positioning design as a catalyst for innovation, entrepreneurship, and industrial transformation. Through this platform, the awards actively support the deeper integration of advanced manufacturing with modern service industries.
A Year-Long Programme Driving Design-Led Innovation
Preparation for the Design Xiaoxiang Awards began in February 2025 with the establishment of the Organizing Committee and the development of a comprehensive competition framework. The Awards were officially launched on 1 September 2025, at a kick-off press briefing, followed by an extensive province-wide promotion campaign spanning 13 cities, one autonomous prefecture, and multiple affiliated institutions.
From October to November 2025, a preliminary review shortlisted entries for the final round. During this phase, professional institutions provided innovation and entrepreneurship mentoring to shortlisted projects in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship category, supporting the refinement of business models and commercialization strategies.
The Grand Final took place on 27 November 2025, with finalists presenting their projects before the expert jury. Outstanding projects from the Innovation & Entrepreneurship category were recommended to investment institutions, financing bodies and venture incubation platforms.
The Awards, which were endorsed by World Design Organization, culminated on 19 January 2026, with an exhibition of winning works and a Design Investment and Financing Matchmaking Session. Looking ahead, the Organizing Committee will continue to support the commercialization of award-winning student projects through 2026, working in partnership with manufacturing enterprises and venture capital firms to accelerate industrialization.
Award Categories and Thematic Focus Areas
To ensure rigorous and fair evaluation, submissions were organized into two main categories:
Industrial Design Group (Professional): Open to enterprises, design agencies, research institutes, and social organizations, recognizing products, systems, and services already in mass production or commercial use.
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Group (Academic/Start-up): Open to full-time university students and graduates within three years, recognizing conceptual works, prototypes, and faculty co-created projects with strong commercialization potential.
All submissions aligned with one of five thematic tracks addressing key industrial and societal challenges:
- Human–AI collaborative Design for Emerging Industries
- High-end Equipment Design for Advanced Manufacturing
- Digital Culture Innovation for Integrating Culture and Technology
- Lifestyle Aesthetics for Well-being and Consumption
- Characteristic Industry Design for Regional Revitalization
Record Participation and Award Results
Since its launch, the Design Xiaoxiang Awards 2025 achieved record-breaking engagement, receiving 5,106 submissions from 137 enterprises and 181 universities across 30 provinces in China. Entries included 257 submissions in the Industrial Design Group and 4,849 in the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Group.
Under the guidance of Jury Chair Professor He Renke of Hunan University, and support from World Design Organization, a distinguished panel of experts conducted a rigorous three-stage evaluation process. In total, 118 outstanding entries and 18 organizations were recognized. Recipients included 1 Gold Award, 3 Silver Awards, 8 Bronze Awards and 47 Excellence Awards.
The Industrial Design Gold Award carried a prize of RMB 200,000, while the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Gold Award carried RMB 50,000. Eligible student projects will also be recommended to the Hunan Provincial University Student Entrepreneurship Fund, with potential funding support of up to RMB 1 million.
The following award-winning projects exemplify the competition’s commitment to industrial innovation, social well-being, and future technologies.
Industrial Design Group – Gold Award
Yarlung Tsangbo Hydropower Project
World-Class Down-the-Hole Drilling Platform (SWDE200NA) Addressing the extreme engineering challenges of national infrastructure, this intelligent drilling rig is designed specifically for the high-altitude, steep-slope environment of the Yarlung Zangbo Hydropower Project. By integrating lightweight construction, automated rod changing, and high-precision RTK positioning, it revolutionizes traditional manual operations, delivering a safe, efficient, and aesthetically robust solution for critical national energy projects.
Industrial Design Group – Silver Awards
Shipborne Intelligent Sleep System
Redefining the smart sleep industry, this system integrates an AI sleep steward, digital silent motors, and multi-modal health monitoring into a “Starship” aesthetic design. With 103 patents, it offers precise physiological tracking (98.4% accuracy for apnea screening) and automated comfort adjustments, creating a closed-loop health management ecosystem for high-end consumers.
New Meter-Gauge Multiple Unit (EMU) for Malaysia
A benchmark for the “Belt and Road” initiative, this train breaks technical barriers by achieving 160km/h on meter-gauge tracks while ensuring top-tier safety through active early warning systems. The design deeply integrates Malaysian cultural elements, inspired by the Diamond of the Sutra House and the Hibiscus flower, balancing advanced industrial engineering with profound local cultural resonance.
Ascentiz Modular Exoskeleton
Guided by a ‘Light, Small, Cool’ philosophy, Ascentiz is the world’s first modular exoskeleton designed to democratize industrial technology for civilian use. Featuring titanium-carbon construction and AI gait recognition, its open ecosystem allows users to customize hip and knee modules for diverse scenarios, creating a new product category for geeks, outdoor enthusiasts, and commuters.
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Group – Gold Award
JiWen YiTi
Intelligent respiratory compensation surgical mattress targeting the critical issue of respiratory movement affecting surgical precision, this system introduces a ‘Dynamic Synergistic Stability’ concept to replace traditional passive restraints. By utilizing a smart support array and real-time sensor feedback to actively counteract respiratory displacement, it creates a dynamically static operating environment, offering robot-level stability at a fraction of the cost for high-precision spinal surgeries.
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Group – Silver Awards
Seed Rover
Inspired by tumbleweeds, the Tumbleweed Bionic Seeding Robot is a self-powered, wind-driven robot that utilizes a tensegrity structure to perform ecological restoration on grasslands with minimal environmental disturbance. It operates on a unique ‘ecological crowdsourcing’ model linked to a cloud-based game, allowing public participation to drive sustainable, large-scale seeding efforts without the need for heavy machinery.
CHEWING BEAT
Addressing the health risks of rapid eating, Chewing Beat utilizes a wearable earphone system equipped with multi-modal sensors (PPG and microphones) to accurately monitor mastication frequencies in real-time. By dynamically adjusting music rhythms via AI to match and guide chewing pace, it creates an unobtrusive, closed-loop behavioral intervention that fosters healthier eating habits through natural music therapy.
Syncloop
Respiratory concerto designed to combat exercise-induced fatigue, this smart wearable uses soft pneumatic actuators to guide breathing rhythms through tactile feedback rather than visual or auditory disruption. By synchronizing the inflation of chest and abdominal airbags with the user’s motion, it establishes an implicit ‘motion-trigger/feedback-guide’ loop, helping users naturally regulate their breath during intense physical activity.
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Group – Bronze Awards
ZhiYan FangSong
Bridging traditional craftsmanship with digital intelligence, this “Chat+Do” assistant empowers artisans to generate producible weaving designs through natural language and sketches. Unlike black box AI, it offers a transparent, editable workflow that respects cultural logic, allowing immediate translation from creative intent to manufacturing-ready craft diagrams.
0 to 0 – Mycelium-based Zero-waste Circular Design
This project explores the full lifecycle sustainability of mycelium-based bio-materials for furniture and architectural components. By celebrating the natural unpredictability of biological growth, it challenges industrial homogeneity and demonstrates a viable, zero-carbon aesthetic for the future bio-economy.
