2025 First Qian’an Cup Great Wall Cultural & Creative Design Competition！We want you!

Call for Entries:

July 2, 2025 – September 15, 2025

Open To:
Designers worldwide — submitting Great Wall-themed cultural & creative products and designs.

Themes:

1: <National Gift: The Great Wall>
Designs inspired by the Great Wall as cultural gifts representing China on an international stage — creative, innovative, exquisite, and high-quality.

2: <The Ancient Great Wall>
Designs highlighting the history, legends, architecture, and cultural heritage of the Great Wall — preserving and promoting its legacy.

3: <The Great Wall & Youth Experiential Learning>
Educational and interactive creative products for youth, encouraging learning about the Great Wall’s history, culture, and spirit through engaging experiences.

4: <The Great Wall & the Chinese Zodiac - CNY Gifts>
Creative Chinese New Year gifts blending the Great Wall with the 12 zodiac animals — reviving traditional culture through modern design.

5: AI Creative Design
Innovative Great Wall-themed designs leveraging AI technology for breakthrough expression, interactivity, and new perspectives.

Competition Tracks:

The competition is divided into four main tracks. Participants are required to design cultural and creative products for the different tracks, based on the official reference materials provided by the organizers, and aligned with the five themes and the specific requirements of each track.

Track 1: Great Wall Culture
Centered on the theme of Great Wall culture, participants are invited to create innovative designs with the Great Wall as the core element — including but not limited to architectural patterns, arrow slits and structural forms, the culture of the Thirteen Passes, visual interpretations of ancient poems about the Great Wall, and design studies of its defensive system — to develop IP characters, artistic installations for scenic areas, cultural and creative products etc.

Track 2: Qian’an Great Wall
Focusing on the distinctive sections of the Great Wall in Qian’an — including the Baiyangyu Marble Great Wall ruins, Lengkou Pass ruins, and Xuliukou Great Wall ruins — the designs should highlight the unique essence of the “Great Wall of Ten Thousand Miles · The Quintessence of Qian’an.” They may particularly emphasize the historical significance of the Qian’an segment within the Ming Dynasty’s Jizhen Great Wall defense system, carrying the mission of cultural heritage and educational value of the Qian’an Great Wall. The design works should demonstrate a high level of craftsmanship and production quality, paying close attention to detail and refinement in material selection, color matching, and structural design, ensuring a perfect combination of artistry, cultural depth, and practicality, and representing the high-quality image of Chinese cultural and creative products.

Track 3: Shanhaiguan Great Wall
Shanhaiguan, ranked first among the three most famous passes of the Ming Great Wall, is one of the representative sites of the Great Wall as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage and was listed among the first group of national key cultural relics protection units. The Great Wall at Shanhaiguan stretches to the sea, lies across the plains, and ascends the mountains, forming a unique defensive pattern of “seven connected cities, a central body with two wings, front shield and rear guard, flanked on both sides.” Its military defense system was meticulously planned and remains the most complete preserved Great Wall defense system to this day. The renowned Great Wall expert Luo Zhewen praised it as a “natural museum of the Great Wall.”

Here, the rugged mountains, vast sea, and majestic pass merge natural beauty with human history, creating Shanhaiguan’s uniquely magnificent landscape. The endless Great Wall, solemn history, profound culture, and rich folk traditions continue here, passed down from generation to generation. Shanhaiguan, with its motto of “United as One · The Greatest Pass under Heaven,” serves as a cultural landmark and icon of the Great Wall that integrates national and global significance, showcasing Chinese characteristics, style, and spirit.

Designs should take Shanhaiguan’s unique features as the core elements, and may include, but are not limited to: IP character design, scenic art installation design, cultural and creative product design, themed visual illustrations, digital art sculptures, interactive multimedia art, cultural-tourism space visual design, innovative designs of intangible cultural heritage, dynamic IP stickers, and virtual digital human image development.

Track 4: Mutianyu Great Wall
Create works with the unique features of the Mutianyu Great Wall as the main elements, highlighting architectural characteristics such as the Zhengguantai (Main Pass Platform), double-sided crenellations, and densely spaced watchtowers, while showcasing the beautiful scenery of spring blossoms, summer clouds, autumn foliage, winter snow, as well as sunrise and sunset glow. The creations may include, but are not limited to: IP character designs, scenic art installations, and cultural & creative products.

Submission Requirements:

Design Entries

1. Creative design entries must include a creative description and must be original designs that have not yet been produced or manufactured.

2. Creative design entries must include design drawings in A3 size, JPG format, 300 dpi resolution, with each image file no smaller than 2MB.

3. For series works, no more than 10 images may be submitted, showing multiple angles and striving to fully present the work.

4. Works designed using AI software must be submitted in digital form. The design must clearly indicate that AI technology was used, including the name of the AI software, the prompts/keywords used, and proof of use (e.g., screenshots). The layout must also include a written explanation of the work.

5. Each participant may submit up to three entries per theme track.

Physical Entries

1. For physical product entries, at least five photos of the actual product from different angles must be submitted (original design drawings must also be provided). After passing the preliminary review, participants are required to properly package their works by category and deliver them to the designated location (time and address to be announced separately).

2. The submission description for physical product entries must clearly state the work’s name, design concept, highlights and unique features, applicable scenarios, detailed dimensions, craftsmanship and materials, and market positioning, etc.

