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The 2020 Canton Fair Design Awards Shortlists 692 Finalists
October 23,
2020 by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Industry 
The Canton Fair Design Awards (CF Awards), presented by the 128th China Import and Export Fair, have shortlisted 692 products from 274 companies for the final competition. This year's CF Awards have received 1966 applications from 932 companies, seeing a year-on-year increase of 27 percent and 35 percent respectively.
In its 8th edition, the CF Awards celebrates world-class products that possess both exceptional design and market value.
"CF Awards have received products that excel in various aspects from conceptualization and detail to craftsmanship. It is great to see manufacturers keep focusing on design innovation in their new product development process despite the challenges presented by COVID-19," said Maggie Pu, deputy director general of the Foreign Affairs Office at Canton Fair.
The winning products are reviewed by 20 professionals, including buyers, experts in industrial design and quality inspection, international design studios, business chambers and associations. Through these outstanding designs, the CF Awards offers inspiration for product designers based on the current trends.
Professor He Renke, who has headed the judging panel since the first edition of the awards, said the CF Awards act as a bridge to introduce the latest innovative industrial designs from China to overseas buyers and consumers.
"The CF Awards recognize companies with an innovative spirit in design that cannot only raise customers' awareness of our products, but also bring fresh ideas to the market," noted James Chen, president of EKO Group. The EKO Group used nanotechnology to create an antibacterial coating on its stainless-steel trash can, winning a 2019 Golden CF Award.
The CF Awards recognizes the excellence of industrial design and provides a dedicated exhibition hall to showcase winning products, helping to attract new business opportunities.