Zhang Ci (USA)
First Prize
Author Bio:
Zhang Ci is a Chinese-American female writer and documentary filmmaker. She graduated from the Chinese Department of Yunnan University and joined the Yunnan Branch of the China Writers Association in 1982. She currently resides in Los Angeles, USA. Zhang Ci has received numerous awards for her literary and film works and has published the novel Wandering America, the short story collection Consolation, and nonfiction works including 1968, The Pocket of Silicon Valley and American Women.
Her documentary films have been screened at Stanford University, Waseda University in Japan, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Zhang Ci’s documentary Wandering Beijing is archived in the libraries of Harvard University, University of California, Berkeley, the Pacific Archives, and the U.S. Library of Congress.
Award-Winning Work: Bank / Ambition of the Confederation (60 episodes)
Story Synopsis:
Bank (Ambition of the Confederation) is an urban crime series centered on the mysterious West Coast organization “The Confederation” and its founder Joseph Fernandez. The story unfolds in San Jose, a city rife with drugs, gangs, violent crime, and power struggles. Joseph, once an apprentice and son-in-law to billionaire and city hero B-MAN, rises to power after his mentor is murdered, skillfully navigating the criminal underworld and financial corruption to become the leader of “The Confederation.”
The plot begins with the killing of city hero B-MAN, prompting Joseph to uncover the complex web of interests among various forces. The series depicts the struggle between a city hero, gangs, and financial villains, focusing on Joseph’s covert identity and his interactions with the police, criminal organizations, and moral dilemmas regarding loyalty and identity.
Amber Kramer, a doctor at San Jose City Hospital and Joseph’s wife, appears to live a calm life on the surface, but beneath it lies a turbulent undercurrent. Amber and her friend, nurse Catherine Portman, become entangled in gang conflicts. Catherine’s boyfriend, Android, is killed for allegedly stealing Bitcoin from gang leader Kadinov, leaving Catherine traumatized and fearful.
Meanwhile, as leader of “The Confederation,” Joseph must manage conflicts both inside and outside the organization while protecting his wife and her friends. Using his intelligence and ruthless methods, he gradually gains control. However, Kadinov’s son vows revenge and seeks to disrupt the delicate balance between the legal and criminal worlds maintained by “The Confederation.” Joseph must navigate multiple powers, defend his organization, and prevent harm to his family and friends.
The series not only portrays brutal gang conflicts but also explores the emotional and psychological struggles of female characters such as Amber and Catherine, highlighting the difficult choices people face in dangerous, complex situations. With a tightly-paced narrative and continuous suspense, the story examines humanity, power, and life-and-death struggles.
Professional Review:
The series follows the protagonist’s double life navigating both legal and illegal realms, depicting a high-stakes power game where urban gangs intersect with financial crime. The plot is fast-paced, characters are vivid and multidimensional, and the show combines intense action with psychological depth. It delivers strong realism, emotional tension, and entertainment value, making it highly watchable with significant market potential and blockbuster potential.
Wang Fei (China)
Second Prize
Author Bio:
Wang Fei lives in Heilongjiang Province, China. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Anhui University of Finance and Economics. She earned a graduate degree in Literary Arts from Dongguk University in South Korea, specializing in TV drama writing, theater creation, and novel writing, graduating with excellent results. During her graduate studies, she provided Chinese-language polishing for the script of the Chinese TV drama Youth for Korea HQ Entertainment Company..
Award-Winning Work: Lure Him into the Trap (60 episodes)
Story Synopsis:
Li Kangkang places three million RMB in cash before Xia Jian. Seeing the money, Xia Jian immediately changes her previously disdainful attitude, as Li Kangkang appears to be a frail, sickly woman. What Xia Jian does not know is that this three million is only the first step of a plan devised by Li Kangkang and Yuan Pei to take revenge.
The story begins with Xia Jian, a psychologist, who not only had an affair with the minor celebrity Gu Shanshan but also secretly transferred all marital assets elsewhere. To reclaim her wealth and punish the unfaithful man, Xia Jian’s wife, Yuan Pei, enlists her friend Li Kangkang in the U.S. Li Kangkang loses thirty pounds to convincingly pose as a patient with anorexia and enters Xia Jian’s home under the pretense of seeking treatment.
Xia Jian hides the three million in a villa unknown to Yuan Pei. Yuan Pei follows, searching for the transferred marital assets, and nearly gets caught. In the chaos, she falls while climbing a wall and injures her leg. She encounters Dr. Gu, who takes her to his private hospital and tends to her injury.
Li Kangkang deliberately seduces Xia Jian, claiming to be the heir of the overseas Gu family, terminally ill, seeking one passionate love affair before death. Xia Jian begins to waver. While Xia Jian is away, Li Kangkang and Yuan Pei secretly eat a local delicacy at home. Caught by Xia Jian, Li Kangkang claims she just wanted to try it, then pretends to vomit. Suspicious, Xia Jian suggests a full medical check-up for Li Kangkang.
Afraid of being exposed, Yuan Pei confesses the entire plan to Dr. Gu. Though initially reluctant, Yuan Pei injures herself with a surgical knife to pressure him into participation, and Dr. Gu agrees.
Dr. Gu presents himself as the Gu family’s personal doctor, proving that Li Kangkang is indeed the family heir with credible credentials, including U.S. medical school degrees, the family’s address, and servant names. This surprises Li Kangkang and Yuan Pei, while convincing Xia Jian of her legitimacy.
Meanwhile, Gu Shanshan, pregnant with Xia Jian’s child, suffers abdominal pain and visits the hospital. Xia Jian ignores her calls while entangled with Li Kangkang. Gu Shanshan’s brother, revealed to be Dr. Gu, helps save the child. It turns out Gu Shanshan is the true heiress, and Dr. Gu is the heir of the family fortune.
Finally, Li Kangkang claims she will marry Xia Jian but needs her grandfather’s approval, tricking Xia Jian into transferring twenty million RMB to a fake contract prepared by Li Kangkang and Yuan Pei.
After realizing the truth, Xia Jian regrets everything: she has lost the real heiress and her devoted wife Yuan Pei. Dr. Gu begins courting Yuan Pei, and together, Yuan Pei, Li Kangkang, and Gu Shanshan use the twenty million to establish a women’s foundation, helping other women.
Professional Review:
This series intertwines revenge and romance, featuring dramatic twists and layered plot reversals. Characters are well-developed, with clear growth arcs for female roles, highlighting intelligence, courage, and emotional awakening. Centered on themes of “punishing unfaithful men” and “women uniting,” it resonates with contemporary social discussions about women, making it a high-quality urban suspense micro-drama that balances entertainment and values.
Zhong Mei (USA)
Second Prize
Author Bio:
Zhong Mei, pen name Zhong Meixi, holds a Master’s degree in Literary Arts. She is a member of the Art Committee of the Chinese Writers Association in the United States and a member of the Northwest Chinese Writers Association. Formerly the chief editor, head screenwriter, and producer at Hubei Radio and Television, she has won the National First Prize for Outstanding Column Drama and Best Screenwriter Award. Her scripts were included in the Jing Shi Story Collection series.
In 2024, she published the novel Drifting Like Clouds, depicting the life upheavals and personal reflections of overseas Chinese during the pandemic; it is archived at Ohio State University. Her work Chinese Vase won the Best IP Award at the 2nd International Chinese Original IP Film Festival. My American Rebirth won second prize at the inaugural Global Micro-Series Film and Television Awards. In 2025, she published a bilingual poetry collection, Thoughts of May. Many of her essays have appeared in Huaren, Sing Tao Daily, World Journal, and other magazines, newspapers, and online platforms..
Award-Winning Work: My American Rebirth (60 episodes)
Story Synopsis:
My American Rebirth tells the story of Su Shan, the eldest daughter of an ancient Chinese general’s household, who transmigrates into the body of modern American woman Susan. Determined to rebuild the original owner’s weak and chaotic life, she embarks on a series of challenges that highlight female growth and a unique blend of Eastern and Western cultural elements.
Su Shan, the eldest daughter of a Chinese general’s family, is deceived by her stepmother and falls from the city tower at age seventeen while her father is away on a military campaign. During the fall, she unexpectedly transmigrates into the body of Susan, a modern woman in America.
Susan is a minor Hollywood actress who once had a one-night affair with Joe, son of the wealthy Smith family, giving birth to a daughter, Carol, whom she abandons to Joe. After receiving a large sum of money from Joe, Susan lives a chaotic and decadent life. Eventually, after being deceived by her boyfriend and losing all her money, she attempts suicide by jumping into a pool. Su Shan arrives in her body at the moment Joe rescues Susan and performs CPR, discovering the harsh reality: not only is she in debt and destitute, but she also has a six-year-old daughter.
Returning to the rented apartment, Su Shan finds overdue rent notices and the threat of eviction. Joe temporarily helps by paying the landlord, and Su Shan promptly writes an IOU to repay the debt.
Lily, daughter of the Smith family’s housekeeper Kathy and aspiring to marry into wealth, warns Susan not to interfere with her relationship with Joe and offers Susan a stunt double opportunity. To gain independence, Susan must first repay Joe. On set, she undertakes dangerous stunts while facing bullying from Lily. Carol, lacking maternal care, begins to develop psychological issues. Joe manipulates the situation to persuade Susan to accept his proposal to supervise Carol for three months.
