At the recently concluded World Stage Design 2025 (WSD2025), awards were presented to Tan Ze’en, a faculty member of the CAD’s Department of Stage Design, and to Luo Yazhuo, Liu Haiyong, and Ma Lianqing, alumni of the same department. Their achievements included a Silver Award in the Space & Objects category, as well as Gold, Silver, and Bronze Awards in the Performance Design category, bringing international recognition to Chinese stage design.

Professor Liu Xinglin of the Department of Stage Design was invited to serve as an international juror for WSD2025. His work was also featured in a special exhibition area dedicated to members of the jury at the center of the exhibition hall. This marked the second time he had served as a juror for this prestigious international event.

World Stage Design (WSD), initiated and organized by the OISTAT, is the first and only international exhibition of stage design that accepts submissions from individual designers. Held once every four years, WSD alternates with the Prague Quadrennial (PQ), creating a major international stage design event every two years.

The sixth edition of WSD opened on October 18, 2025, in Sharjah. The organizing committee selected 100 finalist projects from submissions representing more than thirty countries and regions worldwide for exhibition at the Sharjah Performing Arts Academy, from which the award-winning works were chosen.

The Department of Stage Design at the Central Academy of Drama has long attached great importance to international exchange and collaboration. Since the 1980s, the department has actively participated in and organized international academic activities related to stage design. In recent years, an increasing number of faculty members and alumni have gained visibility on international platforms and attracted widespread attention from the global stage design community. These achievements have played an important role in enhancing the international academic influence of Chinese stage design.