SDG4
2025 Grand Challenge: Taiwan SDGs English Poster Competition — NCKU Students Showcase Global Perspectives
To cultivate globally competitive talent equipped with insight into Taiwan’s issues and the ability to connect them with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) launched the 2025 Grand Challenge: Taiwan SDGs English Poster Competition. The event attracted enthusiastic participation from across Taiwan, with 115 teams from 41 universities submitting entries. Through creative interpretation of global challenges, students demonstrated their understanding of the SDGs and expressed their ideas with an international mindset.
The competition encouraged students to apply knowledge from their courses to design creative posters in English, offering their perspectives and solutions to SDG-related issues. By using an international language, participants were able to enhance their critical thinking and communication skills. The competition was open to both undergraduate and graduate (Master’s and PhD) students from public and private universities in Taiwan, including international students. Generous awards were provided: First Prize winners in each division received NT$50,000 and a certificate, along with awards for Best Social Impact, Most Popular Online, and Honorable Mentions. The event aimed to inspire students to think globally, care about society, and speak up for change.
During his opening remarks, Dr. Yueh-Heng Li, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Executive Director of Bilingual Education at NCKU, welcomed participants on behalf of the university. He shared that the competition received 115 submissions from students across 41 schools, each showcasing young learners’ passion for global issues and their impressive ability to articulate complex ideas in a foreign language. Dr. Li emphasized that the SDGs—17 core global goals adopted under the UN 2030 Agenda—serve as a framework for governments, local institutions, corporations, and civil societies to work toward sustainable, inclusive, and equitable development for all.
He further noted that the competition not only required entries in English poster format, but also allowed cross-university and cross-disciplinary teams, encouraging diverse perspectives. Students proposed solutions to major global issues such as poverty, clean energy, climate action, education, and health by understanding and analyzing all 17 SDGs. Through a combination of posters, videos, and presentations, participants creatively conveyed messages of meaningful impact.
A panel of professional judges was invited to evaluate the entries, focusing not only on the final product but also the reflection, effort, and reasoning behind each submission. The outstanding quality of the works presented made the decision-making process extremely challenging. After multiple rounds of review and discussion, the finalists were selected. The goal of the competition was to encourage students to approach global issues from a Taiwanese perspective, conduct topic-based research in English, and develop both critical thinking and action-oriented skills to face global challenges.
Among the graduate-level teams, Yi-Hsuan Huang, Shih-Hsiu Chen, and Yi-Ting Lee from NCKU’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering presented a project on using thermoelectric energy sources for health monitoring. It was their first time participating in an English poster competition, and they spent over a month preparing. They shared that the judges’ insightful questions made the experience especially valuable. Another NCKU team, Chia-Wei Hsu and You-Hsuan Lin from the Department of Geomatics, spent one to two months preparing their project on a low-exposure, health-oriented routing system. As first-time participants in an English-language competition, they noted that presenting technical content in English was a challenge, but the experience differed significantly from academic seminars—requiring not only precision but also substance and impact.
The first prize in the graduate division went to the team “The Endless Sponge”, composed of Yi-Jui Yeh from National Taiwan University and Chia-Hung Lin from National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, both from chemical engineering backgrounds. Their project on a biomimetic green-energy sponge was praised for its innovation. They expressed appreciation for the judges and the opportunity to hear presentations from diverse fields, noting how the range of disciplines broadened their own perspectives. In the undergraduate division, Ya-Chu Chang from Tzu Chi University took home first prize with her project “Little Medical Student.” Her work focused on integrating Taiwan’s National Health Insurance system with AI to enhance its mechanisms while preserving its legacy. Her policy-oriented proposal emphasized reinforcing social structures in pursuit of a sustainable society.
The competition encouraged students to apply knowledge from their courses to design creative posters in English, offering their perspectives and solutions to SDG-related issues. By using an international language, participants were able to enhance their critical thinking and communication skills. The competition was open to both undergraduate and graduate (Master’s and PhD) students from public and private universities in Taiwan, including international students. Generous awards were provided: First Prize winners in each division received NT$50,000 and a certificate, along with awards for Best Social Impact, Most Popular Online, and Honorable Mentions. The event aimed to inspire students to think globally, care about society, and speak up for change.
During his opening remarks, Dr. Yueh-Heng Li, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Executive Director of Bilingual Education at NCKU, welcomed participants on behalf of the university. He shared that the competition received 115 submissions from students across 41 schools, each showcasing young learners’ passion for global issues and their impressive ability to articulate complex ideas in a foreign language. Dr. Li emphasized that the SDGs—17 core global goals adopted under the UN 2030 Agenda—serve as a framework for governments, local institutions, corporations, and civil societies to work toward sustainable, inclusive, and equitable development for all.
He further noted that the competition not only required entries in English poster format, but also allowed cross-university and cross-disciplinary teams, encouraging diverse perspectives. Students proposed solutions to major global issues such as poverty, clean energy, climate action, education, and health by understanding and analyzing all 17 SDGs. Through a combination of posters, videos, and presentations, participants creatively conveyed messages of meaningful impact.
A panel of professional judges was invited to evaluate the entries, focusing not only on the final product but also the reflection, effort, and reasoning behind each submission. The outstanding quality of the works presented made the decision-making process extremely challenging. After multiple rounds of review and discussion, the finalists were selected. The goal of the competition was to encourage students to approach global issues from a Taiwanese perspective, conduct topic-based research in English, and develop both critical thinking and action-oriented skills to face global challenges.
Among the graduate-level teams, Yi-Hsuan Huang, Shih-Hsiu Chen, and Yi-Ting Lee from NCKU’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering presented a project on using thermoelectric energy sources for health monitoring. It was their first time participating in an English poster competition, and they spent over a month preparing. They shared that the judges’ insightful questions made the experience especially valuable. Another NCKU team, Chia-Wei Hsu and You-Hsuan Lin from the Department of Geomatics, spent one to two months preparing their project on a low-exposure, health-oriented routing system. As first-time participants in an English-language competition, they noted that presenting technical content in English was a challenge, but the experience differed significantly from academic seminars—requiring not only precision but also substance and impact.
The first prize in the graduate division went to the team “The Endless Sponge”, composed of Yi-Jui Yeh from National Taiwan University and Chia-Hung Lin from National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, both from chemical engineering backgrounds. Their project on a biomimetic green-energy sponge was praised for its innovation. They expressed appreciation for the judges and the opportunity to hear presentations from diverse fields, noting how the range of disciplines broadened their own perspectives. In the undergraduate division, Ya-Chu Chang from Tzu Chi University took home first prize with her project “Little Medical Student.” Her work focused on integrating Taiwan’s National Health Insurance system with AI to enhance its mechanisms while preserving its legacy. Her policy-oriented proposal emphasized reinforcing social structures in pursuit of a sustainable society.
To cultivate globally competitive talents with the ability to understand Taiwan’s key issues and connect them with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), NCKU is hosting the “2025 Grand Challenge: Taiwan SDGs English Poster Competition.”
Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Yueh-Heng Li, remarked that the competition presented a high level of difficulty, yet it clearly demonstrated the students’ understanding of global issues and reflected the international perspectives of today’s young generation.
The competition invited a panel of professional judges to evaluate the entries, placing emphasis on the reflections and efforts behind each work.
This competition not only took the form of English-language posters, but also encouraged cross-departmental and cross-university team collaboration. By engaging deeply with the 17 core Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), students proposed diverse ideas based on their own understanding and interpretation of the goals.
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