The organizers have received 26655 entries for the Expo mascot design competition.

World Expo 2010 organizers announced that they have received 26655 entries in the worldwide Expo mascot design competition by today's 6pm deadline.

The entries, collected from home and abroad, present varied characters, including personalized animals and created figures.

Submitted entries not only feature the tiger, dolphin, panda, Chinese sturgeon and red carp but also Shanghai's Oriental Pearl Tower, water drops, sunshine and trees as original images.

Since the international search for the Expo mascot started on January 17, the design of the Expo mascot has attracted a lot of attention from both ordinary people and artists.

The solicitation received a warm response from the public. The youngest person who submitted an entry was only three years old, and the oldest was 83.

The organizers dispatched eight teams traveling more than 40,000 kilometer home and abroad and did a door-to-door promotion to over 15,000 people, asking them to submit ideas for the Expo mascot.

The organizers have set up a jury for the mascot selection which will begin tomorrow.

The organizer said they have strict judging rules and selecting procedures for the mascot candidates.

The organizers demand that the mascots manifest the theme of the Expo "Better City, Better Life" as well as Chinese culture.

The winning design must also be flexible and able to be used in broadcasting and re-creation, the organizers said.

The mascot will be unveiled in December. People will be able to buy the souvenirs and stuffed toys of Expo mascot on the first day of 2008.