Year-3 BA-MDIT Students shortlisted for the 2026 iF DESIGN STUDENT AWARD
 

Congratulations to a team of Year-3 students of the BA (Hons) in Media Design and Immersive Technology (MDIT) programme at the Department of Journalism and Communication, HKSYU — Gongyue Chen, Yuer Tang and Zexuan Han — together with Siyu Yang from The University of New South Wales, whose project “Escape Guard” has been selected for the Shortlist of 300 entries out of about 7,000 submitted concepts in the 2026 iF DESIGN STUDENT AWARD! The project is entered under the category 09 Industry, Innovation + Infrastructure. The team is coached by Dr. Dina Ding, Assistant Professor at the Department of Journalism and Communication, HKSYU.

 

 

 

Their creative work titled “Escape Guard”, which is inspired by the courses IDP301 Creative Media Project and MDIT310 Asset Creation for VR/AR. As Hong Kong residents and media design students, the student team was deeply affected by the tragic fire at Wang Fu Court in Tai Po on 26 November 2025, which claimed 168 lives. Survivors’ accounts repeatedly highlighted how dense smoke in high-rise corridors drastically reduces visibility, creates intense psychological fear, and causes many, especially the elderly and children, to miss the critical window for escape.

 

 

“Escape Guard” is a low-cost AR visualization fire escape mask designed specifically for high-rise buildings. It integrates UWB precise positioning, AprilTag visual markers and NFC communication to deliver real-time navigation even in dense smoke. With AR directional arrows, multilingual voice guidance and vibration feedback, the system provides intuitive support for all users. Costing under US$60 and featuring an elastic, buttonless design with replaceable components, it is intended for wide deployment in buildings to significantly improve survival rates during emergencies.

 

 

About the iF DESIGN STUDENT AWARD

 

The iF DESIGN STUDENT AWARD, often called the "Oscar of the design industry, is one of the world’s premier design awards for students and recent graduates. It gives young creators a major international platform to present concepts that solve real-world social problems. There are more than 7,000 entries annually from around the globe, organised into categories according to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 1–15). Through a rigorous two-step jury process, the top 300 concepts advance to the Final Jury. The best entries share a total of EUR 50,000 in prize money and receive lasting international recognition through the iF Design website, exhibitions, PR support and more. For more information: https://ifdesign.com/en/if-design-student-award.