2026 Lancang-Mekong Cooperation International Art and Design Competition (7th edition)

Organizer: China International Publishing Group (China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration's international book and periodical distribution center), Central Academy of Fine Arts, Yunnan South Asia and Southeast Asia Regional International Communication Center, Bangkok University (Thailand), National University of Laos, Royal University of Phnom Penh (Cambodia), Fooqing School (Myanmar)

Co-organizers: Beijing Ethnic Cultural Heritage Protection Foundation, Beijing Zhongdao Public Welfare Foundation, INTERNI China (Chinese edition of INTERNI, founder of Milan Design Week)

Location: Beijing, China (organizing committee office), open to creators in China, Cambodia and other Mekong countries and worldwide; an exhibition of selected works will be held in Cambodia in December 2026 (planned at Angkor)

Competition Category: A single competition unit — graphic poster design — responding to the theme "Cooperation Corridors" and grounded in the two China-Cambodia practical cooperation frameworks, the "Industrial Development Corridor" and the "Fish and Rice Corridor," across three creative dimensions:

Technical specifications: JPG, JPEG or PNG; RGB colour mode; 300 dpi; A3 format (297×420 mm); single posters or a series of multiple posters are both accepted (each series counts as one entry)

Eligibility: No restriction (open to designers, university students and faculty, design institutions and art enthusiasts worldwide, as individuals or teams); a maximum of 3 entries per person or team; there is no "human/AI" division and entries are judged together regardless of method, but entrants must declare the type of creation tool used in the Entry Information Form, confirm the work is original and does not infringe third-party intellectual property, and ensure that any AI models and source materials used are legally usable

Entry Fee: Free (the competition charges no fees and does not authorize any institution or individual to collect fees on its behalf)

Core Introduction: The Lancang-Mekong Cooperation mechanism, jointly initiated by China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, rests on three pillars — political and security, economic and sustainable development, and social, cultural and people-to-people exchanges — and is the first sub-regional cooperation mechanism jointly consulted, built and shared by the six basin countries. The Lancang-Mekong Cooperation International Art and Design Competition began preparations in 2020; the first international poster design competition was held in 2021 with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Fund under the theme "Green Lancang-Mekong"; a bamboo and rattan weaving unit was added in 2022 and an AI poster design unit from 2024. It has become one of the region's better-known and more influential international art and design competitions, and 2026 marks its seventh edition. Cambodia is the guest country of honour for this edition, and the theme "Cooperation Corridors" echoes the two China-Cambodia practical cooperation frameworks — the Industrial Development Corridor and the Fish and Rice Corridor — activating development momentum through industrial connectivity and safeguarding livelihoods through rice-fish symbiosis, inviting entrants to tell the story of Lancang-Mekong cooperation and the China-Cambodia community with a shared future through art and design. To enter: download the 2026 Entry Information Form from the "File Download" section of the official website, complete it and package it with the works into a compressed file named "name - work title," then send it as an email attachment to lmcda2026@163.com. Neither the work title nor the artwork may contain institutional names, personal names (including pinyin initials) or other personal information, which belongs only in the Entry Information Form. Originality requirements: all works must be original and, as of 30 November 2026, must not have been publicly published in newspapers, magazines, websites or other media, entered in other competitions, offered for sale, or produced for profit; entrants must retain records of the creative process (sketches, drafts, AI prompts and iteration records) for originality verification, and the committee may revoke awards where such records cannot be provided. Copyright remains with the entrant; entering constitutes an irrevocable, free, non-exclusive worldwide licence to the organizer, its affiliates and partners for promotional purposes, covering rights including online dissemination, reproduction, distribution, exhibition, screening, modification, adaptation and compilation. The jury comprises renowned experts and scholars from the organizing institutions in China and the Mekong countries. Contact: No. 24 Baiwanzhuang Street, Xicheng District, Beijing 100037; tel. +86 10 88333632, +86 10 68995930.