Recently, the winners of the 2026 iF Design Award were announced worldwide. The ecological science communication IP character “Northeast Cute Beasts,” designed by a team led by Associate Professor Gong Liming from NEFU’s College of Humanities and Law, was awarded the 2026 iF Design Award.

Founded in 1953 and organized by iF International Forum Design, the iF Design Award promotes excellence in design and upholds the principles of objectivity and fairness. It is widely recognized as one of the world’s most prestigious design awards, alongside Germany’s Red Dot Award and the United States’ IDEA Award. Renowned for its rigorous evaluation system and international jury, the award assesses entries across multiple dimensions, including innovation, functionality, social value, and design presentation. For the 2026 edition, an independent jury of 129 leading international experts in design and sustainability conducted a rigorous, transparent evaluation and selection process among more than 10,000 submissions.

The award-winning ecological science-communication IP character “Northeast Cute Beasts” is guided by the vision of “turning science into fairy tales and making conservation a trend.” The initial series features five ecologically significant “keystone species” from Northeast China-the Siberian tiger, Amur leopard, reindeer, roe deer, and black bear-stylized as adorable mascot characters named “Hu Weiwei,” “Bao Xiaoqi,” “Lu Binbin,” “Pao Hanhan,” and “Xiong Dali.” The project incorporates seasonal scene designs for winter and summer, integrates distinctive regional characteristics of Heilongjiang Province, and promotes the philosophy that “Lucid Waters and Lush Mountains are Invaluable Assets.” It has established an integrated three-component science-communication framework combining cultural and creative products, illustrated books, and short videos, thereby building an immersive and engaging science-communication brand. Before this recognition, the project won the First Prize in the Innovation Category and the “Most Distinctive NEFU Project” Award at the 6th NEFU Alumni Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition in 2025. It has also received extensive media coverage, including multiple features on Heilongjiang TV’s flagship news program.