Huawei Mobile Services launches innovative watch design competition with US$17,500 up for grabs

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Aug. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On 29 August, Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) launched the Watch Face Designathon APAC 2022, an annual competition to challenge designers to create watch faces that are compatible with HUAWEI Watch 3 series and optimising them for publishing into HUAWEI Themes. The contest will see participants from the region pitch their creativity and design skills to win from a prize pool of US$17,500 in cash. Interested applicants can register their entry from now to 21 September.

The contest aims to inspire and support the designer's community in showcasing exceptional masterpieces in the HUAWEI Watch Face design ecosystem. Participants can create watch face designs based on their own interpretation of one or more of the three contest themes: Connection, Harmony, and Power.

Collaborating with renowned artists and Ragnarok X (ROX)

This year's edition is exceptionally exciting as we see Huawei foray into the art realm by collaborating for the first time with three esteemed artists — Mackcha (@mackcha), Fei Giap (@thelokamade), and NasSuha (@nassuha_). Mackcha focuses on expressing feelings and sentiments through her pseudo character named "Chalotte", a girl with iconic blue eyes in a blue dress, whom she connects to the sea, majestic marine creatures and with nature. Fei Giap's style is centred on fusing anime characteristics with local elements, exuding a distinctive style through a harmonious melding of colours and culture. Malaysia-based NasSuha looks to express the rich vibrancy of the heritage and culture in Malaysia through his murals and doodles, welding bold colours to bring out energy and impact in his pieces.

Each of them will represent one of the three contest themes and will design an exclusive watch face as a collaborative piece. The artists will also be part of the panel of judges and will participate in the awards ceremony on 3 November.

This collaboration aims to help designers better understand the design scene and gain new insights from experts (Mackcha, Fei Giap and NasSuha) who will be sharing their art inspiration, tips and tricks, as well as their personal and professional experiences via interactive Instagram live streams and reels.

Ragnarok X (ROX), one of the best-selling massive multiplayer online role-playing games and an ongoing partner with Huawei AppGallery, will also be designing an exclusive watch face based on one of the three themes.

Providing extensive designer support

In addition to the cash awards, the contest offers an alluring opportunity to enter the third largest mobile ecosystem, opening designers' doors to the global market. The winners' artworks will be published in HUAWEI Themes, reaching more than 120 million monthly active users worldwide. Winners may also be offered regional media promotion and co-marketing opportunities with Huawei.

All participating designers can look forward to an expanded array of technical support, including a workshop with hands-on coaching from Fei Giap who will share ideas on how to foster innovation and Huawei's trainer Yang Ling who will be introducing the HUAWEI Theme Studio software. Contestants will be equipped and empowered with the necessary tools and skills to transform their aesthetic designs into functional watch faces ready to be published in HUAWEI Themes.

Artists and winners will also be invited to attend Huawei's biggest event of the year, the HUAWEI Developer Day, which will be held in Kuala Lumpur on 3 November. All collaborative pieces and winning artworks will be on display in the interactive exhibition, and an award ceremony will be held to congratulate the winners. 

Contest mechanics and prizes

The HUAWEI Themes Watch Face Designathon APAC 2022 welcomes designers, artists, students, hobbyists, and freelancers based in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam.

Participants are required to submit at least one artwork based on theme(s) of their choice, and bonus points will be awarded for multiple submissions. The first 60 registrants to publish their masterpieces successfully will be entitled to a Band 6 and a certificate of participation.

This year's edition will feature six winners that will fall into four award categories: one Outstanding Award (US$6,000), one Excellence Award (US$4,000), one Distinguished Design Award (US$3,000) and three New Huawei Designer Awards (US$1,500). In addition, winners can also walk away with a HUAWEI Watch 3, in which they can view their watch faces on.

For terms and conditions of the contest, registration, or for more information about the upcoming schedule and panel of judges, please visit the official website.