Three months later, at a grand banquet for the great-grandmother, a crowd of socialites gathers. As Lily assumes Carol is hiding in embarrassment, Carol unexpectedly appears, holding a rattle and singing The Sounds of Literacy, impressing the family. The great-grandmother joyfully entrusts the family’s Asian business operations to Joe.
Meanwhile, an international kung-fu film, produced by Rick, is seeking a female lead. Lily bribes the director, believing the role is hers. However, Rick recalls Susan’s impressive performance against a gang of small-time thugs and considers her the better choice.
One year later, Susan wins the Best Newcomer Award. At the ceremony, Lily brings Carol to expose her as an illegitimate child, but Susan proudly introduces Carol as her daughter, shocking Lily. Afterward, Joe watches Susan drive away in Rick’s car with Carol, feeling wistful.
Finally, Joe returns to the bar where he first met Susan. Her friend Jessie hands him a check from Susan. Joe runs outside to find Susan smiling with Carol in hand. Joe opens his arms, and they reunite.
Professional Review:
My American Rebirth uses the “time-travel” motif to bring a Chinese noblewoman into modern America. Through the cultural clash and identity transformation, it explores themes of maternal awakening, personal reinvention, and overcoming adversity. The series is well-constructed, fast-paced, and demonstrates mature screenwriting skills, balancing market appeal, entertainment value, and meaningful life lessons, making it a high-quality urban micro-drama series.
Weng Yishui (Mainland China)
Third Prize
Author Bio:
Writer and screenwriter. Member of the Guangdong Writers Association and Guangdong Film Association. He has contributed as a screenwriter to numerous TV series, including Huang Feihong (30 episodes, Guangdong Pica King), Jingwu Hero (30 episodes, Guangdong Pica King), Prince Gong (40 episodes, Shanghai Tian Shi), Family Ties (60 episodes, Shanghai Tian Shi), Conspiracy (24 episodes, Beijing Changjiang Film), and Blood of Heroes (25 episodes, Guangdong Lingnan Film).
Published novels include Struggle, Journey of Death, and Praising Bao Gong. His film script Struggle appeared in the film section of Chinese Writers magazine. From 2007–2009, he served as the chief screenwriter for Night Passion on Guangdong TV's Zhujiang Channel, creating over 40 episodes. He also wrote several high-rating film scripts, including Cheat Within a Cheat, for Guangdong TV’s 8MM. He wrote the public service film My Past and Present Lives for Guangzhou Sanbao Cultural Company, and the 30-episode TV series Glorious Years for Shenzhen Huan Ying Media (Yue [A] No. 139).
Other works include the 30-episode Qing dynasty drama Qing Dynasty Strange Cases, the 30-episode early Republican TV series Fragrant Soul, the original 36-episode Red Spy drama Tiger Courage, Hidden Dragon and its film adaptation, as well as original theatrical films such as Unforeseen Disaster and Wing Chun Pride (in pre-production, 2022). In 2023, he worked on the 60-episode short drama The Tale of Green Pearl (TikTok), co-wrote the theatrical film The New Story of Xi Shi (released September 15, 2024), the 24-episode short drama Rebirth of the Double-Headed Phoenix, and the 60-episode micro-drama Extraordinary You. In 2024, he completed the 60-episode micro-drama Red Spider Lily.
Award-Winning Work: Red Spider Lily (60 episodes)
Story Synopsis:
Red Spider Lily, derived from the Lotus Sutra, originally refers to a celestial flower and is distinct from the “Other Shore Flower.” In popular culture, it is seen as the “twin flower” or “two-life flower,” symbolizing twin sisters born of the same mother, as well as feminine elegance, beauty, and purity. It is also associated with death, sorrow, and separation.
Zhuang Dong, the only son of Zheng Rong, the controlling shareholder of the multi-billion-dollar Zheng Group, announces his wife Luo Manzhu (Shahua)’s pregnancy at a family banquet. Unexpectedly, a woman claiming to be the real Manzhu appears, insisting that Zhuang Dong’s current wife’s real name is Shahua. The two women are identical, leaving everyone stunned. The true Manzhu pulls out a gun and threatens Shahua. Amid the chaos, a shot is fired—who was hit?
The story flashes back two and a half years. Zhuang Dong and Manzhu, newlyweds on their honeymoon in Korea (the “Kimchi country”), are shocked when Manzhu disappears. Devastated, Zhuang Dong sinks into despair. On the second anniversary of her disappearance, Shao Wei returns “Manzhu” to the Zhuang family. Shao Wei, a distant cousin, claims Manzhu suffered amnesia after a car accident in Korea. In truth, the woman returned is Shahua, who has undergone plastic surgery to look identical to Manzhu. Abandoned at birth, Shahua was adopted and raised by Professor Liang Tian. Shao Wei tells her that her father, Sha Xian, was betrayed by Zheng Rong and pushed into the sea over business disputes, disappearing ever since. He stole Sha Xian’s shares and capital, amassing wealth, and Shahua vows revenge under the guise of Manzhu.
Zhuang Dong is overjoyed at his “wife’s” return. Shahua, claiming amnesia, agrees to a set of rules with Zhuang Dong, who soon notices discrepancies: tattoos and personality traits differ from the original Manzhu. Meanwhile, Zheng Rong grows suspicious and investigates Manzhu’s mother, Zhou Meiqi, with the help of the unscrupulous “Cockroach,” unaware that Shahua has already recognized her mother. It is revealed that Zheng Rong had previously taken Zhuang Shun from Zhou Meiqi, not knowing she was already pregnant. Sha Xian, secretly in love with Zhou Meiqi, marries her. Later, Zheng Rong manipulates the psychiatric hospital to turn Zhou Meiqi from a nurse into a patient.
As Zhuang Dong and Shahua grow close, he enlists returning overseas detective Wang Sheng to investigate Zheng Rong’s foreign assets. Wang Sheng lies about the existence of hidden assets, prompting Zhuang Dong to confront his parents, who deny any such holdings. Shahua counters with secretly filmed proof of Zheng Rong admitting to the overseas reserve, though Zheng Rong had anticipated Shahua’s spying, setting a trap for a bigger target.
The investigation reveals the truth: Sha Xian was never a noble businessman or good husband; he had sold Shahua after her birth and abused Zhou Meiqi. Sha Xian’s supposed death at sea was accidental: he tried to push Zheng Rong in a confrontation but fell into the sea himself. Detective Wang Sheng is, in fact, Sha Xian himself, a former national swimming athlete, alive and seeking vindication.
With her adoptive father’s help, Shahua uncovers the truth through deep hypnosis. The entire revenge plot, orchestrated by Shao Wei, intended to use Shahua as a pawn against the Zheng family. However, Shahua cleverly pretends to comply while plotting her own strategy.
The real Manzhu suddenly appears, confronting Shahua, creating tension. Despite traps and schemes, Zhuang Dong remains devoted to Shahua, whom he gradually accepts as his true partner after discovering Manzhu’s betrayal. Shahua secretly uncovers Manzhu’s collusion with Shao Wei, yet keeps this from Zhuang Dong. The revelation that both Manzhu and Shahua are biological daughters of Zhuang Shun raises moral stakes, though Zhuang Dong’s own adoption clears any taboo.
The sisters’ rivalry escalates, secrets multiply, and in a climactic moment, a gunshot leaves the audience questioning the fate of the twins. Who survives? Will Shahua triumph over evil? Red Spider Lily is a high-stakes suspense revenge micro-drama full of twists, intrigue, and emotional intensity.
Professional Review:
The series revolves around the “twin flower” motif, blending elements of family intrigue, mysterious identities, revenge, espionage, and passionate love-hate relationships. From the return of the missing bride, confrontations of true and false identities, family secrets, deep hypnosis, to gunshot mysteries, the narrative is tightly paced and full of suspense. With constant reversals and marketable plot hooks, it is a compelling micro-drama rich in emotional depth and intense suspense.
Chen Xin (Mainland China)
Third Prize
Author Bio:
I am Chen Xin from Mainland China, a literature enthusiast. Before attempting screenwriting, I experimented with short stories and long-form historical fiction on Zhihu, but due to limited free time, these projects were put on hold for a long time. Fortunately, nothing can extinguish my love for literature. I hope that in the future, I can continue pursuing this passion without dwelling on the past or fearing the future.
Award-Winning Work: My Merman Husband (70 Episodes)
Synopsis:
Due to changes and pollution in the ocean, the merfolk are experiencing reproductive problems. To maintain genetic stability, some groups are forced to come ashore in search of more stable genes for mating. Adres, chosen to come ashore for his exceptional genes, is unexpectedly caught in a storm and knocked unconscious against the rocks by the waves. He is rescued by Smalley, who happens to be visiting the coast for research. When Adres wakes up, he realizes that Smalley possesses the ideal genes he has been searching for.
Still retaining his primal instincts and unaccustomed to human life, Adres initially tries to force himself on Smalley, who resists strongly. Under Smalley’s care, however, Adres gradually learns how to love. From Smalley’s perspective, their social statuses are worlds apart, and he is not yet ready to accept Adres’s intense courtship. Despite this, their feelings grow stronger, hormones rise, and both begin to fall for each other unconsciously. To pursue the possibility of being together, the determined Adres chooses to leave and return under a new identity, while Smalley believes he left because of her and falls into regret. Thus begins their most improbable and unequal romance.
