Design week to present creativity with boundless possibilities

The Shenzhen Design Week 2026 will kick off April 27 and run until May 6 under the theme “Design Makes Cities More Integrated,” with a special exhibition themed “Design and the Boundless Possibilities of the Future” that will feature creative works integrated into the city’s strategic emerging industries.

The opening ceremony will be held at the Longgang International Arts Center, which serves as the main venue for the event for the first time. The Kunpeng Global Design Award ceremony will also be held alongside the opening ceremony.

The opening ceremony of  the Shenzhen Design Week 2026 will be held at Longgang International Arts Center. Photo from "深圳发布"

During the event, Shenzhen will launch the “APEC China Year • Design Capital Shenzhen Invitation Initiative,” joined by multiple Creative Cities of Design from the APEC economies. A strategic partnership with the London Design Festival will also be signed, expected to be announced by Zeng Xianglai, executive deputy director-general of the Publicity Department of the Shenzhen Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China.

A design showcases at previous Shenzhen Design Week. Wang Haolan

The Kunpeng Award this year received 6,282 entries from 20 countries and regions, including China, the U.S., Russia, the U.K., France, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands, and Colombia — 1,000 more than last year — with a total prize pool of 4 million yuan (US$586,800).

One of the highlights of the event will be the special exhibition themed “Design and the Boundless Possibilities of the Future,” featuring the city’s strategic emerging industrial clusters, along with design concepts and creative presentations.

Five industry matchmaking sessions will focus on technological innovation, AI, global expansion, and Shenzhen–Hong Kong–Macao collaboration, aiming to turn design blueprints into real products.

Global designers and representatives from design cities including Beijing, Shanghai, and Singapore will attend. A roundtable set for April 28 will address how design cities can respond to the rise of AI.