Pursuing Dreams Through Sci-Tech Innovation, Co-Making the Future!
SHANGHAI, Aug. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2026 China-U.S. Young Maker Competition Finals concluded successfully at Zhangjiang Science Hall in Shanghai. Hosted by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, the Competition has been held successfully for 13 editions since its launch in 2014. It is a key national-level flagship competition incorporated into both the China-U.S. High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange and the U.S.-China Social and Cultural Dialogue and is also recognized as a Class A competition in China's national university discipline competition system. This year's Competition was held under the central theme of "Co-Making the Future."
The Competition was jointly organized by the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange, MOE of P.R. China, Tsinghua University, Beijing Gehua Media Group Co., Ltd., and the Shanghai Zhangjiang Science City Construction and Management Office, with Beijing Design Week serving as the executing agency, and special support from the China University Science and Technology Park Alliance and the Secretariat of the China-U.S. Young Maker Exchange Center. The Competition comprised a China division and U.S. East and West divisions. In China, selection activities were conducted simultaneously across 14 regional divisions, including Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Xiamen. The U.S. divisions adopted an integrated online and in-person format, selecting 143 outstanding overseas teams to advance to the Finals. This year's Competition reached a new record in scale, attracting more than 14,000 participants from over 400 educational institutions, who submitted more than 3,200 innovative projects. The Vocational Education Sub-Track alone covered more than 40 institutions and engaged over 2,000 young participants. Following multiple rounds of preliminary review, secondary review and on-site presentations in the regional divisions, a total of 119 Chinese and American maker teams, comprising more than 500 young participants, gathered in Zhangjiang to compete on the same stage.
Keeping pace with the trends of digitalization, connectivity and intelligent technologies, the Competition focused on 11 development issues of common global concern, including climate change, ecological education, public health, clean energy and crisis response. Young participants were encouraged to apply cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data and the Internet of Things to develop innovative solutions that combine social benefits with the potential for industrial application, thereby contributing to global sustainable development. The Finals were held in Zhangjiang AI Innovation Town, fully drawing on the area's well-developed industrial ecosystem and its concentration of scientific research and talent resources as a core hub of Shanghai's development into a global science and technology innovation center. A full program of activities was organized, including the opening ceremony, project pitches, expert review and defense sessions, the Competition Open Day and the Awarding Ceremony. During the Competition Open Day, science and technology innovations created by Chinese and American young people were presented to industry organizations, university faculty and students, and the public, creating a channel through which young people's creative ideas could connect with science, technology and industrial resources across the Yangtze River Delta.
Over the four-day Competition, young makers from China and the United States delivered in-depth project presentations and participated in exchanges and evaluation sessions. Young people from different cultural backgrounds and academic disciplines exchanged views and learned from one another's strengths, fully demonstrating the responsibility and commitment of a new generation of young people who address global issues through innovative practice. The judging panel conducted a comprehensive assessment of each project across five dimensions: innovation, technical feasibility, public value, industrial prospects, and cross-cultural collaboration. All awards for this year's Competition were as follows:
In the Main Track, 10 teams received First Prizes, 20 received Second Prizes, 24 received Third Prizes, and 28 received Excellence Awards. In the Sub-Track, or Vocational Education Track, three teams received First Prizes, five received Second Prizes, seven received Third Prizes, and 23 received Excellence Awards. One China-U.S. joint team received the China-U.S. Joint Team Project Winning Prize, while another 13 teams received the China-U.S. Joint Team Project Prize. Tsinghua University, Hainan Vocational University of Science and Technology, Nanjing University of Industry Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Fujian Polytechnic of Information Technology, and Ningbo City College of Vocational Technology received the Best Organization Awards for having the largest numbers of projects advance to the Finals in the Main Track and the Sub-Track. SUN Xiaohua, JIANG Bin, XU Jimin, HUANG Gang, ZHENG Lingxiang, and ZHU Wenli received the China-U.S. People-to-People Exchange Awards in recognition of their outstanding contributions to promoting China-U.S. people-to-people exchanges during the planning and organization of the Competition.
The Awarding Ceremony was held at Zhangjiang Science Hall and opened with a technology-themed robotics performance. Representatives from the Ministry of Education, the Shanghai Municipal People's Government, the U.S. Consulate General Shanghai, universities, science and technology parks, venture capital institutions, and other Chinese and international organizations attended the event. Remarks were delivered by Mr. REN Youqun, Vice Minister of Education of the P.R. China; Mr. HE Qing, Vice Mayor of Shanghai; Mr. QIAN Qiang, Secretary of the Communist Party Committee of Wenzhou University, representing the Secretariat of the China-U.S. Young Maker Exchange Center; and Mr. Michael D. Quinlan, Consul for Public Affairs of the U.S. Consulate General Shanghai. Chinese and American student representatives from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Rutgers University shared their reflections on participating in the Competition.
In his remarks, Mr. REN Youqun, Vice Minister of Education of the P.R. China, said that China-U.S. relations are the most important bilateral relationship in the world today and bear directly on global peace and development. The China-U.S. Young Maker Competition focuses on sustainable development and has established a platform for youth dialogue and innovation across the Pacific. He noted that holding the Finals for the first time in Shanghai—an open, inclusive and innovative city—further demonstrated China's firm commitment to expanding opportunities for youth exchanges and deepening people-to-people engagement. Mr. REN shared three points of encouragement with the participants: first, to maintain their passion for innovation and work together to address global challenges; second, to bring together the strengths of all parties and establish a long-term mechanism for exchange; and third, to serve as ambassadors of friendship and promote mutual understanding and trust between civilizations. He pointed out that, in the face of global challenges, an international outlook and strong cross-cultural communication skills have become indispensable core qualities for outstanding young innovators. Actively embracing cultural diversity not only deepens mutual understanding but also allows ideas to meet and inspire one another through international collaboration, unleashing greater innovative vitality and advancing humanity's shared scientific endeavors.
