The 2026 Laofengxiang Cup Shanghai Gift Design Competition has opened for submissions, aiming to turn cultural creativity into market‑ready consumer goods while amplifying Shanghai's urban cultural identity.

Guided by the Shanghai Administration of Culture and Tourism, the contest advances the city's integrated culture‑tourism‑sports‑exhibition strategy, with core priorities including revitalizing cultural and museum intellectual property, incubating original designs and driving commercial rollout of new cultural and creative products.

Building on two decades of history for the Shanghai Gift initiative, this year's competition adopts a multi‑track, public‑participation framework paired with specialized incubation and full‑channel market access.

The effort supports Shanghai's push to become a world‑renowned tourist destination and an international consumption hub.

Three exclusive themed tracks debut this year, anchored to travel‑aviation, astronomy‑science and lifestyle‑aesthetics scenarios.

The EVA Air track calls for functional cultural‑creative pieces blending tourism and Shanghai local elements, targeting business travelers and international inbound visitors.

The Shanghai Astronomy Museum track welcomes stationery, home goods and gift‑set concepts. Entrants may reference the museum's distinctive architecture, solar‑observation science and ancient Chinese astronomical myths to merge science, art and everyday use.

Marking the 70th anniversary of Shanghai Art Museum, its track invites designs spanning trendy toys, textiles, paper goods and home decor. Creators may draw inspiration from the institution's three historic building sites or its seven‑decade heritage of Shanghai‑style fine arts.

Designers are encouraged to incorporate Shanghai heritage, museum IP and intangible cultural heritage motifs into market‑viable gifts.

A signature precision incubation matchmaking session will select dozens of high‑quality designer and enterprise teams. Participants will receive mentorship, business connections and implementation support from museums, airlines, hotels and supply‑chain firms. Beyond matchmaking, the program offers copyright registration, marketing exposure and priority access to offline Shanghai Gifts experience stores for winning concepts.

Submissions are open now, with the preliminary round closing in early November. Designers and creative enthusiasts can review rules and submit entries at https://caa.editbg.art/shgifts.