"Design Star" was jointly launched by Guangzhou Design Week and the world's leading ceramics brand NEWZHONGYUAN Ceramics in 2015. It aims to provide young designers with a growth platform for learning and communication. It covers five major sections: Star Campaign, Star Academy, Star Venture Capital, Star Media, and Star Charity, building a comprehensive ecological system to help young designers grow.

The two parties will focus on the core value of "paying tribute to professionalism", and with the heroic spirit of "young people come to fight", interpret the splendor of "the future has come" in design, and work together to create a "young designer growth platform" and establish an empowering community for "knowledge learning" for the younger generation of designers.

Perhaps, there is no road to Rome, because the road they walked is not the road you want to walk; there is no correct answer to design, don’t be obsessed with templates, your thinking is the key to design; don’t wait for others to speak for you, the expression of design is never limited; 2024 Design Star, release your ambition and break the shackles!

To facilitate all young designers to participate in the registration,

We have carefully sorted out various award application questions.

Before you sign up, take a look at this comprehensiveAward Application Guide,

Maybe it will have a better effect on you~

Registration Purpose and Requirements

Entry Purpose & Requirements

Q:Why sign up for Design Star?

A:"Design Star" was jointly launched by Guangzhou Design Week and the world's leading ceramics brand NEWZHONGYUAN Ceramics in 2015. It aims to provide young designers with a growth platform for learning and communication. It covers five major sections: Star Campaign, Star Academy, Star Venture Capital, Star Media, and Star Charity, building a comprehensive ecological system to help young designers grow.

Cui Shu, Wang Shuai, Bu Tianjing, Zhang Yaotian, He Jing, Sun Kang, Wang Juan, Li Wenting, Wang Wancheng, Zhou You, Yao Zhe, Sun Haochen, Ding Pengwen, Hu Zhihong, Li Cong, Xiong Tianyu & Zhang Xiaokai, Wen Chao, Zhang Jianhui, Hu Youliu, Li Xiaosi, Li Bo, Liang Fei & Wang Xing, Zhang Wei, Hu Xinglarge number of young designers active in the industry will emerge from the Design Star stage, finding purpose, building friendships, drawing energy, and rapidly growing. Design Star is an empowering community for the "knowledge learning" of China's young generation of designers. We hope you will join this large and loving Star family.

Q:Can I sign up for Design Star?

A:As long as it satisfiesUnder 36 years old (inclusive)That is, young designers born after 1988 (including 1988) and with Chinese nationality are eligible to register for the competition.

Q:What materials do I need to prepare for the evaluation? What are the format requirements?

A:Personal information includes: basic information, company information, honors received, one personal photo (horizontal or vertical front-facing half-body high-definition photo), etc.

Project materials include:

(1) Submit 2-8 completed project floor plans and at least 10 real-life photos that represent the core value of the design work. The size of each photo should not exceed 18M, and the shortest side of the photo should not be less than 100 pixels. In addition, you can submit a project demonstration video as a reference for the review. The format is preferably MPEG, MP4, or AVI.

(2) An explanatory text on the submitted project with the title “Where do I begin: my design and I”, not exceeding 300 words.

Note:a. Entries must be original works by the designer and must be completed projects completed after January 1, 2022, with full copyright and usage rights. Any fraudulent work will result in disqualification.

b. All submitted works must not be renderings, must not have watermarks, and must not contain identifying information such as the manufacturer. Incomplete, incorrect, or non-compliant works will be deemed invalid or void.

Q:Is it necessary to submit completed works?

A:Yes, and it must beJanuary 1, 2022After the actual participation of the completed project.

Q:Can I submit a project/photo that has previously won another award?

A:Yes. You can submit work that has previously been entered and won in other awards, but to promote creativity and fresh ideas, we encourage you to submit new work whenever possible.

Q:Do I need to provide design drawings, or can I just provide photos of the actual site?