After Adres departs, Smalley struggles to balance her academic and personal pressures while suppressing her longing for him. After graduation, her friend takes her to a male-model bar to relax, and Smalley drinks to the point of intoxication. Unbeknownst to her, Adres, under his new identity, has been observing her and even shares a brief “fling” with her while she is drunk. This leads Smalley to suspect that Adres has been near her all along. Clever and determined, she begins searching for him.
Thinking his identity is perfectly concealed, Adres nearly gets exposed during a masquerade ball. At the same time, Smalley faces trouble: her studio, co-managed with her friend, runs into problems caused by her stepsister and fiancé, who have long conspired to sabotage her career. Fortunately, Adres, hiding in the shadows, helps resolve the situation. Smalley now becomes certain that the man she saw at the bar and the masquerade is indeed Adres.
To force Adres to appear, Smalley and her friend set up a “life-or-death” situation. At the crucial moment, Adres finally shows himself. Once relieved that it was a false alarm, he kisses Smalley in front of everyone. After confessing their feelings in private, they begin to truly face their love. Adres explains that he initially avoided appearing publicly because rivals in the criminal underworld were competing with him for business, and he needed to stay hidden to protect her. Later, Smalley exposes her fiancé and stepsister’s affair to high society, publicly breaking off the engagement, severing family ties, and reclaiming her biological mother’s inheritance with a lawyer. Together, she and Adres eliminate his business rivals and resolve the merfolk genetic crisis. After all these trials, they finally marry. In the end, Smalley undergoes genetic assimilation and gives birth to a son and a daughter.
Professional Review:
This series cleverly blends a fantasy setting with real-world emotions, using the “merfolk coming ashore” premise as a catalyst for cross-species romance. It incorporates high-stakes dramatic elements such as genetic crises, mistaken identities, sexual tension, and workplace revenge. The narrative balances suspense with emotional depth, maintaining a tight pace and dense conflicts. It is a contemporary fantasy mini-series with both commercial appeal and emotional resonance.
Guo Xiaojuan (Canada)
Third Prize
Author Biography:
Guo Xiaojuan earned her Ph.D. in Epidemiology in Japan. She previously served as a professor and head of the Department of Preventive Medicine at a medical university in China and was a specially appointed expert for the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Science and Technology, and the World Health Organization. She currently serves as a board member of the Canadian Women Writers Association, the North American Overseas Wenxuan Writers Association, and is a lifetime member of the Canadian Chinese Writers Association. She is also a playwright and contracted actress for the Canadian Chinese Drama Troupe. She contributed to the medical textbook Preventive Medicine at China Medical University. Guo has won nine awards for outstanding literary works, included in anthologies such as Crawling Forward and The Best Short Stories by Overseas Chinese Writers 2025. Her mid-length suspense novel The Bauhinia Sways in the Wind has won three film festival awards and the Second World Chinese Weekly Science & Technology Book Award, and was adapted into a stage play in Vancouver to wide acclaim. She has starred in films including Floating Duckweed, Floating World, Norwegian Wood, and Silent, and appeared in films and stage plays such as An Unnecessary Spring Gala and Our Courtyard, Charlotte’s Troubles.
Award-Winning Work: The Bauhinia Sways in the Wind (60 Episodes)
Synopsis:
In the courtyard stands a North American Bauhinia, blooming in early spring, symbolizing new life and hope after winter. Its pink-purple petals drift with the wind.
In March 2023, a mysterious murder occurs in a white house on Garden Road, shattering the community’s peace. Biostatistics Ph.D. Lu Tao and his wife Shu Qi are found dead, while their daughter Lu Xiao Qian falls into a coma. There are no signs of violence or forced entry—only scattered cat food and a piece of tree bark shaped like a small bird. Chinese-Canadian detective Duan Jin and his partner Matt investigate, initially tracing three calls on the day of the incident to Shu Xiangdong, Shu Qi’s nephew who had lived with her for two years. Through Shu Xiangdong’s perspective, the seemingly happy family reveals hidden tensions involving parental pressure, pharmaceutical conspiracies, and bloodline entanglements.
Shu Qi and Lu Tao represent a typical elite immigrant family. Shu Qi is domineering and obsessive, projecting her unrealized “scientist dreams” onto her daughter, even threatening her with suicide to coerce her into applying to an Ivy League medical school. Lu Tao appears mild-mannered but secretly administers experimental, unapproved drug NRX-78 to his depressed daughter to maintain the illusion of her “excellence.”
NRX-78, co-developed by retired professor Li Qiwen and German collaborators, is acquired by Lu Tao under the guise of a volunteer. While it stabilizes emotions temporarily, it can induce hallucinations, neurological disorders, and heart failure. Li smuggled it using slow cookers, inadvertently involving cleaning worker Wan Hua.
Eighteen-year-old Lu Xiao Qian suffers under her mother’s pressure and school bullying, struggling to find her place between Eastern and Western cultures. Her cousin Shu Xiangdong and friend Wa Wa become her emotional sanctuary, while her cat and painting provide small comforts. Although she enters her mother’s preferred prestigious school, the chosen major is not her own. On Valentine’s Day before leaving for the U.S., witnessing Shu Xiangdong confess to Wa Wa shatters her mental stability. That night, she takes her father’s leftover drug and falls into a coma.
The deaths of Shu Qi and Lu Tao reveal deeper human and familial fractures. Lu Tao, a man pursuing success, faces psychological and professional collapse overseas. Suspended at work and discovering Wa Wa is his illegitimate daughter, he struggles with parental responsibilities, drug risks, and financial pressure. After accidentally pushing Wa Wa into a river and witnessing his daughter’s attempted suicide, Lu Tao snaps—killing his wife before dying of a sudden heart attack, resulting in family tragedy.
Wa Wa, Lu Hua’s daughter and a neuroscience graduate student at Brown University, understands NRX-78’s side effects. She confronts Lu Tao over the past suffering inflicted on her mother, pushing him to take responsibility. Although she survives, she leaves with unresolved familial tensions. Wan Hua embodies the tragic core of the story, enduring betrayal and hardship, yet remaining compassionate. She had supported Lu Tao’s education in her youth, only to be abandoned and forced to raise Wa Wa alone as an immigrant in Canada. Ironically, she lives in the same community as Shu Qi and aids Wa Wa unknowingly, unaware that Shu Qi’s husband is the man who abandoned her. When DNA testing reveals Wa Wa’s parentage, Wan Hua chooses silence, selling her house and burying her past in the foreign snow.
The relationships form a complex web: Xiao Qian suffers under her mother’s suffocating love, Lu Tao is torn by dual fatherhood, Wan Hua endures humiliation, and Wa Wa rationally navigates her pain, becoming the only one to break free.
The case concludes with Shu Qi and Lu Tao dead, yet lingering doubts remain. As Duan Jin watches Wan Hua board her flight home, he glimpses a figure resembling Lu Tao, hinting that guilt and remorse have never truly ended. Shu Xiangdong brings his cousin home to care for her. Beneath the Bauhinia, Xiao Qian’s fingertips twitch in response to Wa Wa’s song. The swaying Bauhinia, its meaning of “family harmony,” provides bitter irony yet glimmers hope amid her tears—those crushed by fate may still find moments of peace.
The Bauhinia Sways in the Wind blends suspense with human insight, exploring generational trauma in immigrant families. Shu Qi’s domineering nature stems from fear of social failure, Lu Tao’s weakness reflects intellectual ethical dilemmas, and Xiao Qian and Wa Wa’s mirrored fates reveal the distortions of elite education and moral challenges. Through symbolic elements like dumplings with beef and cilantro, bird-shaped bark, and slow cookers, the script weaves suspense and emotional metaphor, portraying a vivid tableau of overseas Chinese life caught between cultures, each seeking renewal.
Professional Review:
The series uses a murder as its narrative anchor, peeling back the ethical shadows and emotional fractures of elite immigrant families. Pharmaceutical conspiracies, bloodline entanglements, mental oppression, and cultural conflicts create layered dramatic tension. It is a high-intensity, realistic micro-series combining suspense, emotion, and social critique.
Yanbo (Canada)
Third Prize
Author Biography:
Yanbo, born Li Chongyuan, is a member of the China Writers Association and vice president of the Canadian Chinese Writers Association. He has published over 20 novels—including The Ideal State, 1943: The Great Golden War, Underground Transit Station, Tonight the Stars Shine Bright, Unlocking, The Antique Circle, Wolf Mountain, The Pigeon King, Eat Drink Man Woman, Those Soldiers That Year, and Dark War—with a total of more than 6 million words. His song lyrics Tianjin Folk Song won a national gold medal. His long-form nonfiction work Wind and Rain on the Mu Us Desert was strongly recommended nationwide by the National Press and Publication Administration, the Publicity Department, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and the Ministry of Education. The Female Party Secretary’s Male Secretary ranked in the top five of the Sina China Good Book List for four consecutive years (2011–2014). His essays, including Two Mid-Autumn Festivals in Algonquin and Mu Us, won the “Special Honor Award” from the Canada-China Cultural Exchange Association. Toronto Chinese received the China Overseas Chinese Federation “Outstanding Literary Work Award” and is collected in the libraries of the U.S. Congress, University of Toronto, Brigham Young University, and Ohio University.