Awards:

1. Prizes for Each Competition Track

Track 1: Great Wall Culture

First Prize: 1 winner — Certificate + Creative Incentive of ¥10,000

Second Prize: 5 winners — Certificate + Creative Incentive of ¥2,000 per person

Third Prize: 10 winners — Certificate + Creative Incentive of ¥1,000 per person

Honorable Mention: 30 winners — Certificate

Track 2: Qian’an Great Wall

First Prize: 1 winner — Certificate + Creative Incentive of ¥10,000

Second Prize: 5 winners — Certificate + Creative Incentive of ¥2,000 per person

Third Prize: 10 winners — Certificate + Creative Incentive of ¥1,000 per person

Honorable Mention: 30 winners — Certificate

Track 3: Shanhaiguan Great Wall

First Prize: 1 winner — Certificate + Creative Incentive of ¥5,000 + 5 Shanhaiguan Scenic Area Combo Tickets (worth ¥700)

Second Prize: 5 winners — Certificate + Creative Incentive of ¥1,000 per person + 3 Shanhaiguan Scenic Area Combo Tickets per person (worth ¥420)

Third Prize: 10 winners — Certificate + Creative Incentive of ¥500 per person + 2 Shanhaiguan Scenic Area Combo Tickets per person (face value ¥140/ticket)

Honorable Mention: 30 winners — Certificate

Note: Shanhaiguan Scenic Area Combo Tickets (face value ¥140/ticket) include access to Laolongtou, The First Pass Under Heaven, Wang Family Courtyard, Wangyang Tower, Ying’en Tower, Bell & Drum Tower, and sightseeing shuttle.

Track 4: Mutianyu Great Wall

First Prize: 1 winner — Certificate + 5 Mutianyu Great Wall Scenic Area Tickets (worth ¥1,000)

Second Prize: 5 winners — Certificate + 3 Mutianyu Great Wall Scenic Area Tickets per person (worth ¥600)

Third Prize: 10 winners — Certificate + 2 Mutianyu Great Wall Scenic Area Tickets per person (worth ¥400)

Honorable Mention: 30 winners — Certificate

Note: Mutianyu Great Wall Scenic Area Tickets (face value ¥200/ticket) include admission, shuttle bus, and cable car.

2. Award Instructions:

1) The award certificates will be issued by the organizer, the Great Wall Branch of the China Tourism Association. The creative incentive prizes are stated in pre-tax amounts.

2)The final number of awards may vary depending on the quantity and quality of the entries submitted. Some awards may remain vacant if no suitable entries are identifie

3. Post-Competition Outcomes and Implementation:

1) For the Physical Product Track, award-winning participants will receive:

   (1) Official competition award certificates and wide media coverage.

   (2) Opportunities to showcase their products in offline exhibitions to increase exposure, with outstanding works selected for collaboration with Great Wall-themed cultural and creative stores.

   (3) Support in connecting with enterprise resources and channels, and facilitation of cooperation with scenic areas for on-site implementation.

2) For the Creative Design Track, award-winning participants will receive:

   (1) Expert guidance on further refining their creative designs from senior cultural and creative industry specialists and leading design professionals.

   (2) Opportunities for supply chain resource connections to help realize and implement creative designs.

Competition Instructions:

1. Participants should carefully understand and accept the competition rules. Entries can be submitted individually or by teams (organizations). All submitted works must be original creations by the participant or design team. Participants must ensure their entries do not infringe upon any third — party intellectual property rights or other legal rights. If any intellectual property or copyright disputes arise, the organizing committee reserves the right to disqualify the entry and revoke any awards received. All legal responsibilities shall be borne by the participant, who will also be liable for any losses caused to the organizers or partners.

2. The copyright of award — winning works shall be jointly owned by the organizer — the Great Wall Branch of China Tourism Association, the track cooperation units, and the designers. For works that have completed copyright registration, participants must cooperate with the organizer to transfer copyright ownership accordingly. The organizer has the right to record, publish, sell, exhibit, promote, adapt, commercially operate, produce products, and manufacture finished goods based on the works.

3. Submitted works must not violate national laws or regulations, nor contradict the core socialist values.

4. The competition’s provided material packages are exclusively for use in the current design submissions and must not be used for other purposes. Participants who misuse these materials and cause losses to the organizers or partners shall bear full compensation responsibilities.

5. By uploading works to this competition, participants are deemed to have agreed to all competition rules. Any works found not to comply with the competition requirements will be disqualified. For any questions or uncertainties about the competition rules, please contact the organizing committee before submission.

Submission Email:

ccfh@chinata.com.cn
Be sure to attach the Registration Form and Authorization Letter (see official documents).

Additional Notes:

1. Establish a platform for competition achievement transformation, connecting award-winning works with cultural and creative enterprises, investment institutions, and manufacturers to promote the commercialization and market expansion of the works, thereby realizing value transformation and innovative development in the cultural and creative industry.

2. Organize exhibitions and touring displays of the award-winning works, coordinating with Great Wall scenic areas for on-site promotion to further enhance the competition’s influence and broaden the dissemination of Great Wall culture, while also providing participants with more opportunities for showcasing and networking.

3. Summarize the competition experience to compile a case study collection and research report, offering references and insights for future cultural and creative competitions, and providing theoretical support and practical guidance for the development of the cultural and creative industry.

4. Strengthen communication and connection with participants by establishing a talent pool of cultural and creative designers, monitoring their creative trends and development needs, and providing more opportunities and resource support to promote the cultivation and growth of cultural and creative talents.

Design Material Package Download:

本文来源：中国旅游协会长城分会