On January 14, 2021, the finals of the 2nd Shenzhen (University Students) Marine Knowledge Competition hosted by the Planning and Natural Resources Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality was held at the studio of Shenzhen Media Group. The Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) team involved three students: Xin ZHAO, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Ocean Science and Engineering (OSE), Chun ZHANG, a master student in the Department of Earth and Space Sciences (ESS), and Xukun YUAN, an undergraduate student in the Department of Biology, finished in third place.

The competition was open to all universities and colleges in Shenzhen and lasted for nearly 5 months. It was divided into a training competition and an answering competition. Before the finals, the contestants went to the Dameisha Marina Club to take part in a two-day training competition. They learned about maritime safety and performed sports such as sailing, kayaking, stand-up boarding, and independent training. Multiple universities including SUSTech, Shenzhen University, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, and Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, all participated and put forward a representative team to enter the finals.

The finals were divided into six different parts that involved a selection of questions and answers. These questions covered a wide range of topics that included marine knowledge, areas such as marine high-tech, biology, history, culture, geography, and other fields.