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A partnership enters its next chapter
ACT is deepening its partnership with the China Cup, returning for the 2026/2027 season as a Starlight Strategic Partner of the China Cup Global High School Fashion and Design Competition. The expanded collaboration is designed to move in two directions: creative, artistic and industry resources will reach more schools, while international universities and experts will gain a closer connection to the competition and its young participants. That shift matters. The value of a competition is not confined to the moment a student steps onto a stage; it also lies in what continues afterward—in classrooms, in conversations with teachers and in the choices students make about university and work. ACT brings a long-standing focus on college and career readiness. The China Cup gives young creators a route from classroom ideas to professional settings. Together, the organizations will connect those ambitions across school arts education, career exploration, public-interest programs, international university engagement and expert judging. The partnership builds on ACT's role in the inaugural competition, when it contributed an international education perspective to the discovery and development of young design talent.
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ACT’s focus: life beyond the classroom
For more than 65 years, ACT has worked on a central question in education: how can students turn what they learn into readiness for college and work? The global education organization supports students, educators, schools, government agencies and employers through research, assessment, learning resources and career-readiness credentials. Its international work includes the ACT Global Assessment Certificate, or GAC, a comprehensive program for students that combines academic study with communication, social-emotional development, research, test preparation and education and career planning. ACT Approved Teaching Centers operate across international schools, local secondary schools, universities, language institutions and business schools in China and other markets. That range gives ACT a direct view of how different schools teach—and what their students need next.
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A network built around student pathways
Four strengths shape ACT's contribution to the partnership. The first is research: more than six decades of work across learning, assessment, college readiness and career development. The second is a whole-student approach that considers academic foundations alongside transferable abilities, behavioral skills and long-term planning. The third is a diverse school network, with Approved Teaching Centers embedded in secondary schools, universities and other education providers. The fourth is an international university network. ACT's GAC partner institutions span North America, Europe, Australia and Asia; each recognizes the program under its own admissions standards and determines the opportunities available to eligible students. Taken together, these resources form a more continuous path from secondary-school learning to university and career exploration.
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Where design meets future readiness
Design is often judged by the finished work—a garment, an illustration, an accessory or a digital character. For students, however, the process begins much earlier. They have to observe closely, conduct research, develop a point of view, test ideas and make decisions within real constraints. Those habits closely match the transferable abilities ACT emphasizes: communication, collaboration, project management and informed planning for education and work. For schools, fashion and design can make arts education, interdisciplinary learning and early career exploration tangible. For students, a single project can reveal an interest, document an ability and open a first window onto professional practice. The partnership is intended to make those connections easier to see.
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A competition with an industry-facing stage
The China Cup International Fashion Design Competition was founded in 1995, linking design talent with professional evaluation and a public industry platform. In 2026, it introduced a high-school division for the first time. The new division appeared on the official Autumn/Winter 2026 Shanghai Fashion Week calendar, bringing work by students from China and abroad into runway, exhibition and awards settings. The 2026/2027 season is open to students in Grades 8 through 12, or the equivalent, in four categories: Fashion Design; Fashion Illustration; Fashion Accessories; and Digital Character and Virtual Fashion Design. The format asks students to do more than submit a finished piece. Through authentic briefs, professional feedback and public presentation, they build experience in research, judgment, execution, communication and reflection.
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What the expanded partnership will do
The new agreement centers on four practical areas. First, ACT will draw on the China Cup's platform and professional network to bring more creative, artistic and industry resources to its authorized schools and Approved Teaching Centers. Second, the partners plan public-interest talks and training for teachers and students, with possible themes including creative thinking, project-based learning, international education, subject choices and careers in the creative industries; topics, formats and dates will be announced separately. Third, the China Cup will use ACT's international university network to connect participating schools with university educators and experts, giving students a clearer view of how institutions approach creative disciplines, interdisciplinary work and talent development. Fourth, the partners will invite more professors from international universities to join the jury. Their perspectives can broaden the evaluation of original thinking, research, communication and potential—and help students understand how universities read creative work.
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Opening a wider field for young creators
The partnership creates a two-way channel. Through the China Cup, ACT's schools will gain more opportunities to engage with art, design and industry practice. Through ACT, participating schools and students will gain closer access to international universities and a wider range of professional perspectives. The goal is straightforward: to create more real settings in which young people's ideas can be seen, understood and developed. Registration is now open for the 2026/2027 China Cup Global High School Fashion and Design Competition. Students in Grades 8 through 12, or the equivalent, may enter in four categories. Official inquiries: info.chinacup@globalstudyspace.com