Yantai 8th College Student Innovation & Creativity Oriented Challenge Successfully Concludes

Source: Jiaodong Online Reporter: Lu Weixia

Youth Dare to Venture, Dreams dare to Create! On December 20th, the Finals and Award Ceremony of the Yantai 8th College Student Innovation & Creativity Oriented Challenge were held at Yantai Engineering & Technology College, marking the successful conclusion of the two-month-long competition.

This year's competition innovatively adopted a dual-track system: the "Dream Creation Group" and the "Rising Star Group," providing a broad stage for students with different strengths. Since its launch, the event has attracted active participation from over 9,000 students forming more than 1,800 teams across 19 universities in Yantai. The "Dream Creation Group" focused on short video creativity, completing all rounds of judging on December 17th after five intense rounds of competition. The "Rising Star Group," placing greater emphasis on commercial practice and systematic operations, went through preliminary and semi-final rounds, ultimately leading to 11 elite teams advancing to the final roadshow stage.

At the finals, the 11 "Rising Star Group" teams delivered impressive roadshow presentations centered on the panorama of business growth. They systematically demonstrated a complete business closed loop, from marketing planning and live-streaming presentation to operational optimization and growth strategy, showcasing solid professional skills and keen business insight. Facing incisive questions from a panel of judges comprising university professors, industry professionals, and media representatives, the contestants responded with composure and wit, fully reflecting the innovative spirit and critical thinking skills of contemporary college students. The judging panel conducted rigorous and impartial comprehensive evaluations based on multiple dimensions, including business logic, data operations, on-site performance, growth potential, and proposal compliance.

After fierce competition, Yantai Gold College's "Golden Sunshine Team" won the first prize in the Rising Star Group of this year's competition. Shandong Technology and Business University's "Deep Hidden Blue Team," Yantai University's "Cherish Not the Past" team, and Yantai University's "Handle with Ease" team won the first prize in the Dream Creation Group.

Yantai City College of Science and Technology's "I'm Number One" team and Yantai Engineering & Technology College's "Egglet Squad Team" won the second prize in the Rising Star Group. Yantai Vocational College of Culture and Tourism's "Naming is Hard Team," Yantai Health Vocational College's "Wealth from All Directions Team," Yantai Institute of Technology's "You Can't Outdo Us Team," Yantai Vocational College of Culture and Tourism's "Gold Medal Live-Streaming Team," and Yantai Preschool Education College's "Break Through" team were awarded the second prize in the Dream Creation Group.

Binzhou Medical University's "Since We're Here Team," Yantai Vocational College's "Cloud Product Selection Team," and Yantai Vocational College's "Youth Chasing Dreams Team" were honored with the third prize in the Rising Star Group. Yantai Health Vocational College's "π Team," Yantai City College of Science and Technology's "We Want First Team," Yantai Health Vocational College's "No Complaints Team," Yantai Engineering & Technology College's "Wisdom Star Team," Yantai Health Vocational College's "Ingenious Ideas Team," Yantai Institute of Technology's "Five Members, One Mastermind Team," Yantai University's "Full Firepower Team," Yantai Vocational College's "Five Force Team," Yantai University's "Octonauts Team," and Yantai Vocational College of Culture and Tourism's "Youth Innovation Drive Team" received the third prize in the Dream Creation Group.

Additionally, Yantai Engineering & Technology College's "Octonauts Team," Shandong College of Traditional Chinese Medicine's "Smooth Selling All the Way Team," Yantai Preschool Education College's "Five-Kernel Team," Qingdao Agricultural University Haidu College's "Soaring Dreams with Wings Group," and China Agricultural University Yantai Research Institute's "Agricultural Experts Team" received the Most Potential Award in the Rising Star Group. Ten universities, including Yantai University and Ludong University, were recognized with the Outstanding Organization Award. Twenty participants were honored with the title of Yantai College Student "Youth Experience Ambassador."

Quan Dongyang, a member of this year's competition committee, finals judge, and E-commerce director at Yantai Yipaijihe Culture Media Technology Co., Ltd., gave high praise to the event and the participants' performance. He noted that the most prominent feature of this competition was truly handing the "scoring" power to consumers and the market. Data shows that during the event, participating teams created over 7,000 short videos and conducted nearly 1,000 live-streaming sessions, with short video exposures reaching a cumulative 50 million views and live streams reaching 12 million viewers. "This competition format, guided by real traffic and conversions, significantly enhanced students' business thinking and practical abilities," Quan said. "Many teams have demonstrated a comprehensive operational chain awareness and a good sensitivity to data , from positioning and product selection to content planning and live-stream execution. This is not just a competition but a 'real-world training exercise' closely aligned with the industry."

Through eight editions of meticulous cultivation, the Yantai Innovation & Creativity Oriented Challenge has evolved  into one of the city's most influential university "Innovation and Entrepreneurship" brand activities. Statistics indicate that the competition has cumulatively attracted nearly 10,000 teams and over 50,000 college students. Its brand influence and platform cohesion continue to grow. Tens of thousands of young students have ignited their innovative spirit, honed their practical skills, and taken crucial steps towards entrepreneurial paths through this platform. It has effectively contributed to the vibrant development of the innovation and entrepreneurship education ecosystem in Yantai's universities, injecting a continuous stream of youthful dynamism into the city's innovation-driven development.