2026/2027 SEASON · GLOBAL CALL FOR ENTRIES

Let young designbe seen.

The China Cup Global High School Fashion & Design Competition, open to secondary-school students worldwide.

Registration closes15 DEC 2026 · 23:59

Preliminary works due31 DEC 2026 · 23:59

China Standard Time · UTC+8

120+schools worldwide

400+inaugural high-school participants

30%+award rate

1995national-level competition founded in Shanghai

THE 2026/2027 EDITION

Four creative disciplines. One future-facing stage.

The new season expands Fashion Design, Fashion Illustration and Fashion Accessories with Digital Character & Virtual Fashion Design—opening a space where young ideas can move between physical and digital worlds.

Fashion Design

Build a distinctive fashion proposal through concept research, cultural inquiry, material thinking and visual development.

Fashion Illustration

Use drawing, digital media, printmaking, collage or mixed media to tell visual stories about style, identity and our time.

Fashion Accessories

Explore new possibilities between artistic expression and making through scale, structure, materials and ways of wearing.

04New track

Digital Character & Virtual Fashion Design

Create original digital characters, virtual personas and future-facing looks across character systems, digital worlds and motion.

2026/27

Competition essentials

Eligibility: Students worldwide in Grade 8–12 / Year 9–13, Foundation Year or an equivalent secondary-school stage. Special curricula may be reviewed by the Organising Committee.
Preliminary entry fee: Individual entry: RMB 750 per student per track. School and institution group entries are calculated in the official portal.
Submission format: A principal PDF of no more than 30 pages is recommended. Up to 3 files, 80MB each; supplementary MP4/MOV video may be up to 3 minutes.
AI boundaries: AI may not be used to create or prepare entries in Fashion Design, Illustration or Accessories. The digital-character track may use disclosed AI assistance, while core ideas and final decisions must remain student-led.

View competition charter ↗Open registration portal ↗Official facts & FAQs ↗How to enter ↗Submission guide ↗AI policy ↗

OFFICIAL TIMELINE

From this moment to the global stage of Shanghai Fashion Week.

JUN 2026

Charter & registration launch

The new-season charter, four competition tracks and official portal go live.

JUL—DEC 2026

Briefings & creative guidance

Ongoing briefings, Q&A sessions and creative support for students, teachers and schools.

15 DEC 2026

Registration closes

Complete individual or group registration by 23:59 (UTC+8).

31 DEC 2026

Preliminary submission deadline

Upload all preliminary-round materials by 23:59 (UTC+8).

JAN—FEB 2027

Review, finalists & development

Preliminary review and finalist announcement, followed by final-round development.

MAR 2027

Final & Awards Ceremony

Online presentations lead into runway, exhibition, digital showcase and awards during a Shanghai Fashion Week-related programme.

THE LEGACY

Founded in 1995. Reimagined for a new generation.

Founded in Shanghai in 1995, the China Cup International Fashion Design Competition has connected Chinese design, emerging creativity, fashion education and industry for more than three decades. Its high-school chapter brings that professional legacy to younger creators.

Not a one-off judgement, but a journey from research and ideas to works, portfolios and the stage.

1995China Cup founded in Shanghai

30+years of fashion legacy

2026inaugural high-school final

China Cup and Shanghai Fashion Week AW2026 event identity

INAUGURAL EDITION · SHANGHAI

The inaugural high-school edition

The inaugural final took place at the Sihang Warehouse creative venue on 28 March 2026 as part of China Cup’s Shanghai Fashion Week AW2026 official programme. Fashion works entered a professional runway while illustration and accessories were presented in exhibition.

SELECTED JURY · CHINA CUP

Perspectives from education, design and industry.

The China Cup jury brings together experts from education, design and industry in China and around the world. The profiles below introduce selected jurors from previous editions and the 2026/2027 season; further appointments will be announced by the Organising Committee.

Wu Xuekai

Chair of the Inaugural Jury; Vice Chairman, China Fashion AssociationA Golden Top Award-winning senior fashion designer committed to original Chinese design and emerging talent.

Shao Feng

Chairman, Shanghai Fashion Industry Development Center; Secretary-General, Yangtze River Delta Fashion Industry AllianceFormer Deputy Secretary-General of the Shanghai Fashion Week Organising Committee and a long-term advocate for Shanghai's fashion ecosystem.

Li Jun

Dean, Shanghai International College of Fashion and Innovation, Donghua UniversityA researcher and educator focused on sustainable fashion and international collaboration.

