The Palace Museum, commonly known as the Forbidden City, has kicked off a contest of cultural product and creative design to celebrate the 88th anniversary of the royal palace's transformation into a museum.

"The public will know better about the Palace Museum through this contest," said Palace Museum Director Shan Jixiang at a news conference on Aug 2.

The contest welcomes the participation of design studios, art practitioners, professional designers, art teachers and students as well as amateur designers.

The deadline for submitting entries is Nov 15. Detailed information is available at www.dpm.org.cn.