Huawei are inviting digital designers from all over the globe to share their creative work as part of the 2020 Huawei Global Theme Design Competition. The annual contest will see entries published on the HUAWEI Themes app, bringing together the best in technology-led designs and giving the design community international visibility.

Anson Zhang, Managing Director of the UK Consumer Business Group, Huawei, said: “The Huawei Global Theme Design Competition has quickly become one of the most sought-after creative awards, receiving submissions from over 4,000 designers in 2019. This year, Huawei continues to unearth the most compelling creative talents within the design industry and gives them a platform to showcase their portfolio to over 600 million Huawei users, located in more than 170 countries.”

The competition offers talented designers the chance to win cash prizes of up to $20,000 USD, with a total prize fund of $330,000 USD available. Special prizes are also granted for certain categories, including Stars of Tomorrow, International Artist and Amazing Animators, with the winning entries selected by a panel of the world’s leading creative experts.

In addition to cash rewards, as part of Huawei’s design support programme, a special Creative Fund has been established to provide continued support, as well as enabling the winners to receive royalties for their design creations for a full year.

Four Categories Inspiring Innovation

The competition has been designed to encourage the exploration of the future of mobile aesthetics, by enabling designers to submit their creative work in several different formats, including illustrations, animations, 2D and 3D graphics.

This year’s theme is “Visionary Art” and consists of four categories – Themes, Wallpapers, Watch Faces and Cities – with participants able to enter multiple categories.

For more info on the categories and for details on how to enter, please visit the 2020 Huawei Global Theme Design Competition official website.

Renowned Judging Panel

Those who take part in the competition will have the opportunity to have their work judged by some of the biggest names in the creative business, with leading figures across a variety of disciplines represented:

• David Carson is a New York-based graphic designer, typographer, and bestselling author who has exercised wide-ranging influence on designers around the globe.
• Wang Ziyuan is a Professor of Design at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, who directed the pictogram and other design elements for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
• Norito Shinmura is an award-winning Japanese designer, who has created graphic illustrations for global brands including MUJI and SHISEIDO.
• Tiger Pan is an award-winning packaging designer, whose disruptive creations are known for their unique take on traditional eastern aesthetics.
• Zhang Zhongyang is the President of the Shenzhen Illustration Association, a collective which aims to encourage and nurture talent in the region.
• Liza Enebeis is the Director at Studio Dumbar, an award-winning international agency specialising in visual branding.

Competition Key Dates:

• Deadline for entries: July 1, 2020
• Competition judging period: July 2020
• Winners revealed: July 22, 2020

Recognition Award Prizes:

• International Grand Prize (x1 winner)
  • $10,000 cash prize
  • $10,000 grant
• Stars of Tomorrow (x6 winners)
  • $1,000 cash prize
• International Artist (x6 winners)
  • $1,000 cash prize
• Amazing Animators (x6 winners)
  • $1,000 cash prize

Themes Category Prizes:

• First Prize (x1 winner)
  • $6,000 cash prize
  • $10,000 grant
• Second Prize (x2 winners)
  • $3,000 cash prize
  • $5,000 grant
• Third Prize (x3 winners)

• • $2,000 cash prize
  • $3,000 grant

Wallpapers Category Prizes:

• First Prize (x1 winner)
  • $3,000 cash prize
  • $10,000 grant
• Second Prize (x2 winners)
  • $2,000 cash prize
  • $5,000 grant
• Third Prize (x3 winners)

• • $1,500 cash prize
  • $3,000 grant

Watch Faces Category Prizes:

• First Prize (x1 winner)
  • $3,000 cash prize
  • $10,000 grant
• Second Prize (x2 winners)
  • $2,000 cash prize
  • $5,000 grant
• Third Prize (x3 winners)

• • $1,500 cash prize
  • $3,000 grant

Cities Category Prizes:

• x9 cities prizes: Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Luoyang, Chengdu, Jinan, Guangzhou and Wuhan
• $3,000 cash prize and $3,000 grant

Liang Jun, the Chief UX Design Director at Huawei UCD, will also help to select the winning entries.

In addition to this impressive line-up of judges, Huawei has also invited a number of prominent guest designers to partake in this year’s competition, producing work which demonstrates their own take on this year’s “Visionary Art” theme, in order to spark inspiration for those wishing to take part. Participants can expect to see designs from Li Min, Chief Art Editor at China Daily; Tatsuya Kondo, Japanese commercial illustrator; Eero Lampinen and Annu Kilpeläinen, renowned Finnish illustrators; Zhang Wangzhe, leading illustration educator; and Tang Yi, experienced illustrator who has previously produced work for Visual China Group.