2nd Heartmelting Award – PETSTAR Design Competition | Competition Rules

1. Competition Purpose

The competition promotes the idea of people and pets living in harmony and advancing green, sustainable development. It aims to help the pet products industry move from meeting functional needs toward designing better relationships, while identifying talented designers and outstanding works with market potential and supporting the commercialization of innovative results.

2. Organizers

Organizer:

• PSC Pet Sourcing Fair China (PSC Pet Fair)

Naming Partner:

• Hangzhou Tianyuan Pet Products Co., Ltd. 
  

 

Special Supporters:

• Pet Industry New Investment and Incubation Institute
• Shifang Forum

Co-organizers:

• Shunde Industrial Design Association
• Institute for Human–Pet-Friendly Space Design, Pet Industry New Investment and Incubation Institute

Special Partners:

• Its Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
• China Pet Parks and Hotels Club
• Bxxmpet Design Center

3. Eligibility

The competition is open to entries submitted by companies, organizations or individuals. Eligible participants include domestic and international professional design firms, spatial designers, manufacturers, independent designers, higher education institutions and their students or faculty, and product design enthusiasts.

Product/Space Design Group: Open to domestic and international companies, organizations, design studios, educational institutions and individuals.

Concept Design Group: Open to full-time students, including students in junior colleges, higher vocational colleges, undergraduate and postgraduate programs, and doctoral programs.

Participants may enter as a company, team or individual. There is no limit on the number of works submitted overall, but each participant may submit no more than five works.

4. Competition Themes

Participants may submit works under any of the following themes.

Theme 1: A Shared Home for Our Furry Companions — Designing Home Products and Spaces for Harmony in Multi-Pet Households

Theme Description

“A shared home for our furry companions” captures the reality of life in a multi-pet household. Traditional pet products are often designed for a single pet: one cat bed, one food bowl, one litter box, each treated as a separate item. In a multi-pet home, however, space is limited, resources must be shared, territories need to be defined, and relationships require careful coordination. Just as a shared apartment needs a balance between communal areas and private rooms, a multi-pet household must find the right balance between sharing and independence.

Sharing a home is about more than reallocating physical space; it calls for a new understanding of relationships among pets and between people and pets. When twelve cats with different temperaments live together, “home” is no longer simply a matter of aesthetics and function. It becomes an ongoing practice of coordination, adjustment and cohabitation. The greatest challenge in a multi-pet household is not only cleaning, but also managing relationships. Product design must therefore move beyond the logic of “one product for one pet” toward an ecosystem in which a coordinated set of products serves a group of pets.

Design Value

This is not a story about overcrowding, but one about coexistence. The ultimate value of home ecosystem design lies not in making more products, but in building better relationships: harmony among pets, closer bonds between people and pets, and comfortable coexistence for all living beings in the same space. Design becomes a carrier of emotion and relationships.

We invite participants to respond with close observation, systems thinking and human-centered care, and to offer their answers to the shared-home era—so that every bond of companionship has a place to call home.

Theme 2: Travel Together with Ease — Mobile, Human–Pet-Friendly Travel Design

Theme Description

Traveling with ease is a state of mind for pet owners and a state of comfort for pets. This theme focuses on practical challenges when traveling with pets: scattered equipment, inconvenient access, stress in unfamiliar situations and difficult transitions between settings. Using an integrated travel bag as the design platform, participants are invited to organize seven basic needs—eating, drinking, toileting, sleeping, play and protection—into modular storage, enabling smooth transitions from packing and carrying to car travel and hotel stays.

“Mobile shelter” means that the bag is more than a container; it can serve as a temporary safe space for a pet during a journey. Details such as adjustable ventilation, flexible dividers and familiar scent retention can help pets feel at home in unfamiliar surroundings. The carrying system and access flow should also be optimized so that one person can manage a short outing or a multi-day trip with ease.

Design Value

Lower the psychological barrier to traveling with pets, so that more moments of companionship are not left behind because of cumbersome equipment. Make a journey a shared memory for people and pets, rather than a burden.

