Tainan University of Technology

Overseas internship

Competition training

Competition results

1. Tainan University of Technology Wins Gold Award in the Spatial Design Category at the 2025 Sen Award

The 2025 Sen Award National College and University Competition in Spatial Design and Furniture Design concluded successfully. Centered on the theme “Circular ∞ Future,” the competition emphasized sustainable development and harmonious coexistence with nature. It attracted more than 500 submissions from design-related departments across Taiwan, covering both spatial design and furniture design categories, and showcased students’ innovative visions and practical approaches to future living environments.

Among the many outstanding entries, students Huang Wei-Hsiang and Chiang Yen-Pu from the Department of Interior Design at Tainan University of Technology stood out with their project “Vertical Panorama・Forest Arrival — A Mixed-Use Vertical Sports Park,” earning the Gold Award in the Spatial Design category.

The project is located in the center of Taipei City and addresses critical urban issues such as the urban heat island effect and WELL healthy building standards. Through a vertical spatial configuration, the design transforms green spaces into a three-dimensional system, integrating fitness facilities, cultural and artistic spaces, and healthy dining functions. The project creates three distinct zones—active, artistic, and tranquil—within a green and aesthetically enhanced environment.

The design incorporates vertical greenery and water features, while stairways integrated into the façade connect different levels to encourage physical activity. The rooftop is transformed into an ecological farm, complemented by a rainwater harvesting system to support plant irrigation. This forward-looking proposal for sustainable living received unanimous praise from the jury.

Faculty advisor Professor Chen Nien-Tzu stated that he has long focused on sustainable design in architecture and interior spaces, continuously incorporating the latest trends in low-carbon and health-oriented design into his teaching. He encourages students to challenge conventions and innovate, developing design solutions that respond to social needs and human well-being. He also expressed gratitude to the judges and the organizers—Mao Sen Wood Industry Co., Ltd. and the Chinese Global Architectural Scholars Exchange Association—for providing students with a national-level platform to showcase their talents.

Department Chair Huang Chiao-Yi likewise expressed his appreciation and pride, noting that this award follows several recent achievements, including five shortlisted projects at the New Generation Design Exhibition, the Silver Award at the A+ Cultural Heritage Creative Awards, and recognition as Best School. These accomplishments demonstrate the department’s long-term commitment to sustainability-focused design education. In recent years, the department has actively strengthened curriculum planning and faculty development aligned with the SDGs, nurturing over one hundred spatial design professionals with strong sustainability awareness each year. The department looks forward to contributing further to industry advancement and Taiwan’s sustainable development in the future.

2. TUT Ranks First Nationwide for 14 Consecutive Years with 79 Finalists at the 2024 Golden Pin Design Award – Young Designers’ Exhibition

At the 2024 Golden Pin Design Award – Young Designers’ Exhibition, Tainan University of Technology (TUT) achieved an outstanding milestone with 79 shortlisted works, ranking first nationwide for the 14th consecutive year.

This year’s competition attracted 4,974 submissions from 116 departments across 55 universities nationwide. After a rigorous preliminary review, 608 works were selected as finalists and awarded the Golden Pin Young Designers’ Nominee Award. Ultimately, 134 exceptional works stood out in the final round, among which the Golden Pin Young Designers’ Best Design of the Year Award represents the highest recognition by the jury.

According to the award results announced on May 26, 2024, TUT received a total of 17 awards. Notably, the Department of Interior Design won the Best Design of the Year Award in the Spatial Design category with the project “Urban Pastoral: Rules and Transformations of a New Residential Revolution.” In addition, the Department of Multimedia Animation won a Design Award in the Digital Image Design category with “Sweet Loop,” the Department of Product Design received a Design Award in the Craft Design category with “Jade Refinement,” and the Department of Visual Communication Design earned a Design Award in the Industry–Academia Collaboration category with “Liú Study Diary.”

The award-winning spatial design project “Urban Pastoral: Rules and Transformations of a New Residential Revolution,” supervised by Professor Chang Tsai-Juan, was created by students Wu Meng-Jia and Hung Chia-Man. Selected from 27 shortlisted teams nationwide, the project received the highest honor in the Spatial Design category. The design proposes a modular, reconfigurable mobile housing system that responds to contemporary lifestyles characterized by frequent mobility and changing residential needs.

President Yang Cheng-Hung noted that the Golden Pin Young Designers’ Award is an annual flagship event in Taiwan’s design education sector, showcasing graduating students’ works from design-related departments nationwide while providing industry professionals with opportunities to identify emerging talent. He emphasized the competition’s strict and impartial evaluation process, in which all identifying information—including student names, advisors, and institutions—is removed during the judging phase. TUT’s achievement of ranking first nationwide for 14 consecutive years demonstrates the consistently high caliber of its students’ design capabilities.

