CityU student wins DNA Paris Design Awards 2026 for China National Arts Fund talent training creative achievement
Yang Yong, a doctoral student of the 2024 cohort from the Faculty of Innovation and Design (FIAD) at City University of Macau (CityU) won the Paris Design Award in communication design category for his work “Maritime Silk Tales Chronicles Study Kit”. The work was the creative achievement of the 2025 China National Arts Fund (CNAF) talent training project for cultural and creative design talents on the Maritime Silk Road, and has been represented and exhibited in Macao.
The winning work is themed on the Maritime Silk Road and Macao, integrating the United Nation’s key competences framework to transform historical narratives into a gamified learning experience. Take a flight-chess mechanism as the carrier, it integrates character story cards and scenario-based tasks, guiding teenagers to understand the Sino-West exchanges through interaction while also developing skills in collaboration, foresight, and critical thinking. The overall format combines board game, study kit and city route design, offering both cultural dissemination value and practical educational significance. The design inspiration for the “Maritime Silk Tales Chronicles Study Kit” transforms “historical understanding” into “experiential learning”, serving as a cultural and educational tool for youth study tours. Its core thinking lay in how to restructure the maritime silk road story in a gamified manner, allowing learners to form their understanding through situational choices, character interactions, and collaborative tasks rather than passive learning.
This award not only represents a milestone in personal academic practice but also a strong testament to the teaching and research capabilities, as well as the disciplinary innovation of FIAD. The Faculty aligns national development strategies and integrates into the upgrading landscape of the cultural and creative industries in the Greater Bay Area. Leveraging Macao’s distinctive strengths of opening up and cultural convergence, it focuses on cultivating high-level design talents and advancing high-quality disciplinary development. Looking ahead, CityU will continue to ground itself in professional excellence and innovation, nurturing top-tier design talents who possess both international vision and local commitment to contribute to Macao’s industrial evolution, the Greater Bay Area’s innovative growth, and development of national design disciplines.
DNA Paris Design Awards originated in Paris, the artistic capital of France, and is an internationally renowned and influential design competition. It serves as a platform for showcasing design trends and progress, while recognizing innovative design achievement in various fields and exploring outstanding designers worldwide.
Source: Faculty of Innovation and Design
