How can a painting step off paper and come to life? How can a creative idea transform into brilliant lanterns lighting up the city’s night sky? This unique opportunity is now open to Chinese youth worldwide.
Recently, the second creative work collection campaign themed Paint the Bay Together, Build Dreams with Colorful Lanterns for the 2027 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Lantern Festival officially launched. Guided by the Publicity Department of the CPC Nansha District Committee of Guangzhou, Nansha District Bureau of Education, Nansha District Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism and Sports, Nansha Development Zone Hong Kong and Macao Cooperation Affairs Office, and the Communist Youth League Nansha District Committee of Guangzhou, the event is hosted by Guangzhou Nansha Asset Management Group Co., Ltd. and undertaken by Guangzhou Nansha Tourism Development Co., Ltd.
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/jqn_3JrbX80?si=INyZVuNmDT2HDKul
Open to all ethnic Chinese youth aged 18 and under around the world, the campaign collects original paintings. Through cultural and artistic creation, it unites the emotional consensus of global Chinese communities, further boosts cultural exchanges and youth interaction and integration across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and supports Nansha in building a humanistic bay area with international influence.
This year’s collection takes New Tales of the Year of the Goat – One Painting, One Story as its core theme, calling for painting submissions from Chinese youth worldwide. Participants are encouraged to create works from perspectives of “what I see, what I experience, what I hope for”, depicting specific, narrative stories. Artworks can be warm, touching or imaginative, with one sole requirement: every piece must tell a heartfelt story brimming with warmth.
Participants are divided into three groups:
Submissions open from July 30, 2026, to September 20, 2026. To inspire young creators, a total of 72 awards including Gold, Silver and Bronze Prizes will be granted, with prizes worth over 50,000 RMB in total. Beyond rewards, selected artworks may be incorporated into the design scheme of the 2027 Greater Bay Area Lantern Festival and manufactured into physical lantern installations displayed across multiple venues, illuminating the Greater Bay Area’s night sky with young people’s heartfelt visions.
The Greater Bay Area Lantern Festival aims to gather these authentic “New Tales of the Year of the Goat” from today’s youth. Every kindness they witness, tenderness captured in their brushes, and softness held in their hearts matters most. Elaborate techniques or polished artistic techniques are unnecessary; participants only need to paint moments that have touched them deeply.
Organizers stated that the campaign intends to use heartfelt storytelling as a creative bond and lantern art as a cultural carrier to break geographical barriers. It will infuse youthful, globally-minded original content into the 2027 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Lantern Festival, establishing a benchmark annual cultural exchange brand for young people across the Greater Bay Area.
From hand-drawn concepts to tangible lantern installations, from individual artworks to a grand festival of lights—this summer marks the start of a creative rendezvous for Chinese youth worldwide. Young Chinese creators at home and overseas are warmly invited to bring their creativity, build dreams through lantern art, and gather in the Greater Bay Area for this magnificent celebration of imagination and light!
How to Submit Your Works – Convenient Quick Submission Channel
Scan the QR code above, authorize login, and you will be directed to the online submission page to upload your works rapidly.
Alternative Submission Channels for Your Reference
Channel 1: Online System Submission (For Youth in Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao)
1.Follow the official WeChat account Greater Bay Area Lantern Festival Official. Reply with “Paint the Bay Together” or click “Submit Your Work Now” under the menu tab “I Want to Submit” to access the submission entry. After authorizing login, enter the dedicated submission page for the second Paint the Bay Together, Build Dreams with Colorful Lanterns creative collection of the 2027 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Lantern Festival.
2.Read the event introduction and submission guidelines, tap “Submit My Work”, select your competition group, fill in personal information (name, contact number, age, school/educational institution, region of residence) and artwork details (artwork title, creation statement), then upload high-definition photos or scanned copies of your original work.
Channel 2: Exclusive Overseas Email Submission (Only for Ethnic Chinese Youth Overseas or Those Unable to Access the Online Submission System)
1. Official Overseas Submission Email: [email protected]
2. Submission Period: July 30, 2026 – September 20, 2026
3. Standardized Email Subject Format: [Overseas Submission – Participant Group – Country/Region – Full Name] Example: [Overseas Submission – Youth Group – Canada – Chen XX]
4. Mandatory Email Attachments (all items required; incomplete submissions will be deemed invalid): A. High-definition original artwork: JPG format, minimum resolution of 300 DPI, complete frame with no reflection or cropping on all four corners. B. Information Form (Word or TXT document) containing full details as follows: a. Creator Information: Full name, age, competition group, full name of overseas Chinese language school/foreign institution attended, country and city of residence, overseas contact email, contact number of overseas guardian. b. Artwork Information: Artwork title, creation statement (no less than 150 words).
5. Submission Guidelines:
Media ContactCompany Name: Guangzhou Nansha Tourism Development Co., Ltd.Contact Person: ZhuangxingEmail: Send EmailCountry: ChinaWebsite: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/9Z0otdFQa7tdZJyAbOb3VQ?scene=334
