Engineering Agency,Taipei Water Department

　　Organized by the Taipei Water Department, Endless Flow! Cypher Tournament is Taiwan’s first intercollegiate hip-hop club competition. Over its first two editions in 2024 and 2025, the competition attracted hundreds of student teams submitting original music. Each year, total YouTube views have exceeded 200,000, generating strong engagement and buzz across audiences. The finals bring together hip-hop clubs from across campuses, fostering exchange and inspiring even greater creative energy. The 2026 edition has officially launched, with registration open until April 7. This year’s theme, “All About LOVE,” invites participants to use hip-hop as a creative language to redefine and express their own interpretations of love.

　　Commissioner Fan Huan-ying of the Taipei Water Department noted that in the past two editions, themed around the Earth, participants demonstrated remarkable creativity. Their works ranged from reflective and thought-provoking to satirical and playful. Many incorporated water as a central motif, extending their exploration to the city, society, the environment, and the self. The resulting pieces combined power with poetic expression, reflecting the younger generation’s perspectives on contemporary issues. This year’s focus on “love” aims to channel emotion, rhythm, and lyricism into a powerful creative force. Love may take many forms. It can be an expression of emotion, a choice, an action, or a stance. It may represent appreciation for family, friends, and partners; commitment to oneself, one’s beliefs, and one’s dreams; or a broader sense of care and responsibility toward the environment, society, and the world.

　　To encourage broader participation, this year’s competition features both Cypher Group and Individual categories. Group entries must be submitted under club names with a minimum of three members. Participants in the group category may also enter the individual category. Original works may be submitted in any format and will be ranked based on YouTube view counts. The top 10 teams in the group category will each receive a NT$15,000 Creative Incentive Award. In the individual category, the top three winners will receive NT$15,000, NT$10,000, and NT$5,000, respectively. Finalists will take the stage at the grand finale on April 25, where the top 10 Cypher Group teams will compete live. A panel of professional judges will select the Best Live Performance Awards, with prizes of NT$30,000, NT$20,000, and NT$10,000. As of March 30, a total of 53 teams from across northern, central, southern, and eastern Taiwan have already registered, including 29 individual entries and 24 group entries.

　　The Taipei Water Department also announced that this year’s live finals will feature three professional judges: DJ GREY, founder of Hip-Hop Longhu Men and a key figure in Taiwan’s hip-hop scene; ILL MO, an academic-style rap mentor; and GreenTed, founder of War Convict Studio. The first-place team will also receive a complimentary performance slot at PIPE Live Music. Students from senior high schools, vocational schools, and universities across Taiwan are warmly invited to participate!

● Event Guidelines: https://reurl.cc/0mpr8l

● Registration Link: https://forms.gle/YYrD7wbSkZK6YqjDA