Bao'an design competition fuels growth of cultural, creative sector

The awarding ceremony for the sixth Bao'an Cultural Products Design Competition was held Friday at the Bao'an District Urban Planning Exhibition Hall.

A batch of commercially promising award-winning designs is set to hit the market in 2026, ushering in a new chapter in transforming creative competition ideas into consumer products.

The competition, which lasted for three months, received 621 sets of outstanding works with a total of over 1,500 accumulated design items. This year's competition incorporates elements from Bao'an's nine major cultural landmarks and six key collections from the Shenzhen Museum.

The awarding ceremony of the sixth Bao'an Cultural Products Design Competition is held Friday. Courtesy of event organizer

The award-winning works span multiple fields such as digital interaction, cultural and creative trendy toys, home aesthetics, and fashion accessories, fully demonstrating the innovative integration of traditional culture and modern technology, and highlighting the vibrant vitality and limitless potential of Bao'an's cultural and creative sector.

The gold-winning piece utilizes 3D holographic projection and interactive technology, allowing users to explore Bao'an's culture through engagement. Its creative approach blends entertainment with technology.

After six years since its launch, the competition has now formed a design ecosystem. Hundreds of excellent designers have joined the district's design talent pool.

Bao'an District has joined the top echelon of China's cultural industry, ranking 12th in the recently released "2025 China Cultural Industry Competitiveness Top 100 Districts Index." Its cultural and related industries have achieved nearly 150 billion yuan (US$21.12 billion) in revenue, with the digital creative industry generating over 50 billion yuan.