Award-Winning Work: Snow in Toronto Today (60 episodes)
Story Synopsis:
Liu Wenjie, a 50-year-old former head nurse, is tall, graceful, and distinguished, with charming dimples. Her husband, Ma Jinlin, moved to Canada ten years ago. After buying a home, he arranged for Liu Wenjie to join him under Canada’s “family reunification” program. She works at the pharmacy below their apartment, run by a Buddhist shop owner who shares her faith, creating a strong bond between them. Wenjie is diligent and well-regarded.
However, Ma Jinlin’s uncle lives with them. Wenjie suffers a traumatic experience when the uncle spies on her while she is bathing, causing psychological distress. She begins medication and takes on lighter tasks at the pharmacy, supported by the owner. Initially skeptical, Ma Jinlin learns the truth after the owner explains, confronts his uncle, and drives him out. The uncle refuses responsibility and spreads rumors about Wenjie.
Ma Jinlin befriends Sun Aihua, a beautiful middle-aged Chinese woman at his workplace, showing care and attention. Their relationship escalates after Sun’s grieving over her late husband. Ma Jinlin eventually proposes divorce. Wenjie, understanding the complications, agrees to leave their apartment and move into the pharmacy. She refuses to claim any property during the divorce, saying: “I can support myself. He needs his house to marry Sun Aihua. I love him, so I let him go, trusting he will return.”
Her son, working in China, comes to Canada and questions her decision. Wenjie patiently explains, recounting her and Ma Jinlin’s love in difficult times. Her reasoning partially convinces him.
At the pharmacy, Wenjie reflects on her devout visits to temples and her realization during a pilgrimage to Mount Wutai: charity is part of spiritual cultivation, not mere giving. The shop owner brings her to the Zhanshan Monastery in Toronto to pray sincerely for her future.
After Ma Jinlin’s remarriage, he and Sun live contentedly, though he suffers health issues due to overwork. One snowstorm, he experiences a life-threatening cardiac event while working outside, and Sun’s son’s harsh words shock him, prompting him to divorce Sun and return to Wenjie.
A single Chinese-Canadian police officer, a friend of the shop owner, expresses interest in Wenjie, but she chooses to remarry Ma Jinlin, valuing reconciliation and practicality. Half a year later, he dies peacefully in her arms. The shop owner and the officer help her manage the aftermath, teaching: “Faith does not lie in rituals, but in doing good and remembering the Buddha in your heart. You have achieved this.”
Professional Commentary:
This series centers on the emotional and spiritual journey of an immigrant woman, portraying her resilience, tolerance, and awakening amid marital betrayal, family shame, and psychological challenges. The plot unfolds with natural, moving character development, delivering strong emotions without melodrama. Faith and reality intertwine, creating a profound tribute to human nature. It is a work of significant emotional depth with rich potential for further adaptation.
Mai Shuhui (Hong Kong, China)
Third Prize
Award-Winning Work: I Am the Brightest Star Here
Author Biography:
Mai Shuhui is a screenwriter from Hong Kong. After graduating from a university program in literature and history, she took courses in film and television screenwriting but worked in administrative positions for many years. Despite living a routine life, she has never given up on breaking into the extraordinary world. Her stage play works include No Problem, which was shortlisted in the “Legend of Infinity: Edge of Love” drama competition. Her short stories include Capture and Guard in the Tragic Demon Sword anthology and A Blade Through Blood in the Gentle Breeze Sword anthology.
Story Synopsis:
Xu Jiayin, Lan Xiaoyun, and Shang Zhe pursue their dreams in the entertainment industry, facing family opposition, societal pressure, and the confusion of growing up, yet they persevere with unwavering determination.
The genius director Song Yirou begins teaching at an arts school, known for her provocative methods, which gradually earn the students’ respect. Yirou is also a widow, and her mother Meng Lingfeng disapproves of her romance with the wealthy second-generation Fu Shaohai, suspecting her motives, though this misunderstanding stems from her past relationships.
Jiayin and Xiaoyun perform in Yirou’s new play, beginning to gain recognition. Jiayin’s father, Xu Shoucheng, pressures her to return home to manage the family business and misleads her into believing that Yirou abandoned her mother, when in fact he himself separated from Jiayin’s mother, Song Jia’er, and took Jiayin away. Jia’er seeks reconciliation with her daughter, but Shoucheng manipulates her emotionally.
As Jiayin and Xiaoyun steadily progress in their careers, Shang Zhe’s development stalls. Xiaoyun secretly loves Shang Zhe but steps aside when she sees his feelings for Jiayin. Jiayin faces public pressure to pair with a male idol. Jia’er supports Jiayin’s acting dreams but does not want her to collaborate closely with peers. Shoucheng exposes negative rumors about Shang Zhe, and Xiaoyun misunderstands Jiayin’s actions as self-preservation, creating tension between friends.
Shang Zhe becomes discouraged and considers leaving the industry. His elder sister is a survivor of domestic abuse. Jiayin, disappointed in Shoucheng, rebuilds her bond with her mother. Shang Zhe makes a sudden confession of love, leaving Jiayin conflicted amid varying perspectives from those around her.
A producer expresses willingness to fund Yirou’s dream film. Initially, the investor had deceived Yirou in her youth, but she eventually confronts and overcomes past grievances, revitalizing her focus on work.
Xiaoyun almost falls into an exploitative trap due to her parents’ poverty but is saved by Jiayin and Shang Zhe, restoring their friendship. Yirou acknowledges Shang Zhe’s growth and invites him, Jiayin, and Xiaoyun to participate in the production, agreeing with Jiayin that romance must wait until their careers succeed.
Shaohai proposes publicly, but Lingfeng refuses marriage, turning the proposal into a standoff. Yirou, caught in the middle, grows impatient but eventually accepts Shaohai as family. Shaohai and Lingfeng begin cohabitation. Jia’er respects Jiayin’s desire for independence, while Xiaoyun and Jiayin rent a home together, allowing Yirou to finally enjoy a free and independent life.
Ge Hangsong (USA)
Excellence Award
Author Biography:
Ge Hangsong is a permanent member of the Chinese Writers Association in the United States and a member of the American Chinese Literary and Art Association. He serves as the literary editor for Redwood Forest, a publication for Chinese-American literature, and holds a Master’s degree from the University of Southern California. Ge has received multiple literary awards. His works include the novel series Soul Nation Chronicles, Our Youth Across China and America, and screenplays such as Miss Miracle and Secrets Within. His short stories, essays, poetry, and literary critiques have appeared in Redwood Forest, Huaren, New Island Weekly, and various anthologies.
Award-Winning Work: Miss Miracle (62 episodes)
Story Synopsis:
Mia Miracle, an ordinary college student, works part-time in her aunt Susan’s antique shop. One day, she discovers a mysterious treasure called the “Miracle Box” in a hidden room, gaining the ability to transfer misfortune onto others. Each use of the box strengthens her powers, gradually evolving within a mysterious system in her mind.
Soon, two criminals attempt to steal the box but are thwarted by Mia. Her journey into a fantastical world begins.
A mysterious woman, Sophia, arrives at the shop to buy the box at a high price, but a disguised assassin attacks Mia. With Susan’s timely help, they subdue the assailant, revealing a larger threat: Kelly Charles, the “Red Queen.”
The Red Queen orders her vampire bodyguard Louis Vincent to arrange another assassination. Louis’s sister, Kiki, disguised as a student, attempts to poison Mia, only to be stopped by Clark Murphy, another young vampire.
During the day, Clark protects Mia at college, while the werewolf Michael Burke guards her at night. Michael is deeply in love with Mia, but Clark is the fiancé appointed by Mia’s late mother, creating a complex love triangle.
In a nighttime attack, Michael is severely injured protecting Mia, who realizes the struggle goes beyond her—it involves family, fate, and long-standing grudges. Aunt Susan reveals that Mia’s mother, Michelle Miracle, was a white witch with precognition and luck-manipulating powers. She once loved business tycoon Adam Charles and helped him establish the Jin Qiao Group. Out of jealousy, Michelle’s sister, the Red Queen Kelly, sought revenge using dark “Death Curse” magic to threaten Adam and infant Mia.
To protect her family, Michelle consumed the demon fruit, disguised herself as a demon, and left Adam alone, secretly setting a future spell: if Kelly harms Mia, Kelly will lose everything. The Red Queen refuses to accept this fate and uses the Miracle Box to alter the future, targeting Mia and her inheritance.
Mia learns that Sophia is her half-sister, and their mothers were both victims of the Red Queen. To avenge their families and save their father, the sisters join forces. Susan provides Mia with an “Immunity Necklace” against the Death Curse, though its pair is held by the Red Queen. Mia discovers her father is cursed rather than ill.
During a family banquet, Mia uses the necklace to block the curse. The Red Queen attempts to test Mia using the demon fruit, but Michael intervenes, revealing Michelle’s past and exposing the truth. Mia proves her father’s condition is due to the curse. The Red Queen’s son, Jacob, dies unexpectedly, and she seeks the Miracle Box to resurrect him.