Zhang Lei

Tenured Professor, Doctoral Supervisor and Vice Dean, College of Design and Innovation, Tongji University; Vice Dean, Shanghai International College of Design and InnovationHis research spans design history, design culture and design education for young people. He has led or contributed to national and ministerial-level research projects, published multiple books and more than 70 papers in leading journals, and focuses on how design can develop cultural awareness, independent thinking and creative agency in the next generation.

Yang Dong

Assistant Professor, Fashion Institute of Technology, USATeaches luxury entrepreneurship and fashion marketing with a learning-by-doing approach.

Simon Collins

Former Dean, School of Fashion, Parsons School of Design; Founder, House of Collins; Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer, Vizi LabAn academic leader and creative-business innovator, he also serves as Chief Creative Officer at DIIS and Visiting Professor at Tsinghua University. His career includes creative leadership at Nike Asia and senior roles at Polo Ralph Lauren and Zegna, with a focus on creative education, global brand building, design thinking and sustainability.

Yingting Cheng

Chief Operating Officer, Mainland China & APAC, Istituto MarangoniBrings experience across cross-cultural education, fashion management and international partnerships.

HELEN LEE

Creative Director, PERFECT MOMENT; Founder, HELEN LEE; Honorary Professor, Donghua UniversityA contemporary Chinese designer working across independent fashion, international brand practice and higher education. She founded insh in 2003 and HELEN LEE in 2012, and has collaborated with Disney, Universal, SWATCH and ECCO. Her work brings Shanghai cultural memory and Chinese design elements into contemporary streetwear, ready-to-wear and performance apparel.

Jiang Xi

Associate Professor, School of Fashion Accessory Art and Engineering, Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology; Vice Chair, Designer Committee, China Leather Industry Association; Council Member, Accessories Art Committee, China Fashion AssociationNamed one of China’s top ten leather-industry designers and an Outstanding Chinese Bag Designer, she founded CICICHEUNG XISHANG. Her work has appeared at Milan Design Week, Who’s Next in Paris and Rooms in Japan, and has entered the collection of the China National Silk Museum. Her practice brings Eastern aesthetics and intangible cultural heritage into contemporary products, brands and design education.

Shirley Wu

Principal, MakeUpForEver AcademyA senior fashion educator with two decades of experience in luxury-industry talent development.

MEET THE JURY

China Cup Jury Across Editions (Selected)

More distinguished jury members to be announced

Jury Chairs

Ding Yi

Artist and pioneering figure in Chinese abstraction

Wu Xuekai

Vice Chairman, China Fashion Association; Golden Top Award-winning designer

Selected Jury Members

Bian Xiangyang

Vice Chairman, China Fashion Association; Director, Shanghai Fashion Capital Promotion Center

Chen Peng

Design Director, CHENPENG; costume designer for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony

Yingting Cheng

Chief Operating Officer, China & Asia Pacific, Istituto Marangoni

Gu Yeli

Founder, Ontimeshow

Hong Boming

CEO and Creative Director, K-BOXING

Huang Xiaomian

Chinese contemporary sustainable artist

Jiang Qiong'er

Co-founder, SHANG XIA; contemporary artist

HELEN LEE

Founder and Creative Director, HELEN LEE

Li Lun

Design Director, LILY

Lin Jian

CEO, SHITANG Showroom Shanghai

Liu Yanjun

Creative Director, JUNNE; consultant to the PH Value Knitting Competition

Liu Yong

Golden Top Award-winning designer

Lü Yan

Founder, COMME MOI

Ou Minjie

Founder, RICOSTRU

Ti Zhe

Design Director, Balabala

Wang Haizhen

Founder, HAIZHEN WANG

Wen Qingzhu

Founder, ISABELLE WEN

Leaf Xia

Founder, LEAFXIA

Yang Yingying

Founder, TUYUE; artist

Ye Qizheng

Founder, DADASHOW and Guanchao

Yin Jianxia

Co-founder, UOOYAA

Zhuang Xiaojun

Founder and Designer, Shanghai Weilai Meihao Trading Co., Ltd.

Dr. Leng Jian

Dean, AIVA International Academy of Art

Fang Ting

Producer and Host of Teaching with Direction, Dragon TV

Lu Zihua

Chief Reporter and Senior Reporter, Xinmin Evening News

Shirley Wu

Principal, Make Up For Ever Academy

Yang Dong

Assistant Professor, Fashion Institute of Technology, USA

Zhu Weiqi

Vice President, UTAN Group; CEO, Arttention Business Management

SELECTED WORKS

When young ideas step onto a real stage.

Across fashion, illustration and accessories, inaugural works turned culture, the body, materials, social observation and future thinking into distinctive young design languages.

Five selected inaugural award-winning works in each category