Theme 3: Sharing the Same Space

Theme Description

As pets shift from being “luggage left in storage” to welcome guests, the underlying logic of commercial spaces is changing. Pet shops are becoming more than rows of shelves and cages; veterinary clinics are moving beyond purely functional white walls and stainless steel; and pet cafés are becoming more than places that simply “allow dogs.” The deeper change is that spaces must respond to two kinds of users, each with different physical needs, behavior and expectations. People need efficiency, social connection and enjoyment; pets need safety, opportunities to explore and boundaries where they can retreat.

A commercial space shared by people and pets is fundamentally a design challenge about boundaries. There should be perceptible, but not necessarily rigid, separation between pet activity areas and human circulation routes. Retail displays and experience routes should invite pets to participate rather than exclude them. Hygiene and odor management should be built into decisions about materials, flooring, ventilation and cleaning routes, rather than handled only after problems arise. Every product in a commercial space—from retail pet products to boarding units, grooming stations and interactive installations—is part of the overall spatial experience. How a product is seen, touched and used within the space is itself a design question.

Participants are encouraged to approach the theme from both “products within spaces” and “spaces made up of products.” Choose a specific type of commercial setting—such as a pet retail store, veterinary clinic, pet park, pet-friendly café, hotel pet floor or community pet-service hub—and propose a systematic solution that balances business needs, animal welfare and human warmth. The design may address the space itself, a product system integrated into the space, or both.

Design Value

Commercial spaces are real-world testing grounds for relationships between people and pets. Design must respond to practical constraints such as visitor flow, space utilization, cleaning costs, animal stress, customer complaints and operational efficiency. The ultimate value of “sharing the same space” is not making a place look pet-friendly, but ensuring that it works day after day: pets feel safe, owners feel comfortable, staff are not overburdened, and the business can operate sustainably. Design fulfills its purpose when a commercial space can accommodate different users—not by eliminating differences, but by allowing them to coexist harmoniously.

Theme 4: Open Theme

Suggested title: “An Open Theme: Writing the Next Chapter of Everyday Life with Pets.” Participants may create their own subtitle based on their understanding of the pet industry.

Theme Description

An open theme is not a blank page; it is an invitation to ask an open-ended question. It does not prescribe a type of pet, spatial setting, product category or technology. Instead, it gives participants the freedom to define the design brief. Starting from real observations, participants are encouraged to formulate a specific, focused and thoughtful question. It may address dignity across a pet’s life—from early socialization and adult behavior to senior care and end-of-life farewells; shared urban, community, commercial or public spaces; ethical issues involving stray animals, exotic pets, adoption or rescue; or topics such as smart companionship, sustainable materials, hygiene systems, emotional well-being and coordination among multiple pets. Freedom does not mean a lack of direction. It means looking beyond established product categories and returning to the fundamentals of life, relationships, settings and systems.

Design Value

The open theme encourages design to return from category conventions to real-life needs. Designers are invited to become keen observers and problem setters before becoming problem solvers—not simply to create one more product for pets, but to offer another possibility for people and pets to live together. It gives visibility to overlooked needs and design form to relationships that have not yet been named, helping the pet industry move from the “pet economy” toward a culture of coexistence. May every bond of companionship have a place, and every question lead to a more comfortable, warmer and more sustainable way of living together.

5. Categories and Scope

This competition primarily solicits works in pet home and entertainment products, smart pet products, pet travel products, pet food packaging and pet-related spatial design.

Entries must comply with national industrial policies and applicable technical requirements and standards. They should reflect low-carbon, green and environmentally responsible design, with meaningful innovation in areas such as function, structure, technology, form, materials, processes, energy efficiency or environmental performance. Participants may create works based on any of the themes. In principle, entries must be original works completed before October 2026, with all intellectual property rights held by the entrant.

5.1 Competition Groups

Product/Space Design Group

Entries must be products or design proposals that have been launched or built within the past two years; are not yet on the market but can enter mass production within two years; or are not yet built but can be completed and put into use within three months. Entries must comply with national industrial policies.

Concept Design Group

Entries must be original designs or proposals that have not been sold or manufactured on the market and have not been physically built or implemented. They should demonstrate significant innovation in function, structure, form, technology, materials or low-carbon design.

