Recently, the winners of the 2023 Muse Design Awards were announced. The sculpture "Transcendence," created by Song Shukui, Zhuang Ziyou, Wang Dong, and Dai Jiaxin (alumnus) from our School of Digital Arts and Design, won the highest award, the Platinum Award, while the sculpture "Reflecting Heart" won the Gold Award.

"Transcendence" expresses the relationship between humans and the digital world. Over five hundred forged steel structures are interconnected and interperceptive, presenting diverse forms of the intangible digital space, neural networks, and the meta-verse. People think, learn, strive, create, and transcend in the digital world, continuously building a new world full of infinite possibilities with wisdom.

"Reflecting Heart" is based on the mythological legend of Baima Mountain in Jinggu, Yunnan Province, with the form of a white horse as the creative inspiration. Two horses stand neck to neck, their gazes intertwined, blending harmoniously with the natural environment of Baima Mountain and shining together. The horse's body is designed with hollowed-out patterns, simplifying and abstracting the forms of camellia flowers and tea leaves into flat shapes. The work is named "Reflecting Heart," symbolizing a continuous "awareness."

The Muse Design Awards, organized by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) and the International Awards Association (IAA), is one of the most influential international awards in the global creative field. The awards are given annually to artists with outstanding achievements in the dissemination of art. The judging criteria include academic, community, creativity, innovation, education, inclusivity, and more. The awards are given in three levels of honor: Platinum, Gold, and Silver. It has become one of the world’s leading awards recognizing outstanding individuals and groups in the creative and design fields.

Known as the "Oscars of the design world," the Muse Design Awards are renowned for their rigorous judging system and high-quality standards. This year's event assembled 46 professional judges from 25 countries, with over 6,300 entries from more than 100 countries worldwide.