A village gathering place, jewellery inspired by flowers worn at the ear, woven bamboo furniture and a visual identity created through photography: meet the four Grand Prize winners of the inaugural Design Values Award.
Announced on 27 October 2026, the award’s 20 winners explore how design can give familiar materials, customs and places new possibilities. Launched in 2024 by Design Society in Shenzhen and the V&A in London, the award celebrates contemporary Chinese design, with a focus on sustainable development, cultural dialogue and quality of life.
The four Grand Prize projects explore these ideas through architecture, jewellery, furniture, lighting and graphic design.
IARA – FW JI· The Rural Memory Museum
Grand Prize in Architecture and Environmental Design
In Fengwu Village in eastern China, an old residence known as Yingfengli had disappeared, leaving a small square that offered little protection from the weather. Architecture practice IARA approached the site as both a record of village history and a place with the potential to serve its community.
Built over the foundations of the former house, FW JI· The Rural Memory Museum uses local materials to connect the new structure with its surroundings. Its covered communal space provides a sheltered gathering place for villagers, allowing the traces of a former home to shape a new public space.
The jury recognised the project’s sensitive approach to collective memory and its creation of a covered communal space that supports village life.
Zhang Yu – Whisper
Grand Prize in Fashion, Textile and Jewellery Design
The Dai custom of women adorning their ears with flowers is the starting point for Zhang Yu’s Whisper. Using aluminium, brass and polycarbonate, Zhang translates this form of adornment into contemporary jewellery.
His practice is grounded in field research into the cultures and crafts of Yunnan, with a particular focus on Dai traditions. Whisper draws attention to the custom and the cultural knowledge it carries, translating a tradition that the designer describes as fading into contemporary jewellery.
The jury recognised the work’s striking visual impact, material innovation and craftsmanship, and its sensitive contemporary interpretation of Dai cultural heritage.
Mingyu Xu – Motuo Bamboo Forest
Grand Prize in Product Design
Bamboo has been central to Mingyu Xu’s practice since 2016. For Motuo Bamboo Forest, he draws on the Menba bamboo-weaving tradition of Motuo in Tibet, applying it to a modular collection of furniture and lighting.
Pendant lamps, stools, coffee tables and floor lamps extend the possibilities of the woven material across a range of domestic objects. Xu, who founded MINGYU XU STUDIO in London, explores how traditional weaving skills can find new applications in contemporary design.
The jury celebrated the collection’s experimental use of bamboo, its sustainability potential and the strength of its lighting designs.
Liao Bofeng – KTK 2024
Grand Prize in Visual Communication and Interactive Design
For the visual identity of the 2024 Jin Daiqiang Design Award, Shenzhen-based graphic designer Liao Bofeng took inspiration from The Crow and the Water. In this fable, a thirsty crow drops stones into a vessel until the water rises within reach.
Liao explored the story’s theme of ingenuity through a handmade installation, which he photographed to create the graphics. By constructing and photographing physical objects, he examines the creative possibilities of simple materials and questions designers’ dependence on digital tools. The resulting identity makes physical experimentation central to the finished graphics.
The jury found that the project stood out through its form, content and overall impact, pushing beyond conventional visual-identity formats.
About the judging
The four category juries brought together designers, architects and curators from China and internationally. Entries were assessed against four criteria: creativity and aesthetics; practicality and commercial value; sustainability and environmental impact; and cultural interpretation and local identity. The juries considered both the quality of the designs and how they engage with Chinese cultural elements and local traditions.
Meet the Design Values Award juries
Category and Student Winners
Alongside the four Grand Prize winners, the award recognises 12 Category Winners and four Student Winners across the four disciplines.
Architecture and Environmental Design
Category Winners
- Porcelain Factory Plugin Revival – People’s Architecture Office
- Nantou Hybrid Building – Meng Yan, URBANUS
- The Playscape – Zhang Di and Jack Young, waa
Student Winner
- Visible Light – Reconstruction of PEER Space Lighting in Hunan Yuanling No. 6 Middle School – Shi Yiyuan and Xu Yi, with participating students Tian Yizi, Du Zhihui, Xiang Guiqing, Li Yan and Wu Yi
Fashion, Textile and Jewellery Design
Category Winners
- Silver Stitching Nylon Shoelace Necklace – Tao Kaijie
- ZUCZUG22 – Shanghai Suran Clothing Co., Ltd.
- Swan Shuyun Dye – Dexi See Hagi
Student Winner
- THE FINE-OBJECT – Zhang Jinjin
Product Design
Category Winners
- SOLID COLLECTION Floor Lamp – Wei Xinru and Zhao Mengdi, X-ZOO
- Soildough Tableware – Zhang Zhekai and Wang Keren, studio KAE
- Rainforest Succession – La Ming – Jing Siyang, Ni Erlu and Li Xinxiang
Student Winner
- Gondola Hydrofoil – Wang Yuchen, Liu Qinyang, Wang Xuan Zheng and Wang Shutong
Visual Communication and Interactive Design
Category Winners
- Bad Design – Gu Hanyun
- Long Sheng Chao Nong Theme Illustration Poster – Xiuzi and Chen Siyu, MEEM HOUSE
- Pantone Haze – gdp
Student Winner
- Book to watch – Ye Ye, Liu Xinyu and Xu Yuxuan
