HONG KONG, Oct. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Hong Kong Design Centre today announced the laureates of the five major awards of the DFA Awards 2026, honouring five outstanding leaders and trailblazers who have achieved exceptional success and profound impacts on the Asian and global design landscape. The distinguished awardees include Yung Ho CHANG (DFA Lifetime Achievement Award),Sonia CHENG (DFA Design Leadership Award),Wallace CHAN (DFA World's Outstanding Chinese Designer),DONG Gong (DFA Designer of the Year), and Tianyuan LI (DFA Asian Design Vanguard).
Established in 2003 by the Hong Kong Design Centre, the DFA Awards is supported by the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the HKSAR Government as the lead sponsor. The DFA Awards this year perfectly exemplify how Asian designers look to the world while keeping Asia at heart, as all five awardees leverage their extensive overseas experience and global influence to bring forward-looking insights back to the region, setting new benchmarks in their respective fields.
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DFA Awards 2026 Unveiled: Honouring Asian Masters Driving Global Design Innovation
DFA Awards 2026 Unveiled: Honouring Asian Masters Driving Global Design Innovation
DFA Awards 2026 Unveiled: Honouring Asian Masters Driving Global Design Innovation
DFA Awards 2026 Unveiled: Honouring Asian Masters Driving Global Design Innovation
DFA Awards 2026 Unveiled: Honouring Asian Masters Driving Global Design Innovation
DFA Awards 2026 Unveiled: Honouring Asian Masters Driving Global Design Innovation
As one of the first mainland scholars to study architecture abroad following China's reform and opening-up, Yung Ho CHANG laid a new foundation for Asian spatial design. Sonia CHENG applied her rigorous and analytical mindset to design Rosewood as a global luxury lifestyle brand. Wallace CHAN integrated Eastern philosophy with Western sculptural techniques, forging a patented jewellery design uniquely his own. DONG Gong harmonized profound local context with an international spatial syntax, establishing a distinctive architectural language that is at once modern and deeply rooted in Chinese cultural tradition. Tianyuan LI seamlessly combined Western automotive craftsmanship with China's cutting-edge technology ecosystem to drive Xiaomi's electric vehicle global design strategy. Through their phenomenal accomplishments, these five masters showcase the profound global influence of Asian design strength.
Mr Steve Leung, BBS, Chairman of the Hong Kong Design Centre, said, 'Through the DFA Awards, this year's honoured design masters demonstrate how unique Asian perspectives and creative mindsets can captivate and move a global audience. They stand as exceptional role models whose achievements inspire the creative community throughout Asia and beyond. As a global hub where East meets West, Hong Kong boasts a unique cultural heritage and inclusivity that make it the ultimate stage to celebrate and unite world-class design talent. The DFA Awards has long embraced this foundation to demonstrate the majestic strength of Asian design to the world, reinforcing Hong Kong's role as a bridge for international design exchange. At the same time, we hope to inspire next-generation designers to take these masters as role models, embrace bold innovation, and continue shining on the global design stage.'
Please download the DFA Awards 2026 Press Kit at: https://bit.ly/4rGAjpB
DFA Lifetime Achievement Award 2026
Renowned as a pioneer of contemporary Chinese architecture, Yung Ho CHANG is celebrated for his visionary spatial design and transformative contributions to global architecture education. He received his education in China and the United States, earning his Master of Architecture degree from the University of California, Berkeley in 1984, and returned to China to practise in the early 1990s. In 1993, he co-founded Atelier Feichang Jianzhu with Lijia LU.
Beyond his practice, CHANG has exerted a profound influence on contemporary architecture through academic leadership. He served as the founding head of the Graduate Center of Architecture at Peking University, head of the Architecture Department at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and he is currently Dean of the Faculty of Architecture and a Chair Professor at the University of Hong Kong. His extensive contributions embrace critical publishing, active participation in international exhibitions such as the La Biennale di Venezia, and serving on the distinguished Pritzker Architecture Prize jury.
This lifetime of dedication to spatial design, practice, and education makes Yung Ho CHANG a truly deserving recipient of the DFA Lifetime Achievement Award. By seamlessly bridging Eastern and Western architectural philosophies while nurturing generations of future designers, his pioneering spirit and visionary leadership continue to leave an indelible mark on the global creative community and the development of modern Asian design culture.
