The 11th Maker China (Hangzhou) Competition concluded in East China's Zhejiang Province on Thursday, with 25 projects winning awards in fields ranging from optical core chips to 4D world modeling.

The contest, part of the Zhejiang Outstanding Projects SME Innovation and Entrepreneurship series, attracted 372 entries and staged 18 roadshows over two months. 

The 11th Maker China (Hangzhou) Competition concludes in Zhejiang Province, July 30, 2026. (Photo: China News Service)

Deputy Director Li Mingsong of Hangzhou's Bureau of Economy and Information Technology said the event has supported 844 enterprises over 11 years, with 492 growing into provincial-level “specialized, sophisticated, unique and innovative” firms and 108 recognized as national “little giants.”

This year’s competition featured more hard tech projects, with AI entries doubling. Regional sub contests were held in five industrial clusters.

More than 70 professional judges took part in the evaluation, while multiple parties offered financial backing. Hangzhou will continue to support winning projects via favorable policies and resource matchmaking.