In the climactic battle, Mia channels immense misfortune, striking the Red Queen with divine lightning, reducing her to ashes. Mia and Michael share a heartfelt kiss. Clark and Kiki defeat Jacob, and love blooms between them. The Miracle Box fulfills Mia’s wish: her mother is resurrected, Adam recovers, and the family is finally reunited in happiness.
Professional Commentary:
This series masterfully blends fantasy, family vendettas, and the coming-of-age journey of a young woman. The plot is grand and progressively layered, maintaining constant suspense. Characters are multidimensional, with vivid portrayals of female figures. The story’s central arc focuses on the development of Mia’s “misfortune transfer” ability. It is a high-density, emotionally charged, and outstanding fantasy youth micro-series.
Cao Zhongqiang (Mainland China)
Excellence Award
Author Biography:
Cao Zhongqiang is a physician at Huadong Hospital, affiliated with Fudan University, and a member of the Shanghai Writers’ Association. He has written and directed films including Medical Fate, Golden Butterfly Dream, and The Responsibility of a Doctor.
In 2011, his novel Medical Love was serialized in Xinmin Evening News and later published; its adaptation into a TV series was listed as a Shanghai Cultural and Arts Funding Project. In 2013, his novel Sunrise, Moonset, Operating Room was serialized in the same newspaper, also listed as a cultural project, and published by Shanghai Literature & Art Publishing House. The novel was adapted into the film Medical Fate, earning him the Best Director Award at the 2019 San Francisco International New Concept Film Festival. His 2014 novella Golden Butterfly Dream was serialized in Xinmin Evening News and adapted into a film of the same name by Shanghai Film Group. In 2017, his screenplay Yu Zhuowei was selected as a Shanghai Cultural and Arts Funding Project and became the city’s first major film production that year.
Award-Winning Work: Sensitive Zone (100 episodes)
Story Synopsis:
While male obstetricians and gynecologists are often the subject of public discussion, a rare female urologist naturally draws even greater attention.
The story follows Dr. Hai Lan, a surgical medicine PhD who returned from overseas studies. Intelligent and capable, she originally aspired to become a breast surgeon. However, her father, Liu Danqing—a renowned urology expert—has a grand dream: to build a transoceanic Da Vinci remote urological surgery platform, allowing surgeons to perform robot-assisted procedures for overseas patients from hospitals in China, realizing “Belt and Road: Bridging Medicine, Technical Aid Abroad.” He hopes Hai Lan will follow in his footsteps, but her mother strongly opposes it, sparking family conflict.
Seeking support, Hai Lan turns to her medical school classmates Yunxia and Hulan but is mocked. Her lover, Luan Mu, responds ambiguously. Reluctantly, she compromises with her father and becomes a female urologist, encountering a series of absurd and comedic misunderstandings:
The urology chief Sun Guoran, who initially seeks to undermine her, continues to interfere, causing her repeated frustrations.
Her friend Camellia, a talented dancer, gets into conflict when her boyfriend, a flamboyant singer named March Storm, secretly seeks Hai Lan’s medical help for a syphilis infection, straining friendships.
The playboy Qiu Fenghong, infatuated with Hai Lan, frequently seeks her help under pretense of treating sexual dysfunction, leaving her embarrassed.
A hysterical, obsessive male patient makes unreasonable romantic demands during treatment, further complicating her life.
The main storyline revolves around Hai Lan realizing her father’s dream of global Da Vinci remote urological surgery. With guidance from her father and encouragement from anesthesiologist Wen Kaiming, plus support from various hospital departments, she overcomes unexpected obstacles and successfully performs the first transoceanic Da Vinci urological surgery, marking a major milestone.
The emotional arc follows Hai Lan’s evolving relationships. Her initial partner, Luan Mu, a high-achieving, charming professional, grows jealous of her daily interactions with male patients, causing their relationship to falter. Meanwhile, Wen Kaiming, quietly supportive, gradually becomes closer to her through shared challenges in saving critically ill patients. Complications arise as Xue Lili, Wen Kaiming’s ex-girlfriend and Luan Mu’s first love, re-enters their lives, causing confusion and tension. Ultimately, Hai Lan distances herself from Luan Mu, growing closer to Wen Kaiming.
Hai Lan’s perseverance, driven by the ideals of “bridging medicine, technical aid abroad” and the support of her medical team, enables her to maintain composure and navigate challenges, culminating in the successful completion of the transoceanic Da Vinci remote urological surgery.
Professional Commentary:
The series features a novel subject and unique perspective, combining medical education, social realism, and personal drama. Hai Lan’s professional growth and emotional decisions are intertwined, portraying a modern woman’s struggle and persistence between ideals and tradition, career and love. This is a deeply engaging and compelling medical-themed micro-series.
Shen Yimeng (Germany)
Excellence Award
Author Biography:
Shen Yimeng holds a Master’s degree in Literature from Beijing Film Academy, focusing on literary and film creation. Her novels, including A Person’s Universe, Countdown Light Years, Rain in Berlin, Sun in Beijing, and Honey, cover diverse themes and explore human nature and emotions. Her film scripts include the Four Beauties series—Heart of a Beauty, The Legend of Yu Huan, The Tale of Diao Chan, The Story of Wang Zhaojun—as well as Jiahe and Queen of the Silk Road, showcasing historical figures and narratives. Her television works include The Legend of King Gesar, Tang Dynasty Censor, Emperor Tang Minghuang, Gan Jiang and Mo Ye, and Snow Leopard, with some receiving recognition at domestic and international awards.
Award-Winning Work: The Top Broadcaster (80 episodes)
Story Synopsis:
The sudden outbreak of a pandemic locked down the city, but it quietly opened another door for Katie. A seemingly ordinary housewife, once buried in mundane daily life, discovers a fascinating world on an anonymous voice platform. With her magnetic and emotionally compelling voice, Katie transforms from an unnoticed listener into a broadcaster adored by tens of thousands. She creates the chatroom “Dragon Gate Inn,” providing strangers with a space for communication, confession, and companionship.
However, this virtual paradise is not entirely innocent. Every confessor carries a hidden story: bankrupt corporate executives, artists in decline, divorced white-collar workers… They arrive with pain but take away Katie’s warmth and strength. The chatroom’s fame turns her into an “internet celebrity,” yet the spotlight brings storms. A baseless scandal spreads like wildfire, wreaking havoc on her life: cyberbullying, family crises, and career collapse.
Even more terrifying, behind the virtual revelry, an unforeseen tragedy quietly unfolds. Katie’s close online friend Lucy, a girl who often confides her loneliness late at night, commits suicide. The devastating news plunges Katie into deep guilt and forces her to question the online world: is it a utopia that heals loneliness, or a pit of despair?
To uncover the truth and honor Lucy, Katie launches a unique social experiment—documenting the real stories of 30 online friends in 30 days. She believes it to be a simple act of warmth, but with each conversation, astonishing secrets hidden behind anonymity are revealed. Human complexity, the lure of the internet, and even Katie’s own motives are completely upended in this adventure.
As the truth emerges, Katie faces her ultimate choice: stay in this virtual “golden kingdom” or let go and return to reality. The answer may be far more unexpected than imagined.
Professional Commentary:
Set against the backdrop of pandemic lockdowns, the series cleverly embeds the “anonymous voice platform” as a virtual space, portraying a housewife’s dramatic transition from real-world confinement to online prominence. The story’s highlight lies in the stark contrast between virtual glory and real-life collapse. The plot unfolds layer by layer, with richly developed emotional arcs. The series possesses strong psychological tension and social reflection, making it an outstanding work leaning toward art-house cinema.
Sun Xinghua (USA)
Excellence Award
Author Biography:
Sun Xinghua is a writer of fantasy and science fiction and one of the founders of the Jiuzhou Fantasy World. He is known for constructing grand worldviews and for his intricate character portrayals. His notable works include Jiuzhou Heavy Cavalry, Jiuzhou Qingxing Chronicles, Jiuzhou Feather Festival, Jiuzhou Wasteland Festival, and Jiuzhou Charm Festival. His works have been widely published in magazines, newspapers, and online video platforms, earning widespread reader acclaim. Sun excels at blending traditional culture with modern storytelling, exploring the interplay of humanity and destiny through rich imagination. The Jiuzhou series has been adapted into films, TV shows, and games, setting a benchmark for cross-media storytelling. He is currently dedicated to exploring the integration of AI and literary creation, further expanding the possibilities of fantasy narratives.
Award-Winning Work: Jiuzhou Magic University (80 episodes)
Story Synopsis:
In the fantastical world of "Jiuzhou," where magic and technology coexist, a historic but accident-prone magic university is holding its annual entrance exam. Six teenagers from different races and backgrounds enter the academy. Initially strangers, they gradually develop genuine friendships—and even first love—amid a series of magical mishaps and out-of-control experiments.
Main Characters:
Dylan, a boy from a traditional dwarf blacksmith family, devoted to forging skills but curious about magic.
Casey, a shrewd, money-driven, and highly creative human girl, hoping to get rich with magical inventions but learning about true value through repeated failures.
Eliza, a noble mermaid princess who comes to the human world to escape a political marriage, striving for “commoner” love but hampered by her identity.
Brianna, an environmentally conscious giant girl, eager to solve ecological crises with magic but often doubting her own abilities.
