Assistant Professor Chen GoYen of Ming Chuan University Commercial Design Department achieved international recognition at the 18th Russia GOLDEN TURTLE International Eco-Poster Design Competition (2025). His works, 《Ocean Trapped》 and 《Plastic Landscape》, won the Jury Special Awards in the categories of “Ecological Issues” and “Wildlife Conservation”, respectively. Both pieces were exhibited at the New Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, bringing further international acclaim to Taiwan’s design community.
The GOLDEN TURTLE International Eco-Poster Design Competition is one of the world’s premier ecological art events, organized by the Russian charitable foundation “My Equator” and officially supported by the Russian Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology, and the Russian Geographical Society. It is also part of the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity official programs.
Each year, the competition attracts participants from over 100 countries, submitting thousands of works, with a cumulative total exceeding 100,000 entries. It is often called the “Olympics of Ecological Art” due to its prestige and international impact.
In the 2025 edition, the Eco-Poster category received 1,683 entries from 96 countries, with only 30 works selected for exhibition, yielding an acceptance rate of less than 2%, making it one of the most competitive events in ecological design worldwide.
Chen GoYen, Assistant Professor at Ming Chuan University, achieved a remarkable feat by winning Special Jury Awards in two categories: “Ecological Issues” and “Wildlife Protection”. Impressively, he had four works selected for exhibition, the most of any designer that year.
His works utilize AI-generated techniques to fuse symbols and explore the tension between human civilization and natural ecosystems:
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Ocean Trapped – Depicts whales and fish entangled in fishing nets, symbolizing marine life trapped by plastics and pollution.
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Plastic Landscape – Uses folded plastic bags to form mountain imagery, reflecting environmental deformation caused by industrial consumption.
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City – Transforms wood cross-sections into urban skylines, contrasting natural resources with urban development.
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Evolution of Species – Arranges plastic bottles into fish scale patterns, suggesting artificial objects becoming a “new species” in the ecological chain.
These works employ precise visual language to evoke awareness of environmental crises, aligning with UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially Climate Action and Responsible Consumption and Production.
Chen GoYen remarked: “Design is not just about creativity—it carries social responsibility. When the world is bound by overdevelopment and overconsumption, design should be a language that rethinks humanity’s relationship with nature.”
Ming Chuan University’s Department of Commercial Design emphasized that Chen’s international achievements highlight the department’s philosophy of integrating theory, practice, and global perspective, cultivating students who create works that resonate with the world while addressing real societal issues.