5.2 Eligible Areas

• Pet feeding and drinking products, including feeders, water dispensers and bowls; pet living products, including beds, travel carriers and cat trees; pet health and care products, including cleaning tools and medical equipment; and pet entertainment products, including toys and interactive installations.
• Smart pet products, such as smart feeders, smart litter boxes and health-monitoring devices.
• Pet travel products, including pet backpacks, in-car products and outdoor equipment.
• Pet-related spatial design, including multi-pet home planning and commercial spaces such as pet shops, retail displays, pet parks, veterinary clinics and other pet-friendly environments.
• Packaging for pet products and food, including designs with functional, practical or distinctive aesthetic qualities.

6. Entry Requirements and Submission Formats

6.1 Preliminary Review

1. Completed entry form. The work title shown on the entry form will be treated as the official title of the work.
2. Design proposal: A3 format, portrait orientation, using the designated header template. Submit electronic presentation boards at 150 DPI. At least two JPG files are required, each no larger than 5 MB. Any presentation style may be used.
3. Work video (optional): A video of no more than three minutes in MP4 format, no larger than 20 MB, showing product design details and how the product is used.
4. Presentation (optional): A PowerPoint and PDF of no more than eight pages. Use a 16:9 aspect ratio for the PowerPoint.
   1. Product/Space Design Group: Include the product idea and concept description, product definition, overall renderings, key details, basic structure and dimensions, a design statement in Chinese, and the social and economic benefits achieved after mass production or market launch.
   2. Concept Design Group: Include the product idea and concept description, product definition, overall renderings, key details, basic structure and dimensions, and a design statement in Chinese.
5. Intellectual property ownership documentation for the work, if applicable.
6. Download the entry commitment, application form and other registration materials from the competition website. Sign and stamp the forms as required, then return them to the designated email address.

To ensure a fair competition, the presentation boards must not display the author’s name, affiliated organization, initials in English or pinyin, or any icon, graphic or other information that could reveal the author’s identity. Entries that fail to comply will be considered invalid and disqualified.

6.2 Final Review

1. Entrants whose works advance to the final review must attend and present their work at the judging venue. Failure to attend will be treated as a voluntary withdrawal from judging.
2. Finalists in the Product Design Group must submit a physical product. If the product is too large, a scale model or functional prototype that accurately represents its design quality may be submitted.
3. Finalists in the Concept Design Group may submit a physical product or model prototype if available.

7. Competition Schedule

8. Judging Criteria

Product/Space Design Group

1. Materials and Technological Innovation (25 points)

Material innovation (10 points)

• Use of new environmentally friendly or composite materials, such as biodegradable bio-based materials, recycled plastics or low-carbon metals.
• Whether material performance meets pet safety requirements, including being non-toxic, scratch- and bite-resistant, and hypoallergenic.
• For spatial design, materials must be safe for pets to contact, durable and easy to clean, and compatible with low-carbon production.

Technology integration (8 points)

• Integration of smart technologies, such as the Internet of Things or AI interaction, or new processes, such as 3D printing and modular assembly.
• Whether the technical approach is forward-looking and has patent potential.
• For spatial design, technology must improve real operational efficiency or the experience of people and pets living together, rather than being included merely as a concept.

Material utilization (7 points)

• Whether material processing waste has been reduced and low-carbon production requirements are met.

2. Structural and Functional Design (25 points)

Human–pet interaction (10 points)

• Whether the design matches pet behavior, including movement paths and comfort, while remaining convenient for users.
• Whether it addresses common problems with traditional pet products, such as difficult cleaning or inconvenient storage.
• For spatial design, circulation must support safe movement for both people and pets, with functional zones arranged around pet behavior and people’s use patterns.

Safety and durability (8 points)

• Structural stability, such as resistance to tipping and impact.
• Whether the product has passed relevant international quality or safety certifications, such as applicable FDA pet-product requirements or EU EN 71 standards.
• For spatial design, the space must include measures to prevent escape and conflict, be easy to clean, and comply with public-space safety requirements.

Scenario suitability (7 points)

• Suitability for multiple settings, such as indoor and outdoor use or multi-pet households.
• Whether functional modules can be expanded or customized.

3. Manufacturing Process and Quality (20 points)

Manufacturing feasibility (8 points)

• Whether the design is suitable for mass production, including manageable mold complexity and simplified assembly.
• Use of efficient, low-consumption processes, such as adhesive-free joining or laser cutting.

Finished-product quality (7 points)

• Quality of details, such as smooth edges and tight seams.
• Surface treatment, such as stain-resistant coatings or anti-aging technology.

