The 2019 Cross-Straits Industrial Design Contest opened in Xiamen, East China's Fujian province on June 14. [Photo/Xinhua]

The 2019 Cross-Straits Industrial Design Contest opened in Xiamen, East China's Fujian province on June 14, with participants vying for a whopping 300,000 yuan award.

A total of 646 entries from 22 countries and regions across the world qualified for the contest, which covered the realms of intelligent equipment, electronic information, household products, and cultural and sports tourism.

The biennial event, which is now in its seventh year, is jointly sponsored by the Xiamen Municipal People's Government, the Fujian Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, China Industry News and the Taiwan Youliang Design Association.

This year's edition set records in terms of the number of entries, contestants and participating universities, according to Chen Quanzhi, a spokesman from the organizing committee.

A total of 7,482 entries were collected this year, an increase of 122.12 percent over the previous year.

Enterprises and designers from 22 countries and regions signed up for the competition, including industrial design powerhouses such as the United States, France and Britain.

A total of 152 universities on both sides of the Taiwan Strait attended the competition, an all-time high.

Meanwhile, a host of activities, including an exhibition showcasing excellent industrial design works by cross-Straits college students, will be held on the sidelines of the event.

The organizing committee said that they will roll out a series of policies and measures to aid award winners in marketing their products, making the contest an influential event for cross-Straits industrial cooperation and exchange.

The event also coincided with the ongoing 11th Straits Forum in the city.

The 11th Straits Forum includes 33 activities which aim to improve exchanges, mutual trust and emotional identity among young people from Taiwan and the mainland.

Visitors observe the industrial design works at the 2019 Cross-Straits Industrial Design Contest which opened in Xiamen, East China's Fujian province on June 14. [Photo/Xinhua]