"YOUNG·FIBER-2026 The 2nd China Innovation and Creativity Design Competition" Achievement Exhibition and Awards Ceremony Successfully Held-AADTHU

"YOUNG·FIBER-2026 The 2nd China Innovation and Creativity Design Competition" Achievement Exhibition and Awards Ceremony Successfully Held

2026.08.12

The highly anticipated "YOUNG·FIBER-2026 The 2nd China Innovation and Creativity Design Competition" closed today with its official achievement exhibition and awards ceremony in Dongsheng District, Ordos City, Inner Mongolia. Selected from more than 800 entries submitted globally by emerging designers, 75 award-winning works demonstrated the limitless creative potential of cashmere fiber, interpreted through bold, fresh perspectives of young creative talents.

Hosted jointly by the Academy of Arts & Design at Tsinghua University, the Ordos High-Tech Industrial Development Zone, and the People’s Government of Dongsheng District, Ordos City, the competition was officially launched on April 23, 2026. It garnered submissions from 14 participating institutions covering 101 universities across the world, as well as independent designers and professional design studios. Entries were divided into two major categories: Apparel Products, and Home & Cultural and Creative Arts, fully exploring how the traditional luxury material of cashmere can be applied across diverse contemporary scenarios, ranging from high-fashion wear to modern domestic aesthetic living. Running parallel to the awards ceremony, the public exhibition "Exploring the Limitless Possibilities of Cashmere Fibers—YOUNG·FIBER Design Achievement Showcase" is now on view at the Duorina Art Museum in Dongsheng District, Ordos City, and will run until August 23, 2026.

75 Outstanding Works Unveiled

A distinguished group of industry and academic leaders attended the ceremony to present awards to winning designers. Senior representatives from Tsinghua's Academy of Arts & Design, the Central Academy of Fine Arts, the China Fashion Designers Association, Ordos Cashmere Apparel Group, and Dongsheng District government revealed the top award recipients for the Apparel Products and Home & Cultural-Creative Arts categories.

For both competitive tracks, one Gold Award, two Silver Awards, three Bronze Awards, and multiple Excellence Awards were selected. The competition also established several distinguished special recognitions including the Warm City Future Designer Award, Best Creative Design Award, and Best Practical Design Award to discover new-generation design talent across multiple dimensions and support creative innovation and upgrading across the entire cashmere industry.

This edition of the competition represents a concrete practice through which the Academy of Arts & Design at Tsinghua University advances its core mission of “design serving national strategies” and “design empowering regional development”. Through its systematically structured competition framework, international jury panel, and dedicated post-exhibition commercialization mechanism, the organizers built a complete four-in-one ecosystem integrating design, material innovation, advanced manufacturing, and global creative communication.

“In recent years, we have been consistently exploring effective approaches to connect top university creative talent and innovation resources with local cultural assets, industrial infrastructure, and real market demand,” Qin Chuan shared in an exclusive interview. “From public spatial regeneration and integrated cultural-tourism development, to regional cultural branding, cultural and creative product development, and school-enterprise joint teaching programs, we strive to ensure that outstanding design outcomes are fully transformed into accessible finished products, influential brands, well-built public spaces, and memorable cultural experiences. This partnership with Ordos marks a profound, three-way connection between top-tier art academy and the city, young designers and traditional industry, and creative ideas with one of the world's most precious natural luxury fibers.”

The competition prioritizes seamless integration between the creative competition platform and real industrial implementation, establishing a full closed-loop creative chain that runs from industry research briefs and original design creation all the way through to mass production and commercial launch. Shortlisted designers were paired with local Ordos cashmere manufacturers for collaborative product development, and fully aligned their creative outcomes with the city’s official “Dongsheng · Gift” urban cultural and creative brand initiative. A formal commercialization signing ceremony was held during the awards event to formalize partnerships that translate winning concepts into market-ready products. On-site matching sessions at the exhibition already saw multiple local cashmere enterprises reaching preliminary intentional agreements with winning designers. Far more than a platform for creative competition alone, the event functions as a vital bridge linking academic research, industry partners, and end commercial markets, ensuring that winning design concepts move directly from exhibition showcases to mass production lines.

By driving industrial upgrading through design, and nurturing design excellence through strong local industrial foundations, the competition delivers mutually beneficial integration that supports high-quality, sustainable development for Ordos, widely known as China’s “Capital of Cashmere”. The successful 2026 edition continues the longstanding innovative partnership story between Tsinghua’s Academy of Arts & Design and the city of Ordos. Organizers have confirmed that future iterations will further deepen collaboration with industry partners, accelerate commercialization of more award-winning works, and develop the “YOUNG·FIBER” brand into a world-facing innovation IP that balances international creative vision with distinctive local cultural identity, continuously elevating the global influence of Chinese cashmere design and the full industry supply chain.

Full List of Award-Winning Works

Home & Cultural and Creative Arts Category – Gold Award

The Nook of Dwelling Light — by He Jie, Zhang Ruyang