As a teaching-oriented university of science and technology, Tainan University of Technology is the only technological university in Taiwan with a College of Arts, with 23 departments directly related to cultural and creative industries. Its strong foundation in the humanities and arts, combined with interdisciplinary integration across colleges, has naturally shaped a distinctive creative focus, positioning TUT as one of Taiwan’s most representative universities in cultural and creative education. The University also actively incorporates industry professionals into practice-oriented courses, promotes summer-term programs, and enables students to begin industry internships earlier in their senior year. Furthermore, TUT regularly invites internationally renowned scholars and experts to lecture and teach on campus, helping students stay attuned to global trends and enhance their international mobility.

President Yang further remarked that Taiwan’s industrial development has evolved from an emphasis on technology to management, and now increasingly recognizes that high-quality design significantly enhances product value. While design plays a crucial role in everyday life—impacting convenience, safety, efficiency, and well-being—it is often underestimated. As Taiwanese society continues to move toward greater refinement and sophistication, the design field will be presented with new and expanded opportunities for future development.

3. Li Yifeng, a rising star in the beauty department of TUT, won the double championship of world body painting

Li Yifeng, a student from the Department of Beauty and Styling Design at TUT in Taiwan, made a splash in the “Creative Makeup” category of the World Bodypainting Festival 2024 held in Austria on the 20th and won the world championship! and won the championship in the “Drag Queen Makeup” project on the 21st. The double championship in hand is a testament to Taiwan’s makeup capabilities that should not be underestimated, and through this world-class important event, Taiwan has once again been seen by the world!

Through the Austrian World Body Painting Competition, Li Yifeng of TUT showed his super strength in self-makeup, hair and self-performance. Whether it was performing on stage or telling his creative philosophy in front of the judges, he always showed confidence and professionalism, and finally won the championship with an absolute advantage in the “Creative Makeup” project, with only 1 point difference from the second, third, fourth, and fifth places, while Li Yifeng was far ahead of the second place with a difference of 8 points, winning the unanimous praise and favor of the on-site judges. Later, in the “Drag Queen Makeup” project, he once again showed his unique and irreplaceable style and confidence, winning the second gold medal with his original and exquisite artistic masterpieces, and the unique “maple” charm and charm he showed when he received the award twice were unparalleled, conquering the audience.

According to Lin Shiyin, head of the school’s beauty department, Li Yifeng entered the department last year (2023) through the technical advancement channel. Upon enrollment, he immediately demonstrated exceptional makeup skills and rich physical performance abilities. As soon as the school started in September 2023, he made an appearance at the school’s October celebration event. In order to celebrate the opening of the department’s fashion gallery, the Department of Beauty invited Li Yifeng to do her own makeup and perform on the catwalk. In the first semester of his freshman year, he planned to participate in international competitions and actively applied for opportunities for higher education scholarships on campus and opportunities to train athletes in the department.

Due to his excellent academic and professional skills, he was successfully awarded scholarships and training qualifications, and then devoted himself to competition training. Furthermore, Li Yifeng has developed a strong interest in makeup since junior high school. Although he had not yet grasped the essence of it at the time, and was repeatedly looked at by men’s makeup, he was never afraid. With the full support of his mother, he chose to enter the beauty department of Shude Family Business and started the road to professional makeup. Li Yifeng let him re-understand himself through the makeup process and results, and also fell in love with him who worked hard, confident and dared to show himself. He thanked his mother for her support, calling her the strongest backing.

As for the leader of the expedition and one of the instructors, Shen Shizhan said with a smile that Yifeng’s original personality is a child who is deeply confident and believes that positive thinking will achieve everything. It made the whole team laugh, and after winning the award, he vowed: “I want to win another gold medal in today’s drag queen project!” In the end, his words were completely transformed into reality and glory. Shen Shizhan also said that Yifeng is not only the only boy among the six participating students in the entire team, but also the only one in this world-class competition who has not found a foreign model. Because he believes that his body represents authentic Taiwanese, he wants to bring his body to tell everyone, we are very proud, we are from Taiwan.

Li Yifeng won the world championship this time, allowing Taiwan to be seen on the international stage again. The host of the award ceremony excitedly emphasized that this was a victory from a distant land. Li Yifeng, who is only 19 years old this year, has made the Taiwanese flag fly on the stage of world-renowned makeup competitions with his excellent professional skills. It is foreseeable that this is just the beginning of Li Yifeng, the Department of Beauty and Styling Design of Nanying University, and the strength of Taiwan’s makeup – Lin Shiyin, the head of the department, said with confidence: “We are going to rock the Makeup World.”

4. The 2023 Golden Pin Rookie Design Award ranked first in the country in terms of the number of shortlisted pieces for 13 consecutive years