DFA Design Leadership Award 2026
Sonia CHENG has established herself as a transformative force in the global business landscape, currently serving as Chief Executive Officer of Rosewood Hotel Group. Since assuming leadership in 2011, she has propelled Rosewood as a global luxury lifestyle brand encompassing more than 50 properties across 25 countries. Under her visionary leadership, Rosewood Hotel Group has expanded beyond traditional hospitality to encompass a broader lifestyle.
Her background in real estate investments and private equity, paired with a degree in Applied Mathematics from Harvard University, provides a rigorous analytical foundation for her strategic focus. Beyond hospitality, she plays a central leadership role across major enterprises, serving as Vice Chairman and Executive Director of Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group and Executive Director of New World Development Company Limited. She also contributes her expertise to broader governance initiatives through advisory roles in economic policy and institutional advancement.
Sonia CHENG's exceptional vision and systemic approach to brand transformation make her a deserving recipient of the DFA Design Leadership Award. Through her ability to integrate cultural relevance into experience-led platforms, she has demonstrated how strategic design thinking and strong corporate leadership can elevate regional hospitality onto the world stage, setting inspiring benchmarks for business innovation and creative excellence.
DFA World's Outstanding Chinese Designer 2026
Self-trained, Hong Kong-based Chinese artist and innovator Wallace CHAN has spent more than five decades expanding the boundaries of jewellery art, carving, and large-scale sculpture. Beginning his apprenticeship as a carver in 1973, he has continually challenged material limitations through groundbreaking technological inventions, including the illusionary Wallace Cut in 1987, clawless gemstone setting techniques, advanced titanium mastery, and a proprietary porcelain material five times stronger than steel. His creative philosophy synthesizes traditional Chinese aesthetics with Western sculptural languages and contemplative spiritual practice, transforming precious and unconventional materials into living forms that examine time, matter, and existence. Today, his works are preserved in premier global institutions such as the Victoria and Albert Museum and the British Museum, accompanied by major solo exhibitions hosted across London, Venice, and Shanghai.
Wallace CHAN's extraordinary career embodies the spirit of the DFA World's Outstanding Chinese Designer. By pioneering revolutionary techniques that bridge traditional craftsmanship with modern material science, he has earned international prestige while elevating Chinese design thinking, philosophical depth, and artistic innovation onto the global stage.
DFA Designer of the Year 2026
DONG Gong founded Vector Architects in 2008, developing a globally acclaimed spatial design practice defined by a sensitive engagement with context and tectonic rigor. As a Foreign Member of the French Academy of Architecture, he has contributed extensively to architectural education through design studios at Tsinghua University and the Central Academy of Fine Arts, alongside visiting professorships at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the Polytechnic University of Turin. His practice is celebrated for landmark projects such as the Seashore Library, the Seashore Chapel, and the Yangshuo Sugar House, while selected works by Vector Architects have been featured at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Venice Biennale. His contributions continue to earn international distinction, including the Marcus Prize for Architecture and the RIBA International Award for Excellence, alongside extensive feature coverage in leading publications such as AV Monographs and Architecture and Urbanism.
DONG Gong's exceptional body of work earns him the DFA Designer of the Year. Through his poetic spatial language and meticulous approach to place and material, he exemplifies design leadership, pushing the boundaries of contemporary Chinese architecture while inspiring the broader design community worldwide.
DFA Asian Design Vanguard 2026
Tianyuan LI is the Head of Design at Xiaomi Auto, where he leads the brand's global design strategy to integrate advanced technology with automotive artistry. Before joining Xiaomi in 2021 to build its automotive design team from the ground up, he distinguished himself as the first Chinese car designer at BMW's global headquarters, serving as Senior Exterior Design Expert for the BMW i and M series and directing the design of the flagship electric SUV BMW iX and the BMW i Vision Circular concept car. At Xiaomi, he has overseen the development of groundbreaking production models like the Xiaomi SU7 series and conceptual achievements such as the SkyNomad and the Xiaomi Vision Gran Turismo concept car. Guided by a philosophy that prioritises emotional connections between people and vehicles, his work focuses on human-centred utility and timeless, sustainable aesthetics that transcend fleeting design trends.
