The 10th China Innovation & Entrepreneurship Competition (Chongqing Competition Area) — Dazu Forging Tool Creative Design Professional Competition will be held again in Dazu, a fertile ground for hardware tools. Themed "Sci-tech Innovation, Dazu Makes Dream Come True" lasted for two and a half months. It consists of four stages of sign-up, preliminary competition, final competition, and awarding ceremony. Its target includes renowned design companies from home and abroad, teachers and students from universities nationwide, freelance designers, and people who love creative design.

There are three professional directions of cutting tools for daily use, cutting tools for creative travel gifts and decorative boxes for cutting tools. Like previous years, this year's Professional Competition will select 60 entries for the final competition through preliminary online screenings according to the three directions. The 60 entries shortlisted for the final competition will participate in a roadshow that includes an 8-minute presentation, 5-minute defense, and 2-minute comment. Then the jury will select one winner for the first prize, two winners for the second prize, and three winners for the third prize for each direction, with the prize money being 100,000 yuan, 40,000 yuan, and 20,000 yuan, respectively. Besides, the entries shortlisted for the final competition but failing to win a prize will obtain 1,500 yuan in prize money. In total, the prize money will reach 800,000 yuan(about 125,000 USD).

In addition to design creativity in terms of idea, direction, material, and process like previous years, this year's event will also place a high premium on market prospects, ergonomics, and commercialization in entry selection. Meanwhile, great importance will also be assigned to actual demands of companies of knives, attention to future demands and creativity, and response to future development trends of hardware tools.

This year's jury of experts will be a more diverse and professional team compared with previous versions. Comprised of professors from renowned universities, representatives from design companies, senior designers, leading companies of knives from home and abroad, and representatives from the financing party, it will conduct evaluation, due diligence, on-site defense, and entrepreneurship coaching for entries.

So far, Dazu District has become an industrial cluster of forging tools and hardware tools in China, with more than 20,000 enterprises and self-employed individuals engaging in hardware tools, with the trade workforce exceeding 100,000.

By holding professional design competitions, Dazu has spurred the creation of excellent hardware works. During the last two competitions, the People's Government of Dazu District, the Dazu Science and Technology Bureau, and Chongqing Yongli Cutting Tool Co., Ltd. have signed agreements on the industry, university, research and application cooperation, intellectual property protection, and new product development, thereby facilitating practicable collaboration with relevant organizations. In addition, a "five-link chain" system of technical services focused on outcome transformation, intellectual property protection, investment, financing cooperation, fintech, and policy incentive has also taken shape. Meanwhile, design resources have been effectively integrated with the local characteristic hardware industry. This has improved the industry's core competitiveness and innovation, and entrepreneurship ability extended and added value to the industry chain.