A:Submitting either design drawings or floor plans is optional. However, we encourage entrants to submit as much information as possible to best showcase their project. We understand that every project is unique, so you are free to submit whatever information you deem appropriate. We encourage you to include at least one floor plan to ensure our judging panel has sufficient information for evaluation.

Q:Does my project have to be designed or implemented in China?

A:No, designs do not have to be designed or built in China to be considered for the competition, only that the designers be Chinese nationals.

Participation channels and steps

Entry Method & Process

Q:Where can I sign up?

A: Method 1: Sign up for Design Star directly on PC

Scan the QR code, click "I want to apply for the award", fill in the information according to the instructions and upload your work to participate in the registration. The registration deadline is September 15, 2024.

▲ Click here to apply for the "Design Star" award immediately

Method 2: Urban Design Star selection and promotion to Design Star

To participate in the Urban Design Star selection, register at the NEWZHONGYUAN showroom in your local or neighboring city. The application deadline is June 30, 2024. The Urban Design Star selection will be conducted in four regions: East, South, West, and North. Each region will have one direct entry into the top 36 national Design Stars (2024-2025) through closed-door reviews.

▲Urban Design Star Competition Area

Method 3: Recommendation of design scouts in each city

Design scouts discover outstanding young designers online and offline and recommend them to the organizing committee. Alternatively, you can register with design scouts in various cities and become a design "rising talent" in the eyes of a talent scout.

Method 4: Star Recommendation Committee Nomination

We strongly invite members of the Star Club to form a "Design Star·Star Recommendation Committee" to jointly select outstanding young designers through recommendation or nomination to sign up for the Star election.

Q:How do I know if my information has been submitted successfully?

A:The organizing committee will review all entries to ensure they are finalized, photos have been uploaded correctly, and the materials are ready for submission to the judges. If there are any omissions in the materials, we will contact you by the following means:

Log in to your account at Design Era and you will see the details of your submitted materials in [Personal Center>All Applications]. Submitted works with the status of [Awaiting Review] have been successfully submitted, [Submitted Award Status] means they have been reviewed and passed, and [Returned] means they need to be modified.

Q:Can I edit my submission after submitting it for review?

A:It is recommended that you check before submitting for review. The application cannot be edited or modified in the pending review state. Please add a project leader to return it and resubmit it.

Q:Do I have to be an individual to register?

A:For individual/group participation, you can leave your company's name, logo and other information on the submitted documents.

Review and Honor Setting

Judging & Award Setting

Q:Who are the judges for Design Star?

A: Referee Instructor:Liang Zhitian, Lin Xueming, Chen Yaoguang, Liang Jinghua, Wu Bin, Dai Kun, Jiang Feng, Sun Jianhua, Meng Ye, Tan Si, Chen Dejian, He Zongxian, Zhang Qingping, Meng Jianguo, Shao Weiyan, Li Daode, Huang Quan, Cui Shu

Executive Mentor:Cui Shu, Wang Shuai, Bu Tianjing, Zhang Yaotian, He Jing, Sun Kang, Wang Juan

Observation Group:Liang Fei & Wang Xing

▲ Design Star Judges and Mentors Team

▲ Design Star Executive Mentor

▲ Design Star Observation Group

Q:What are the honor settings for the awards?

A:Design Star (2024-2025) New Media Popularity Contestant

Design Star (2024-2025) Top 36 Candidates

Urban Design Star (2024-2025) Top 50 in East/South/West/North Region

Design Star (2024-2025) National Top 36

Design Star (2024-2025) National Top 12

Design Star (2024-2025) National Champion/Runner-up/Third Place

Q:What are the judging criteria for the awards?

A:The judging panel will evaluate all entries based on the following criteria:

Design Thinking: Creative thinking and professional expression of design language

Design skills：The functionality and logical integrity of the floor plan layout and space design

Design Value: The social and commercial value that design brings to the project

Design Materials: Innovative application of materials and artworks

▲Four dimensions of evaluation

Competition system and selection process

Evaluation Process

Q:How to advance to the top 36 in the country?