Alex, a winged youth from the floating tribe, seeking glory and unity for his people, yet hiding insecurity and vanity.
Finn, a timid, socially anxious smoke spirit, forced to attend the academy but gradually discovering his own worth.
The six become acquainted due to accidents caused by Casey’s invention, the “Twelve-Colored Bubble Metal Sphere.” From “bubble bombs” going haywire, laboratory chaos, arena explosions, to hidden library tunnels being exposed, they face crises together, their contrasting personalities causing both conflict and growth.
Through intense coursework and endless disasters, their relationships evolve—friendship, misunderstandings, crushes, anger, forgiveness, encouragement, compromise. Casey and Dylan move from mutual annoyance to cooperative synergy; Alex learns respect and trust through repeated failures; Eliza sheds arrogance and begins caring for others; Finn, though timid, steps up at critical moments; Brianna regains faith and inspires her companions anew.
The climax occurs when they accidentally discover an ancient hidden chamber deep within the university, sealing the “Twelve Primary Magic Colors” and the lost “Twenty-Eight Constellation Magic,” hinting at the century-old disaster that destabilized the world’s environment. As the bubble spheres resonate, magical books glow, and symbols turn, they are swept into a swirling, colorful dragon of light, falling into an unknown abyss.
In the final episode, the six cooperate to unlock the seal using the bubble device and an ice-snow potion, attempting to activate the ancient magic purification system. But at the last moment, the bubble sphere’s energy spirals out of control, and everyone is pulled into a mysterious chasm—everything falls silent, leaving the library buried under collapsed lecture platforms.
Jiuzhou Magic University blends campus comedy, fantasy adventure, and multicultural themes. Its lighthearted humor envelopes deeper issues such as identity, family responsibility, environmental crises, and the confusion and pains of adolescence. It is a story of “bubbles, bombs, friendship, and choices,” with each magical accident bringing the characters closer to their true selves.
Professional Commentary:
The series skillfully combines magic and technology, beginning as a campus farce and escalating to a crisis of awakening ancient magic, with continual dramatic highlights. Six distinct characters grow through conflict and collaboration, culminating in an open-ended plunge into a mysterious abyss. With brisk pacing, it is a high-concept, youth-oriented fantasy micro-series that fuses passion, friendship, and philosophical depth.
Zhang Jinfan (Australia)
Excellence Award
Author Biography:
Zhang Jinfan was born and raised in Wuhan. He has worked as a sent-down youth and laborer. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Chinese Literature from Hubei University and later engaged in literary research at the Hubei Academy of Social Sciences. He currently serves as Honorary President of the New South Wales Chinese Writers Association in Australia. Zhang has published over 10,000 words across various literary genres. His works have appeared in journals such as Contemporary Writers, Si Hai, Tai-Hong Literature Selections, Yellow River Literature, and Young Writers in China; Central Daily News and Humanity News in Taiwan; Hong Kong Literature, Wen Zong, Ming Pao in Hong Kong; and World Chinese Weekly and Sequoia in the U.S. He has published collections including First Night—Zhang Jinfan’s Short Stories and Difficult Awakening—Zhang Jinfan’s Nonfiction Works Collection. His works have received numerous awards, including international prizes such as the Overseas Chinese Writing Award hosted in Taiwan, and the Excellence Award in the First Global Chinese Microfiction Writing Contest hosted by China’s Microfiction Selections.
Awarded Work: Jumping with Kangaroos (60 episodes)
Story Synopsis:
Meiduo loses her job when the training school she works at closes, and she also loses money she invested in a P2P scheme. Searching online for the Australian financial company owner who absconded with her funds, she discovers that Australia has opened a working holiday visa for Chinese nationals. She decides to go to Australia to work while tracking down the embezzler.
Her best friend Ouyang Liumeng loses her job when a foreign company exits China, and her boyfriend Du Fengming’s electronics factory goes bankrupt due to the pandemic lockdown. Du Fengming’s younger brother Du Fengqing also struggles to find work after graduation. The four young people apply for Australian visas and finally receive one-year permits.
On the flight to Australia, they unknowingly sit next to the approachable Governor of New South Wales. Once in Sydney, they temporarily stay in a backpackers’ hostel, meeting travelers from various countries. They recognize the man from the plane as the governor. Chris, a backpacker from the U.S., falls for Meiduo and approaches her.
Restricted by their visa type, they take temporary jobs, earning a decent income while exploring Sydney’s famous sights. To save on rent, they move into a one-bedroom apartment but face legal challenges due to unfamiliarity with Australian rental laws.
During Lunar New Year celebrations in Sydney’s Chinatown, Meiduo spots the embezzler, Feng Pangzi. Feng notices her and tracks them, hiring gangsters to warn them by smearing pig’s blood on their door. Chris secretly follows the gangsters and finds Feng’s hideout, alerting Meiduo, who contacts Chinese authorities.
The four decide to temporarily avoid danger by working as seasonal fruit pickers on a farm. Chris buys a second-hand car to join them. They work for three weeks at a farm in New South Wales, harvesting mandarins. When the farm owner Smith develops appendicitis, they call the Royal Flying Doctor Service, who airlift him to a hospital over 100 km away for surgery. The group marvels at Australia’s welfare system.
During farm work, Du Fengqing develops feelings for Meiduo. Chris competes with him for her attention. At a vineyard in Victoria’s Yarra Valley, a sudden flood sweeps away grapes they’ve harvested but not yet transported. The farmer, Sam, forbids them from risking their lives to save property, assuring them that insurance will cover the losses and paying them their wages plus bonuses.
After leaving Yarra Valley, they respond to a newspaper ad to work on a political campaign. The candidate, Campton, opposes a new airport in his district, leading protests that result in temporary police detention. They gain insight into Australian society through this experience.
Later, the group works in a Western Australian mining area, gaining significant experience and improving their financial situation. Back in Sydney, they start new lives. Du Fengming negotiates electronics orders, Ouyang Liumeng plans to return to China to run a working holiday visa agency, Du Fengqing meets an Australian-Chinese girlfriend and applies for a student visa for a master’s program, and Meiduo and Chris fall in love, with Chris helping her apply for work in the U.S.
After their one-year visas expire, the four bid farewell at Sydney airport and see Feng Pangzi escorted by Australian police to Chinese authorities. They wave goodbye and go their separate ways.
Professional Review:
This series uses a dual narrative of “working holiday + cross-border pursuit,” cleverly blending real-life challenges, international adventure, and youth growth. Dramatic highlights include the embezzler appearing in public, gang threats, and cross-border collaboration in capturing criminals. The story also incorporates romantic entanglements and career transitions, portraying post-pandemic young people venturing into the world and reshaping themselves, making it a compelling, realistic micro-series.
Sun Bo (Canada)
Excellence Award
Author Bio:
Sun Bo is a prominent Chinese-Canadian writer and screenwriter, serving as the president of the Canada-China Writers Association and editor-in-chief of a Canadian online television network. He has published more than ten novels, including Return Flow and Tears of the Camellia, with some works translated into English, French, Korean, and Japanese. He has written screenplays such as April Days in Lizhuang, Give You a Hug, Chinese Prescription, and Made in China. Sun Bo was the screenwriter for the 30-episode TV series Misplaced Your Hand and has directed multiple television series. He has received over 60 literary awards. His film scripts Back to Simplicity and Give You a Hug won top honors in the 8th Canada-China International Film Festival and the 2nd World Chinese Film & TV Outstanding Script Awards, respectively. Chinese Prescription received the first World Chinese Film & TV Adaptation Award and the inaugural Heroic Sons & Daughters Cup Script Award. His 20-episode TV series Made in China won the Ordos Literature Award, the Zhongshan Cup Overseas Chinese Literature Award, and the Beijing Municipal Radio & TV Outstanding Script Award.
Award-winning Work: Mom, I’m Home (60 episodes)
Synopsis:
In the summer of 2021, following the COVID-19 lockdown lift in Los Angeles, the Westside “Lucky Pearl Milk Tea Shop” bustled with customers. Thirty years prior, Li Dawei and Li Anna had emigrated from Shanghai and Taipei, leaving behind their careers as a teacher and a nurse to open a milk tea shop, raising their “banana” children, Daniel and Jessica, with great care. Daniel earned a master’s degree in computer science from Harvard and became the vice president of an AI company in New York. Jessica, the “Milk Tea Princess,” pursued an MBA at UCLA.
However, misfortune strikes. Li Anna is diagnosed with breast cancer, and Li Dawei suffers a relapse of heart disease, casting a shadow over the family. The couple bravely continues to manage the shop, while Jessica takes charge of the business, ignoring the persistent pursuit of wealthy suitor Allen. Daniel, despite threats from his fiancée Salome to break up, quits his high-paying job in New York and returns to Los Angeles, pushing open the door and exclaiming, “Mom, I’m home!”—bringing Li Anna to tears. The siblings resolve to run the milk tea shop and expand their parents’ American dream, though the parents wish to sell the store and encourage their children to pursue other opportunities. Through persistence and negotiation, the siblings persuade their parents to stay and focus on recovery.