In his remarks, Mr. HE Qing, Vice Mayor of Shanghai, said that Shanghai thrives on openness and grows strong through innovation. In recent years, Shanghai has remained mindful of the responsibilities entrusted to it and has vigorously advanced the integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent; deepened comprehensive reform in higher education; strengthened basic research; reinforced its capacity as a source of scientific and technological innovation; and accelerated its development into a science and technology innovation center with global influence. Throughout this process, Shanghai has consistently regarded young talent as a vital force in scientific, technological and industrial innovation. On the one hand, the city has strengthened innovation and entrepreneurship education to accelerate the cultivation of outstanding young people with awareness of, and capabilities in, innovation and entrepreneurship. On the other hand, it has continued to improve its innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, providing young entrepreneurs with full-lifecycle support extending from the initial idea through to industrialization. Mr. HE expressed confidence that the China-U.S. Young Maker Competition Finals would further stimulate enthusiasm for innovation and entrepreneurship among young people in Shanghai. He sincerely encouraged more outstanding young people to choose Shanghai and put down roots in the city, transform innovative concepts into practical solutions to global challenges, and work together with Shanghai to scale new heights in science and technology and realize shared dreams of innovation.
Mr. QIAN Qiang, Secretary of the Communist Party Committee of Wenzhou University, said that since its establishment in 2014, the China-U.S. Young Maker Competition has been held for 13 consecutive editions and has gradually developed into an important platform through which Chinese and American young people can demonstrate their creativity, build bridges between cultures and lay foundations for mutual trust. During this year's Competition, every innovative prototype underwent a demanding journey from concept to realization, involving moments of inspiration, the exchange and collision of ideas, repeated refinement and, ultimately, the completion of a workable project. Young people from different academic disciplines and cultural backgrounds took the initiative to listen to one another, respect their differences, and consult and cooperate with one another, transforming a brief but meaningful encounter at the Competition into a new starting point for sustained cooperation. As the institution supporting the Competition Secretariat, Wenzhou University has consistently regarded the coordination of resources and the sharing of experience as its core mission. The University has carried out liaison and coordination, information dissemination and other foundational work; assisted in organizing competitions and thematic seminars; identified outstanding cases; and facilitated exchanges of experience. It will continue working to connect global innovation resources, promote valuable research findings and practical projects, and encourage Chinese and American young people to "grow closer through exchange and cooperation, and move forward together through mutual learning."
Mr. Michael D. Quinlan, Consul for Public Affairs of the U.S. Consulate General Shanghai, said that for more than a decade, the China-U.S. Young Maker Competition has demonstrated the importance of international exchange by bringing together students from different countries, cultures and experiences who share a common instinct: to ask questions, solve problems and build something new. He noted that this year's Competition had seen substantial growth in both the number of teams and the number of entries. This, he said, demonstrated something important: young people on both sides of the Pacific are hungry for connection and hungry to learn. Mr. Quinlan offered one piece of advice to all participating students: "Be open." He said that honest, open and transparent exchange is how mutual understanding is built. In closing, he thanked every participant for remaining curious, taking risks and building something remarkable, and for reminding everyone that mutual respect and fair play are how both sides build something that lasts.
The ceremony also featured a special flag-presentation segment. Mr. LI Zhi, Director-General of the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange, MOE of P.R. China, presented flags to representatives of Hefei University of Technology and a representative of the U.S. team leaders, officially launching the "Study Tour China" special program for American faculty members and students visiting China to participate in the Competition. During the Awarding Ceremony, attending officials and industry experts expressed their strong recognition and encouragement for all participating young makers. As the Awarding Ceremony concluded, the Competition Open Day was launched simultaneously, opening the exhibition of Chinese and American youth science and technology innovations to the public.
According to the organizers, across its 13 editions, the Competition has attracted more than 90,000 young participants from China and the United States and collected more than 20,000 original science and technology projects. It has become an important vehicle for implementing the high-level consensus on regular exchanges between Chinese and American young people and for promoting greater mutual understanding and affinity between the peoples of the two countries. Holding this year's Finals in Zhangjiang further broadened the channels through which Competition projects can be transformed into practical outcomes, and established an integrated international platform for the presentation, incubation and implementation of youth innovation projects.
Participating students said that the Competition had created a borderless platform for innovative collaboration. Their experience of forming international teams and competing together not only helped them refine their projects but also deepened mutual understanding and friendship between Chinese and American young people. Following the Competition, the Organizing Committee will work with incubators in Zhangjiang, leading technology companies and venture capital institutions to provide ongoing coordination and support for high-quality award-winning projects, helping young innovators take their science and technology achievements from the competition arena to the marketplace.
With science and technology innovation serving as a bridge, this year's Finals further deepened practical people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States. Looking ahead, the China-U.S. Young Maker Competition will continue to improve its international maker ecosystem, encourage young people from both countries to work together in exploring new pathways toward sustainable development, and harness the innovative power of youth to co-make a better future.
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