A: Design star track,From the release of the regulations, the competition is open to young designers aged 36 and under nationwide. By September 15, 32 Design Stars will be selected as the top 36 nationwide through a closed-door review and fair mechanism by the Design Star executive mentors.

Urban Design Star Track,The top 50 candidates from each district of Urban Design Star (East, South, West, and North) will be announced on July 15th. Four closed-door review sessions will be held between July and September to select the top 50. Only one candidate (group) from each district will be qualified to advance directly to the top 36 nationwide for Design Star (2024-2025).

Q:How to advance to the top 12 and the champion/runner-up/third place?

A:Held in late March 20254 gamesDesign Star (2024-2025) Promotion Speech Conference,Nine teams (groups) of candidates from each of the 36 national finalists will give promotional speeches, with the executive mentors being the 2015-2021 Design Star champions. Each candidate will deliver a 10-minute promotional speech on the theme of "Source of Creativity: My Design and Me, Where do I begin: My Design and I." The top three candidates in each round will advance to the national top 12 for the Design Star (2024-2025) competition. The top 12 will receive certificates of honor and trophies from the organizing committee.

The National Campaign Speech Contest will be held in the form of a national competition for propositional creative speeches from the top 12 contestants. Each candidate will present their original design proposal for the given proposition in the form of a visual speech, with a time limit of 10 minutes. The top three candidates will be awarded the national first, second and third place in the Design Star (2024-2025) competition, and will receive certificates of honor and trophies from the organizers.

Q:What will the national 36-team training camp look like next year?

A:The National Top 36 Design Stars (2024-2025) Training Camp sincerely invites Mr. Qin Si, founder of TCD Creative International Design Group, and Mr. Ma Jinfu, director of Guangzhou Design Week Super AI Studio, to create three days and two nights of skills training and practical exercises to enlighten themselves on their own management methods, cutting-edge AI trends, and make friends with design stars from all over the country.

(Note: The actual content and arrangements will be announced in February 2025)

Q:Are there any differences or upgrades in this year's Design Star compared to previous ones?

A:This year's Design Star Star Competition will be presented in a variety show format, integrating current new media formats and a strong publicity campaign to reach a wider audience. Witness the birth of "Design Star" and achieve the Star Competition's growth beyond its niche. Four pre-recorded presentations will be held in March 2025, with the full online presentations taking place in June and July 2025.

Q:Are there any differences in the speaking requirements for contestants at the National Campaign Speech Contest and the Promotion Speech Contest?

A:The National Campaign Speech Contest is similar to the Promotion Speech Contest. Candidates are required to present their speeches in a competition format based on a given topic. Each candidate will present their original design plan for the proposed topic in a visual speech format within a time limit of 10 minutes.

Award results and benefits

Awards and benefits

Q:How do I know if I won an award?

A:The preliminary results, the top 36 Design Star (2024-2025) entries nationwide, will be announced in November. As a participant, you will receive a notification via your registered email address confirming whether your entry has been selected (this email may be identified as spam, so we recommend checking your inbox and allowing emails from Design Star). You can also follow us on our official WeChat account, "Guangzhou Design Week," for the latest award news.

Q:Where can I collect the paper/electronic certificates and trophies?

A:The organizing committee will send the award notification and electronic certificate to your email address, and inform you how to collect the paper certificate and trophy. You can also collect them at the Design Star (2024-2025) National Top 36 Awards Ceremony held during the 2024 Guangzhou Design Week.

Registration Deadline and Fees

Deadlines & Fees

Q:When is the national audition deadline?

A: September 15, 2024, the collection of entries is closed and the review stage begins.

Q: Do I need to pay a registration fee?

A:There is no fee to enter this award.

· END ·

If the above Q&A still doesn't answer your questions about registration, you can also directly add the Design Star·Star Butler's personal WeChat for consultation at any time. We will provide you with detailed and clear answers as much as possible. Finally, thank you for your attention and support to the Design Star·Star campaign. We also sincerely wish you a smooth application and ultimately good results!

▲Scan the QR code to consult the organizing committee