Tsinghua University's "Design+" Innovation and Entrepreneurs

The competition is themed on "Design Futures, Empower Youth" and explores innovative opportunities in areas such as future products and services, future spaces and environments, future arts and fashion, future health and well-being, future tourism and cultural creativity, future science popularization and education. By integrating future thinking and design innovation, and utilizing the means of fusion between art and technology, the competition aims to create innovative products and services that possess both social significance and industrial value. The competition will focus on new industries, new models, and new momentum driven by design innovation, with an emphasis on cultivating and selecting strategic designers and chief design officers capable of leading the future.

The competition encourages innovation, and entries must be innovative outcomes developed independently by the team, which owns the complete intellectual property rights.

Contestants need to complete the work design work in the preliminary stage and form a complete innovative solution with 3D renderings and display video or prototype. The works should show future foresight, art, humanities, and future lifestyles influenced by new technologies. Teams that advance from the preliminary round to the semi-finals need to further iterate and update their works in the final stage and formulate a display plan for the exhibition. 

The competition has three categories: the international special invitation track, the main track, and the industry proposition track. The main track includes the creative group and the entrepreneurial group, which aims to explore innovative opportunities in the future field through the integration of art and technology and create products and services with both social value and industrial value.

The International Invitation Track is aimed at overseas colleges and universities cooperating with Academy of Arts & Design of Tsinghua University. It invites design-driven innovative and entrepreneurial projects that meet the theme of the competition to participate in the competition, with the goal of promoting international exchanges and cooperation in the field of design innovation. The organizing committee will also promote the incubation and transformation of projects.

The competition is divided into six stages: 

1. The first stage: start of competition, registration of contestants

Planned to launch the competition in early April 2024, open registration, and close registration in late June.

2. The second stage: the preliminary round of the competition

It is planned that in late June 2024, the registration project materials will be reviewed, and those who meet the competition requirements and are excellent will be selected through letter evaluation to advance to the semi-finals.

3. The third stage: competition training camp

It is planned to launch a competition training camp from July to August 2024, deepen the sample, provide special BP guidance, entrepreneurial consulting, project optimization, etc. to projects that have successfully advanced to the finals, and further incubate innovative and entrepreneurial projects for participating teams and set up curriculum learning or entrepreneurial training Activity.

4. The fourth stage: competition rematch

It is planned that in early September 2024, the semi-finals will be conducted in the form of group presentations for roadshow defense, and outstanding projects will be selected to advance to the finals.

5. The fifth stage: competition finals

It is planned to hold the finals of the competition in October 2024 to select the winning teams for the Creative Group, Entrepreneurship Group, Industrial Thesis Track and International Specially Invited Track.

6. Stage Six: Competition Award Ceremony

The competition award ceremony is planned to be held on November 1, 2024, the anniversary of the Tsinghua Academy of Arts & Design, Beijing, China.