Allen, CEO of Wolf Film, attempts to kidnap Jessica at her school in pursuit of her. Days later, Jessica mistakenly believes Allen is stalking her while escorting her mother to a hospital, but the misunderstanding is resolved when she learns Allen is visiting Li Anna’s doctor, Dr. Wolf, and filming a cancer documentary. Jessica’s perception of Allen changes, and she helps convince her mother to participate, showcasing Li Anna’s resilience. Salome, unable to endure long-distance romance, resigns from her investment bank job in New York and joins the Li family in Los Angeles, supporting Li Anna through treatment.
To modernize the milk tea shop, Daniel develops a dedicated app and launches healthy snacks, leveraging AI to target the college market. At the UCLA branch, a new “bursting pearls” drink sparks a trend. The siblings plan a new downtown location, but Salome’s proposal to manage it is rejected; the Li family believes a Harvard MBA like her should aim higher. Her real estate tycoon parents, the Marchands, appear at the branch opening, pledging to fund ten new stores across Greater Los Angeles. Daniel learns Salome, his five-year girlfriend, is a hidden “rich second generation,” surprising him.
By spring 2022, Li Anna completes radiation therapy successfully, regaining her hair, while Jessica finishes her MBA. During the 30th anniversary of the milk tea shop, Daniel establishes “Lucky Group” as chairman and CEO, Jessica becomes general manager overseeing seven branches, and Salome serves as CFO. The tenth branch and central kitchen open before Christmas, and Daniel and Salome celebrate their wedding in the Beverly Hills mansion gifted by the Marchands, featuring a helipad and serving as Lucky Group headquarters, symbolizing the Li family’s dream realized.
In 2023, Li Anna’s cancer documentary airs on television, inspiring countless viewers and attracting franchisees, signing 30 stores in three months. Salome gives birth to twins, bringing joy to the family. Daniel plans to invest in an eco-friendly tableware factory, but a dispute arises with Salome over costs. The Marchands mediate, offering their Mexico factory for production and distribution across 400 hotels, resolving the issue. Allen invests in Lucky Group as a technical advisor, continuing to court Jessica, who remains hesitant.
Later, Salome narrowly survives a park accident before childbirth and delivers twins via emergency cesarean. In early 2024, Li Anna faces breast cancer recurrence, undergoing mastectomy and reconstruction with top doctors consulted by Allen’s mother. Following chemotherapy, her condition stabilizes. Daniel continues franchise expansions, nearly reaching a hundred stores. He survives a car accident caused by a drunk driver with only minor injuries, returning home to Li Anna, who embraces him tearfully as he says, “Mom, I’m home.”
During the 2024 Mid-Autumn Festival, the Li family hosts a dinner at their Beverly Hills mansion, welcoming the Marchands by helicopter. Watching the moon and seeing the twins play, the family celebrates reunion and warmth. Lucky Group reaches 100 stores, and Daniel ambitiously aims for 1,000 nationwide in three years, planning an IPO. While Jessica and the Marchands support expansion, Li Dawei, Li Anna, and Salome urge caution. Allen arrives with 99 roses, leaving open the question of whether Jessica will accept his three-year devotion. Amid the mansion’s brilliant lights, the Li family’s dream of happiness continues to shine.
Professional Commentary:
This series uses a Chinese milk tea shop as the narrative hub to weave family bonds, entrepreneurial ambition, and cross-cultural romance. Dramatic highlights include the ups and downs of the milk tea family, battles with cancer, and resolution of misunderstandings. The integration of AI technology with traditional craftsmanship creates a warm and inspirational immigrant saga, showcasing the resilience and dreams of a new-generation Chinese family. It is a micro-series with strong potential for cinematic and television adaptation.
Sun Yejia (USA)
Excellence Award
Author Biography:
Sun Yejia is a playwright from Beijing, currently residing in New York. Her works have been performed at venues such as National Sawdust and the Exponential Festival (JACK) in New York, as well as the Young Theatre in Shanghai. (www.yejiasun.com）
Award-Winning Work: The Rules of Love (60 Episodes)
Synopsis:
The story follows young director Lilian, whose O1B visa was mistakenly mishandled by her law firm, forcing her to leave the country within a set deadline. Her feature film project, however, is already in pre-production and about to begin shooting. Facing this dilemma, she seeks help from the law firm but is brushed off. Desperate and out of options, she impulsively decides to marry the first stranger she meets after leaving the building to obtain a green card—James, who turns out to be a partner at the same law firm.
Initially, their marriage is purely transactional, meant to solve the visa issue. But through shared experiences and challenges, genuine feelings gradually develop between them. They quickly register their marriage at City Hall, and film production commences, while the green card application process begins.
Yet, filming does not go as smoothly as expected. Lilian faces typical obstacles of an aspiring filmmaker, from conflicts with a popular Hollywood influencer over the lead role to pressures from producers. Meanwhile, James’s partner discovers that he married without a prenuptial agreement and fears potential disruption to the firm. During a location scouting trip, Lilian and James, initially cooperating for visa documentation purposes, find themselves growing closer emotionally. James ultimately chooses not to insist on the prenuptial agreement and helps Lilian secure the investment needed for her film.
While Lilian’s challenges are resolved, the law firm faces mounting troubles. A case lost by an unreliable partner tarnishes the firm’s reputation. James, aiming to steer the firm toward commercial disputes and mergers while expanding its nonprofit sector, struggles against his partner’s insistence on high litigation profits. The firm teeters on the edge of acquisition, and James feels his long-held vision slipping away.
During an immigration interview, the couple’s romantic relationship is questioned, escalating tensions between them. Under the combined stress of career and life pressures, James collapses, and the partner sells part of the firm, leaving it in turmoil. Lilian steps in, postponing film production under the pretext of script revisions and caring for the hospitalized James. At this time, James reconnects with his estranged father in the hospital, and Lilian meets his mother for the first time, revealing James’s single-parent upbringing. Though misunderstandings arise, the experience ultimately brings the family closer.
Lilian resumes the filmmaking process. The producer finally agrees to help her with her immigration application after filming, eliminating the need for a marriage-based green card. James declines his father’s offer to buy the firm. Lilian finishes her final scene, depicting her personal story and untold experiences. Waiting outside the set, James reunites with her, and they embrace, finally accepting each other’s love.
Professional Review:
This series skillfully blends immigration realities, workplace politics, and romantic development. Its dramatic highlight lies in the evolution from a “marriage of convenience” to genuine emotional connection, set against the pressures of visa crises and law firm turmoil. The narrative effectively intertwines professional and personal conflicts, creating a contemporary urban romance micro-series with strong resonance.
Xiaohe Zhang (Australia)
Excellence Award
Author Biography:
Zhang Xiaohe was born in Beijing and holds a doctoral degree from the University of Adelaide, Australia. He currently resides in Sydney. Zhang has worked at Beijing Normal University, Hong Kong Baptist University, and the University of Newcastle in Australia, and has published over 60 academic papers. He began writing film reviews as a student and received awards for his work. He was once a member of the Hong Kong Film Critics Association and won first place in their review competition. He is currently a member of the New South Wales Chinese Writers Association. His works cover screenwriting, film criticism, novels, poetry, and essays, primarily published in the association’s journal Aurora Australis and Australia’s Xinbao Supplement Literary Section.
Award-Winning Work: Home for Travelers (60 Episodes)
Story Synopsis:
Ah Zhong and his wife have just opened a new Airbnb named Home for Travelers. From the very beginning, they welcome several interesting guests, including a sophisticated Hong Kong woman seemingly after wealth, a cunning African-American man from New York, a young couple speaking standard Taiwanese Mandarin, and a pair of mainland Chinese immigrants appearing as an older husband and younger wife—Ah Gui and Annie.
As the story unfolds, it is revealed that Ah Gui and Annie are actually fugitives from mainland China, wanted for illegal fundraising, who have just escaped to Australia. They had briefly stayed in the United States but, due to circumstances, moved on to Australia. They initially attempted to transfer assets through underground banks and survive in Sydney using their qigong skills. However, they soon discover that “Sister Xu” from Hong Kong and the fake Taiwanese couple are, in fact, undercover American and Chinese detectives. They are here to accomplish special missions, and each must act within their legal framework, leading to a high-stakes game of cat and mouse.
Sister Xu and the African-American man stage a ruse involving deception and seduction to attract the attention of the Australian police to the Airbnb, while the mainland detective disguised as a Taiwanese tourist continually tracks Ah Gui and Annie, issuing warnings to compel them to return voluntarily. However, due to prior cases in the U.S., the mainland detective herself is also being pursued by American authorities. As events escalate, Ah Gui’s funds are intercepted by an underground bank owner posing as a monk, and their qigong business collapses due to misunderstandings.
Ultimately, a confrontation occurs at the Airbnb between Ah Gui, Annie, and the mainland detective. The detective uses reason and emotion to persuade them to return to China voluntarily. In desperation, Ah Gui attempts to detonate a homemade bomb to go out in a blaze of glory. At the critical moment, the New York man appears as a “suspect,” drawing in the Australian police and preventing the tragedy.
In the end, only the Australian police retain true authority. They arrest Ah Gui and Annie for intentional injury, the mainland detective couple for overreach of law, the African-American man for sexual assault, and Sister Xu for false accusation. The six foreign guests of the Airbnb are thus all gathered in custody awaiting interrogation.
