Selected by a professional panel of judges, this year's 17 talented young designers from Hong Kong have been recognised for their outstanding creativity and innovative contributions. Among them, 13 winners will receive financial sponsorships to pursue study or work opportunities outside Hong Kong, broadening their horizons and bringing fresh perspectives to the local creative industry. DFA HKYDTA is one of the seven DFA Awards programmes organised by HKDC, with Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA) of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region as the Lead Sponsor, and Hong Kong Design Institute and School of Design of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University as sponsors.
The 2025 awardees showcase groundbreaking creativity and vision while demonstrating a strong commitment to environmental sustainability and the future of society. Projects by Fashion and Accessory designers embody not only aesthetic excellence but also a dedication to promoting sustainable fashion through innovative techniques such as advanced knitting methods, and the creation of entirely new fabrics. Communication designers harness the creative power of visual communication, leveraging mediums such as text, street stickers, and murals to craft compelling brand narratives. Service and Experience designers create meaningful connections between sustainability and the public by integrating design, education, and community collaboration. Product & Industrial designers integrate aesthetics into industrial product design while emphasising functionality and manufacturability. Spatial designers breathe new life into iconic Hong Kong architectures, transforming them into functional and inspiring spaces. Others take different approaches, embracing and integrating multiple media forms to craft immersive experiences and inspire innovative dialogues.
Mr. Joseph Lo, Chairman of HKDC, shared, "DFA HKYDTA is dedicated to recognising and nurturing emerging design talent. Over the past two decades, we are delighted to see awardees returning to Hong Kong, where they share the invaluable experiences gained abroad and express heartfelt gratitude for the opportunities that have fostered their growth and creativity. We look forward to seeing the younger generation of emerging talent contributing their creativity and passion to Hong Kong's creative industry, propelling its continued growth and development."
The award presentation ceremony will be held on 4 December 2025, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, where the awardees will be honoured for their remarkable achievements. Through the DFA HKYDTA, HKDC reaffirms its commitment to nurturing local design talent, fostering creative networks, and positioning Hong Kong as a vibrant international design hub.
Established in 2005, the DFA HKYDTA's mission is to nurture and support Hong Kong's emerging design practitioners and encourage the growth of local creative industries. Since its inception, this programme has provided sponsorships for over 160 young Hong Kong design practitioners and design graduates aged between 18 and 35. Each awardee is provided with a sponsorship of up to HK$500,000 to work at a renowned design company for 6 to 12 months or study at a reputable institute for 6 to 18 months outside Hong Kong.
More details of DFA HKYDTA and the 2025 awardees are available at: https://ydta.dfaawards.com.
DFA HKYDTA Press kit and Awardees' bios: https://shorturl.at/lHFE0
Hashtag: #HongKongDesignCentre #HKDC #DFA
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About DFA Awards (www.dfaawards.com)
Since 2003, the Hong Kong Design Centre has launched the DFA Awards to underpin the role of designers in society, to celebrate design leadership and exemplary designs and projects with commercial success or impact in Asia, as well as to recognise the rising force of emerging designers in Hong Kong. The DFA Awards, through its seven major award programmes, has grown in its international influence in Asia. The seven award programmes include DFA Lifetime Achievement Award, DFA Design Leadership Award, DFA World's Outstanding Chinese Designer, DFA Designer of the Year, DFA Asian Design Vanguard, DFA Design for Asia Awards and DFA Hong Kong Young Design Talent Award.
About Hong Kong Design Centre (www.hkdesigncentre.org/)
Hong Kong Design Centre is a strategic partner of the HKSAR Government, harnessing the city's distinctive East-meets-West position to create value through design. To achieve our goals we:
- Cultivate a culture of design
- Bridge stakeholders to opportunities that unleash the power of design
- Promote excellence in various design disciplines
About Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (www.ccidahk.gov.hk)
The Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA) established in June 2024, formerly known as Create Hong Kong (CreateHK), is a dedicated office set up by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau to provide one-stop services and support to the cultural and creative industries with a mission to foster a conducive environment in Hong Kong to facilitate the development of arts, culture and creative sectors as industries. Its strategic foci are nurturing talent and facilitating start-ups, exploring markets, promoting cross-sectoral and cross-genre collaboration, promoting the development of arts, culture and creative sectors as industries under the industry-oriented principle, and promoting Hong Kong as Asia's creative capital and fostering a creative atmosphere in the community to implement Hong Kong's positioning as the East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange under the National 14th Five-Year Plan.
Disclaimer: The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region provides funding support to some of HKDC's activities/projects only, and does not otherwise take part in such funded activities/projects. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication and relevant materials/events (or by members of the project teams) are those of HKDC only and do not reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency, the CreateSmart Initiative Secretariat or the CreateSmart Initiative Vetting Committee.
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