Global competition calls for rabbit-themed mascot design

China International Culture Association, a key sponsor of "Happy Chinese New Year", the global celebration of Chinese lunar New Year or Spring Festival, is calling for rabbit-themed mascot design submissions for the Year of the Rabbit, which starts on Jan 22, 2023, according to the traditional Chinese calendar.

The launch ceremony for the Mascot Design Global Competition of the 2023 "Happy Chinese New Year" kicked off last Friday in Beijing. Co-organized by China International Culture Association, Central Academy of Fine Arts, and Beijing Federation of the Literary and Arts Circles, the competition aims to select a rabbit-themed mascot design that best illustrates the idea behind the "Happy Chinese New Year" celebration, which stresses reunion, joy and sharing.

The collected design entries will go through four stages of evaluation, and the finalist will be released at the end of this year as the official mascot for the 2023 "Happy Chinese New Year" event, said Lyu Pinjing, Central Academy of Fine Arts professor and chairperson of the competition's jury, at the launch ceremony of the competition.

"Happy Chinese New Year" features a series of cultural activities held in numerous countries "to introduce the lunar New Year culture and bring the joys and auspicious significance of Chinese New Year to everybody throughout the world," said Gao Zheng, vice-director and secretary-general of China International Culture Association.

Initiated in 2001, the "Happy Chinese New Year" celebration has become one of the most popular and influential cultural events worldwide, Gao added.

The mascot design competition is held for the first time to create a more concrete, memorable and culturally relevant image of the "Happy Chinese New Year" and to engage global participants of the event with a more fresh and innovative experience, Gao concluded.

The interested parties may check out details and updates, or submit their original designs at https://ishijue.com/, the official website for the competition. The deadline for entries is Sept 26.

The rabbit is one of the most universally known of Chinese cultural symbols as it serves as a harbinger of tremendous luck and good fortune. The Year of the Rabbit is considered as one of the luckiest signs of the Chinese Zodiac. The Chinese Rabbit will live a long, peaceful life filled with beauty, love, and much prosperity, according to traditional Chinese belief.