Online fast-fashion retailer Shein has expanded its Shein X Challenge to include participants from around the globe. 

Launched under the Shein X Designer Incubator Program, The Shein X Challenge, celebrated its third anniversary this year. It was originally limited to submissions from EU member states and the United Kingdom in its 2023. However, from its 2024 edition, the competition has expanded and will now accept entries from across the world. The theme for Shein X Challenge 2024 is 'Radiance', and the deadline for submissions is February 15, local time.

Judges for the competition include seasoned professionals from across the fashion industry including Adrien Robers, International Fashion Education Consultant, Italy; Julien Fournie, Founder, Julien Fournie Haute Couture, Paris; Jill Wanless, Editor, United Kingdom and Colin Horgan, Independent Designer, Ireland. 

The 10 finalists will undergo a masterclass by the judges and workshops on sustainable fashion. They will present their submissions at the final round of the competition with winners set to be in March 2024.

The winner of the online competition will receive €10,000. The judges, on the other hand, will select three submissions for special awards, each winning €5,000. An additional six finalists will receive €3,000 each. The grand finale of the show will be, streamed globally.

In September 2023, Shein announced an additional investment of $50 million towards the Shein X Designer Incubator Program. This will help the e-commerce operator empower up to 5,000 emerging designers over the next five years to build their own successful brands. 

Having onboarded over 4,600 designers and artists globally, the program has launched more than 41,000 original creations.