Quality inspection and compliance (5 points)

• Whether a production-side quality-control plan has been established, such as quality checkpoints and test reports.

4. Environmental Sustainability (15 points)

Environmental performance across the life cycle (8 points)

• Whether materials are recyclable or biodegradable and whether the production process is low-carbon, for example through the use of clean energy.
• Whether the product is easy to disassemble and repair, and whether a recycling loop has been planned.

Communication of green principles (7 points)

• Whether the design communicates environmental values through its design language, such as minimal packaging or carbon-footprint labels.
• Whether it encourages users to practice greener pet care, for example through water-saving design or energy-saving modes.

5. Market and Commercial Potential (15 points)

Cost control and value for money (7 points)

• Whether estimated production costs align with the target market, whether mass-market or premium.
• Whether design choices reduce distribution costs, such as flat-pack packaging or a lightweight structure.

Emotional connection with users (5 points)

• Whether the appearance suits the aesthetic preferences of the target audience, such as cute or minimalist styles.
• Whether the design offers additional emotional value, such as a pet-memorial feature or social functionality.

Commercialization potential (3 points)

• Whether the design includes potential for derivative products or cross-industry collaborations.

Concept Design Group

1. Future-Oriented Vision (25 points)

Industry leadership (10 points)

• Whether the design moves beyond existing pet-product forms and proposes a transformative scenario, such as interaction in a pet metaverse or an intelligent biomimetic companion.
• Whether it anticipates pet-industry needs over the next five to ten years, such as senior-pet care or new approaches to shared human–pet living.
• For spatial design, whether the concept moves beyond current commercial or residential models and proposes a testable prototype or scenario for future spaces shared by people and pets.

Depth of technology integration (8 points)

• Whether the concept integrates emerging technologies, such as AI emotion recognition, brain–computer interfaces or biodegradable nanomaterials.
• Whether the technical approach has potential for cross-disciplinary applications, such as medical-grade pet health monitoring or adaptive environmental systems.
• For spatial design, whether the technical solution is based on human–pet behavior data and scenario simulation, with a feasible logic for adaptive adjustment.

Social innovation (7 points)

• Whether the concept proposes a new model for future human–pet relationships, such as expanding pets’ social roles or connecting with stray-animal protection.
• Whether it can contribute to change in the industry ecosystem, such as a shared pet economy or a zero-carbon pet-friendly community.
• For spatial design, whether it addresses the ethics of sharing space between people and pets at community or city scale and proposes replicable public-space strategies.

2. Human–Pet Coexistence Experience (20 points)

Future interaction design (10 points)

• Whether the design enables intelligent adaptation, such as sensing a pet’s emotional state or dynamically adjusting functions.
• Whether it creates an immersive experience, such as AR-based pet training or multisensory feedback installations.
• For spatial design, interaction must account for pets’ non-verbal feedback and feel intuitive to people, without compromising animal welfare for the sake of human experience.

Ethics and safety (7 points)

• Whether technology is used in an ethically appropriate way, such as non-intrusive monitoring and privacy protection.
• Whether the safety of future scenarios has been validated through simulation, such as stress testing in extreme environments.
• For spatial design, whether the space provides retreat areas, separation options and emergency routes, with sufficient safety redundancy when multiple species share the space.

Inclusive design (3 points)

• Whether the design addresses the needs of groups with specific requirements, such as assistive equipment for pets with disabilities or compatibility across species.
• For spatial design, whether the space accommodates users of different species, sizes, ages and abilities, with adjustable boundaries and pathways.

3. Sustainable Future Ecosystem (20 points)

Closed-loop system (10 points)

• Whether the concept provides a zero-waste approach across the full life cycle, such as self-decomposing materials or self-sufficient energy.
• Whether it introduces carbon-negative processes, such as bio-based carbon-sequestering materials or energy-conversion technologies.

Resource regeneration (7 points)

• Whether it uses future-oriented resources, such as ultra-lightweight aerospace materials or recycled ocean plastics.
• Whether it integrates production, use and recycling, such as modular disassembly or community-based recycling stations.

Communication of principles (3 points)

• Whether the design language can raise environmental awareness, for example through visible carbon-footprint information or environmentally responsible interactions involving pets.

