SynBio Challenges is an international contest on synthetic biology. It is aimed at college students and graduate students who are passionate about synthetic biology while bringing together leading experts from around the world. It provides a forum for exchange between young scientists and leading experts face-to-face. Valuing the concept of "Build For Knowledge And Build For Use", SynBio Challenges encourages young scientists to start from their curiosity and explore innovative applications of synthetic biology in diverse fields. SynBio Challenges consists of seven parallel tracks of competition: Synthetic Cell, Health and medicine, Industrial applications, Agriculture and Environment, Bacterial Game, Protein Design by Al, and Responsible Innovation in Life Sciences. 

2025 was the fourth year for SynBio Challenges and the first year that it goes international. Nearly 1,900 young talents from over 265 university teams from Japan, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and China participated for this year's game. Nearly 1,000 participants gathered for the finale in early August at Shenzhen. 

For the track of Synthetic Cell, Team design a DNA sequence of no more than 140 bp (including promoters, 5' UTRs, and RBSs) based on molecular biology principles of gene expression and on databases from the literature. The sequence is used to express a colored protein in a TXTL system based on E. coli lysate, and the team with the highest protein expression level wins the game. Indeed, of the 78 teams for this track in 2025, 5 designed superior regulatory sequences that resulted in expression much higher than commercial plasmids.

SynBio Challenges is seeking PIs to join the judging panel and students to join the game. 
For more information, please visit: https://www.synbiochallenges.com/