Sister Xu and the African-American man then reveal their true identities as American police officers. As a married couple, they clear each other’s criminal records. The mainland detective, although violating U.S. law, is not prosecuted in Australia. Witnessing the patriotism and selfless dedication of the mainland detective, Ah Gui and Annie finally have a change of heart, voluntarily agreeing to return to China for justice. They board the deportation plane with the detective, ultimately becoming de facto friends.
Professional Commentary:
This series cleverly sets the Airbnb inn as a closed environment, bringing together fugitives, undercover detectives, and international law enforcement in a tightly-woven narrative. It creates a darkly comedic chase where national identities blur and truth is elusive. The drama shines in the absurdity intersecting with reality, and the moral ambiguity in the cat-and-mouse game. It is an international light comedy series blending satire, suspense, and plot twists.
Xin Man (Canada)
Excellence Award
Author Biography:
Bilingual poet, film and stage playwright. Editor-in-chief at the North American Writers Media Publishing Center. Her scripts have won awards at international film festivals, the Remi Award, and the Excellence Award at the first Global Micro-Series Literature & Screenplay Competition of the US-China Writers Association. Her poetry has received the Grand Prize at the International Chinese Poetry Cup. She has published the English poetry collection Where You Love Yourself, the Chinese poetry collection Flowers Kiss the Sun, the poetry guidebook Flowers Kiss the Volcano: Your First Poetry Exploration Book, and the screenplay Stay Alive.
Awarded Work: Facing (80 episodes)
Story Synopsis:
This drama is a realistic family-centered story focusing on mental health, special education, family breakdown, and the lack of social support. It tells the story of a mother who, in the face of a collapsing family, her children’s psychological disorders, and societal prejudice, rises from despair with determination and love.
The protagonist is Mrs. Zhou, a Chinese mother living abroad. She raises two children with severe psychological and developmental disorders on her own: her 14-year-old son David suffers from major depression and anxiety, while 9-year-old Jim has autism accompanied by intellectual disabilities. Initially, she lived with her husband Mr. Song, but as the children’s conditions worsened, he increasingly avoided family responsibilities, became emotionally distant, and eventually left home, filing for divorce, leaving Mrs. Zhou to shoulder the burden alone.
Crisis follows crisis. David goes missing on his way home from school, prompting Mrs. Zhou to rush between the school and the police station, eventually rescuing him from a suicide attempt at a lake. Later, David suffers persistent bullying at school, is assaulted after refusing extortion, and, in emotional turmoil, threatens revenge. He is expelled and entangled in a criminal lawsuit. Meanwhile, Jim struggles with the classroom environment, frequently losing control, leaving the household in chaos and crisis.
Exhausted and isolated, Mrs. Zhou experiences a profound psychological turning point. She accepts her husband’s departure, signs the divorce papers, reclaims her maiden name “Zhou,” and stands up anew, taking full responsibility for both children. She is not a “heroic mother” in the conventional sense, but through her actions she embodies the most fundamental and profound form of maternal love—painful yet unwavering, humble yet radiant.
For David, she contacts the school to secure witness testimony from Barry, and with the help of her friend Melody and an honest lawyer, she actively defends him in court, striving to clarify the truth behind the incidents. She also engages art teacher Cathy to help David express himself and heal through painting. Under this artistic guidance, David gradually reveals extraordinary imagination and artistic talent, rediscovering his means of self-expression. Jim, under the care of doctors, slowly builds basic trust in the outside world. Together, mother and children take small steps toward rebuilding their fractured lives.
Professional Commentary:
The drama powerfully depicts a single mother navigating life with two children facing psychological and developmental challenges. Its dramatic highlights lie in the intersection of family collapse, school bullying, and institutional indifference, portraying the life-and-death struggle and how maternal love and social support can reconstruct hope. A humanistic and touching urban family drama.
Hu Mengxiao (Mainland China)
Excellence Award
Author Biography:
A literature enthusiast. Signed as an online novelist on Douban. Recipient of the Excellence Award for Short Film Screenplay in the 15th “Shadow Cup” Film Script Collection and recognized as an outstanding student in the third session of the Spark Science Fiction Creative Public Talent Training Program.
Award-Winning Work: Cloned Love
Synopsis:
Among the three children of the Liao family, Liao Hupo is treated the best, yet she still feels like a guest in her own home. Hupo falls uncontrollably in love with Xi Bin, who is 22 years older than her. Before their wedding, Hupo discovers a shocking truth: she is actually a clone of Xi Bin’s deceased first love.
Hupo flees the wedding to visit her classmate Su Guan, who is in prison for killing her own clone—who also happens to be Hupo’s adoptive mother. Hupo then alters her appearance and assumes a completely new identity to approach Xi Bin and become engaged to him. Unexpectedly, Xi Bin dies in a car accident before the wedding. Through Xi Bin’s final confessions, Hupo learns that he had always known her true identity but pretended not to, fearing he would lose her again.
Just when everything seems settled, Hupo discovers the ultimate truth: all of this was a psychological test designed by the dream architect Luo Yan in Uyuni for a mysterious client. In reality, Xi Bin, Hupo’s fiancé, died on the eve of the 2043 wedding, and Hupo herself is Yuan Hupo, who created a Truman Show–like world to honor her deceased fiancé and herself.
Gong Xudong (Mainland China)
Creative Award
Author Biography:
Gong Xudong is a writer and screenwriter based in Mainland China. He has long been engaged in literary creation and scriptwriting for film and television, covering realism, historical themes, and adventure-mystery stories, while also emphasizing cultural heritage and psychological depth in character portrayal. He has published multiple works and accumulated extensive creative experience.
Award-Winning Work: Rising Winds over the Sky (65 episodes)
Synopsis:
The story takes place in an ancient northern border town in China, following the journey of a young boy, Ling Feng, as he grows into a responsible and courageous young man amid family hardships and national upheavals. Orphaned at an early age, Ling Feng is raised by his uncle. His family has run a blacksmith business for generations, but recurring conflicts with local powers and the instability of war have brought repeated misfortune to the household.
Ling Feng is exceptionally intelligent but headstrong, often standing up against injustice toward neighbors and family, which frequently leads to conflicts with local authorities. By chance, he discovers his family’s ancestral military strategy manual and a mysterious jade pendant in the ruins of the old town. This discovery sparks his interest in martial arts and strategy, while also drawing him into a complex struggle between local powers and secret societies.
During perilous adventures, Ling Feng meets companions from diverse backgrounds: the brave and clever girl Qiushui, the resourceful physician Xu Yuan, and the stoic and resilient hunter A Jian. Together, they solve intricate puzzles, navigate traps, and survive battles, gradually uncovering a long-hidden secret in the border town—a treasure that involves both family honor and national security, as well as underlying power struggles.
Through these trials, Ling Feng comes to understand the true meaning of responsibility and sacrifice. He uses wisdom to resolve conflicts, courage to protect his friends, and discovers the profound value of love and friendship. In the end, he not only safeguards his family but also influences the fate of the townspeople, emerging as a symbol of leadership for the new generation.
Professional Review:
Rising Winds over the Sky centers on family destiny, martial adventures, and historical change, blending adventure, mystery, and coming-of-age elements. It portrays a young man’s pursuit of justice and self-realization in a turbulent era. The script is tightly plotted with suspenseful twists, features richly developed characters, and balances epic scope with realistic emotional tension, making it highly suitable for adaptation into a serialized TV or micro-series.
Jia Wenting(USA)
Creative Award
Author Biography:
Jia Wenting is an art critic for American magazines with a literary background as a serial novelist on Jinjiang Literature City.
Awarded Work: The Mysterious Lover
Story Synopsis:
Do you believe in fate? Do you believe in a love that can transcend time and space?
The story unfolds in an art gallery in California, where Luca, a painter and president of an antique painting collection company, meets Diana, a writer, in an accidental encounter. They fall in love at first sight.
However, a romantic music festival takes a tragic turn when a sudden indiscriminate shooting occurs. Luca is struck by a stray bullet and critically injured, requiring urgent hospitalization and later entering a cryogenic chamber. During her painful wait, Diana encounters two people and a cat: a mysterious physicist named Anthony, a beautiful woman, and an odd little cat—a homage to the 1935 thought experiment "Schrödinger's Cat," emphasizing quantum entanglement. Clues lead her to a tarot studio, where she meets the mysterious fortune teller Mia, who tells her, “Your lover is not gone; his soul still lingers in this world.”
The climax unfolds as Luca awakens in the hospital, accompanied by experimental data from brain–computer interface research. Is he alive or dead? What is the ultimate truth? The story employs contemporary concepts of the metaverse and brain–computer interfaces.
The narrative intertwines art and writing as expressions of contemporary civilization, illustrating a love that transcends time and space:
“You are my most beautiful painting.” — Through the soul in a masterpiece
“You are the harbor of my soul.” — Through the soul in a book
The Mysterious Lover fuses romance, art, and science fiction, using quantum physics, parallel universes, and brain–computer interfaces to explore an eternal love. The script delivers a multidimensional narrative, offering a fresh sensory and emotional experience.
Professional Commentary:
This work blends romance, art, and science fiction, presenting a multidimensional exploration of love that transcends time and space. The integration of quantum physics and brain–computer interface concepts gives the story originality, creating a sophisticated narrative that combines emotional depth with imaginative scientific elements.