4. Innovation in Manufacturing Feasibility (10 points)

Future manufacturing technologies (6 points)

• Whether the concept is compatible with emerging manufacturing methods, such as 4D-printed self-assembly or microbial manufacturing.
• Whether it lowers the barriers to mass production of advanced technologies, such as processes for producing flexible electronic circuits at scale.

Cost control (4 points)

• Whether the concept proposes ways to reduce technology costs, such as open-source hardware or distributed production networks.

5. Future Market Adaptability (10 points)

Anticipation of consumption scenarios (6 points)

• Whether the concept fits emerging consumption models, such as subscription-based pet services or retail that combines virtual and physical experiences.
• Whether it proposes a flexible business model, such as combined hardware and data revenue or a pet social economy.

Cultural resonance (4 points)

• Whether the concept reflects emerging cultural trends, such as cyber-pet culture or a balance between globalization and localization.

Entries will be evaluated under the competition rules, and finalists will be selected based on the overall results of the preliminary review. If scores are tied, ranking will be used to determine advancement.

9. Awards and Recognition

9.1 Awards

Product/Space Design Group

Concept Design Group

Award recipients are responsible for paying individual income tax. To maintain award quality, the organizing committee reserves the right to withhold or reduce certain awards.

The total prize pool is RMB 100,000. Approximately 100 participants are expected to advance to the final.

9.2 Intellectual Property Verification

Authors of works selected for the final review who attend in person will receive electronic proof of ownership for their design work free of charge.

9.3 Recognition of Outstanding Organizers and Individuals

The organizing committee will issue Outstanding Organization Award certificates to organizations and Outstanding Individual certificates to individuals that make significant contributions to organizing, promoting or judging the competition. Instructors who fulfill their professional guidance responsibilities with distinction will receive Outstanding Instructor certificates.

10. Benefits of Participation

10.1 Media Promotion

The competition works with media outlets inside and outside the industry to provide coverage throughout the event, explore the works and the stories behind them, and increase the public visibility of outstanding design.

10.2 Industry and Commercialization Connections

For award-winning proposals or products with commercialization potential, the organizing committee may arrange introductions between participants and pet-product manufacturers to support the commercialization of design outcomes.

10.3 Presentation Board Production

For concept design entries, the organizing committee will arrange production of presentation boards. Oversized works will be reproduced at a proportionally reduced scale.

10.4 In-Person Awards Ceremony

Finalists must attend the on-site competition; otherwise, they will be treated as having voluntarily withdrawn from judging. Award recipients will be invited to the awards ceremony and related events.

11. Intellectual Property

1. If an entry infringes intellectual property rights or plagiarizes another work, the organizing committee will disqualify the entry, revoke any award and recover the prize money. The entrant bears all related legal liability. The organizing committee may disqualify an entrant or revoke an award at any stage without replacement of the affected award.
2. Entrants must be the designer or rights holder of the work and must ensure that no intellectual property dispute exists with any other party. If an entry involves infringement or another violation of law, the organizing committee will disqualify the submitting party.
3. Works selected for the final review will be published on the official competition website and on the official WeChat accounts of the event organizers. During the public notice period, any person or organization may raise an objection regarding an entry’s eligibility or intellectual property rights. If the competition office verifies the objection, the entry will be disqualified.
4. The organizing committee is not responsible for verifying ownership of entries. Entrants are solely responsible for any infringement or other violation of intellectual property rights.
5. The organizing committee may recommend, display, publish and otherwise promote all entries. Except where authorization has been granted by the organizing committee and the author (or participating company), no organization, individual or third party may redesign, manufacture, sell, promote, publish, exhibit or otherwise use or promote works submitted to this competition. The organizing committee and the author reserve the right to pursue legal liability for unauthorized use.

12. How to Enter

Entry fee: There is no entry fee for this competition.

Entry form: Scan the QR code below to download the entry form.

Registration email: pibcgla@126.com

Enquiries: Ms. Chen, +86 185 1109 9338; Ms. Cui, +86 135 0123 7784

Scan the QR code to download the entry form.

13. Interpretation of the Rules

The organizers reserve the right of final interpretation of these rules and related competition matters. For matters not covered here or questions about the rules, participants may contact the organizers using the official contact details published for the competition. The organizers will respond promptly and may supplement or revise the rules where necessary.