A cement-made sphere traced a graceful curve in the air, bouncing to a height of over 100 cm—not a magic trick, but a real scene at the 2025 "CO-NELE Cup" 4th National UHPC Design and Customization Competition! On September 5, 2025, the grand event was hosted by the China Concrete & Cement-based Products Association (CCPA), and co-organized by the CCPA-UHPC Sub-Association and the Concrete Art Industry Innovation Committee. A total of 32 teams from across the country—13 from universities and 19 from enterprises—gathered in Guangzhou to showcase the latest technical achievements in UHPC through this high-level competition.

The panel of judges included Zhao Yun, Secretary General of the CCPA-UHPC Sub-Association, as Chief Judge; Huang Zhengyu, Professor at Hunan University; Guo Baolin, Director of the Bridge & Tunnel Department at Shandong Transportation Research Institute; and the Chief Engineer of Guangzhou Dingxing Civil Engineering Technology Co., Ltd., as Deputy Chief Judges. Chen Xialu, Secretary General of the Concrete Art Industry Innovation Committee of CCPA, also served as judge.

At the competition site, each team demonstrated the extraordinary resilience of UHPC elastic spheres. The most thrilling moment came during the performance testing session—the UHPC Ball Bounce Test. When the spheres bounced above 90, 100, even 110 cm, the hall erupted in applause.

After fierce competition, the event awarded first, second, and third prizes in both the enterprise and university categories.

“This year’s teams have taken the rigidity and toughness of UHPC to new heights. The competition not only proves UHPC’s outstanding properties but also showcases the boundless potential of cement-based materials. It provided young people with a stage for creativity and innovation, where we witnessed many breakthroughs in UHPC preparation and design. This reflects both technological progress in the industry and the promise of future development,” said Chief Judge Zhao Yun, Secretary General of the CCPA-UHPC Sub-Association.

Huang Zhengyu, professor of Hunan University, and Sun Xiangdong, Chief Engineer of Guangdong Communication Planning & Design Institute Group Co., Ltd., awarded the third prizes.

Shao Xudong, Professor of Hunan University, and Zhou Han, Vice Chairman of the CCPA-UHPC Sub-Association and Chairman of Zhejiang Hongri TENACAL® Innovative Material Technologies Co., Ltd., awarded the second prizes.

Zhang Yan, Rotating President of CCPA, together with Lan Xiaoqiang, Chairman of Qingdao CO-NELE Machinery Co., Ltd.—the competition’s title sponsor—awarded the first prizes.

Although the “CO-NELE Cup” 4th National UHPC Design and Customization Competition has concluded, the journey of innovation in China’s UHPC industry has only just begun. We look forward to meeting again next year, to witness more breakthroughs and drive ultra-high performance cement-based materials and applications to new heights!