Tianyuan LI's visionary achievements in electric vehicle mobility make him a standout recipient of the DFA Asian Design Vanguard. By redefining automotive aerodynamics and shaping next-generation transportation design, he exemplifies the innovative spirit driving Asia's creative landscape onto the global stage.
About DFA Awards (www.dfaawards.com/en)
Since 2003, the Hong Kong Design Centre has launched the DFA Awards to underpin the role of designers in society, to celebrate design leadership and exemplary designs and projects with commercial success or impact in Asia, as well as to recognise the rising force of emerging designers in Hong Kong. The DFA Awards, through its seven major award programmes, has grown in its international influence in Asia. The seven award programmes include DFA Lifetime Achievement Award, DFA Design Leadership Award, DFA World's Outstanding Chinese Designer, DFA Designer of the Year, DFA Asian Design Vanguard, DFA Design for Asia Awards and DFA Hong Kong Young Design Talent Award.
About Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC) (www.hkdesigncentre.org/en)
Hong Kong Design Centre is a strategic partner of the HKSAR Government in leveraging the city's East-meets-West advantage to create value from design.
The major programmes include Business of Design Week (BODW), bodw Future Lab, DFA Awards, Fashion Asia Hong Kong and DESIGN@HKG (formerly BODW In the City). Since 2024, we have also been operating the DX design hub in Sham Shui Po, dedicated to fostering emerging design talents and facilitating collaborations and exchanges in the design industry, as well as providing visitors an immersive experience through innovative exhibitions, fashion showcases and cultural events.
To achieve our goals, we:
- Cultivate a culture of design
- Bridge stakeholders to opportunities that unleash the power of design
- Promote excellence in various design disciplines
About Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (www.ccidahk.gov.hk/en)
The Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA), formerly known as Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) since 2009, was established in June 2024. CCIDA is a dedicated office under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR Government) to provide one-stop services and support to the cultural and creative sectors with a mission to foster a conducive environment in Hong Kong to facilitate development of the arts, culture and creative sectors as industries. CCIDA's strategic foci are nurturing talent and facilitating start-ups, exploring markets, promoting cross-sectoral and multi-disciplinary collaboration, promoting industrialisation of the arts, culture and creative sectors under the industry-oriented principle, and fostering a creative atmosphere in the community, thereby reinforcing Hong Kong as Asia's creative capital and our positioning as the East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange.
Disclaimer: The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region provides funding support to some of HKDC's activities/projects only, and does not otherwise take part in such funded activities/projects. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication and relevant materials/events (or by members of the project teams) are those of HKDC only and do not reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency, the CreateSmart Initiative Secretariat or the CreateSmart Initiative Vetting Committee.
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Media Enquiries
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Occasions PR & Marketing Ltd.
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Candice Kot
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Email: candice@occasionspr.com
Tel.: +852 3678 0120
Tel.: +852 3678 0117
| Hong Kong Design Centre | |
| Carol Cheung | |
| Tel.: +852 3793 8455 | |
Hong Kong Design Centre
Carol Cheung
Email: carol.cheung@hkdesigncentre.org
Tel.: +852 3793 8455
Hashtags: #HKDC #HongKongDesignCentre #CCIDA #CCIDAHK #CSTB #DFAawards #YungHoChang #AtelierFeichangJianzhu #SoniaCHENG #RosewoodHotelGroup #WallaceCHAN #WallaceChanInternational #DONGGong #VectorArchitects #TianyuanLI #XiaomiAuto
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DFA Awards 2026 Unveiled: Honouring Asian Masters Driving Global Design Innovation
DFA Awards 2026 Unveiled: Honouring Asian Masters Driving Global Design Innovation
DFA Awards 2026 Unveiled: Honouring Asian Masters Driving Global Design Innovation
DFA Awards 2026 Unveiled: Honouring Asian Masters Driving Global Design Innovation
DFA Awards 2026 Unveiled: Honouring Asian Masters Driving Global Design Innovation
DFA Awards 2026 Unveiled: Honouring Asian Masters Driving Global Design Innovation
