On March 11, 2014, Ma Yansong, founder of MAD, was elected as the 2014 Young Global Leader (YGL). This honor is awarded annually by the World Economic Forum to recognize outstanding leaders under the age of 40 selected from around the world. This year's list includes 214 outstanding people from 66 countries, and Ma Yansong is the first Chinese architect to receive this honor.

The World Economic Forum, also known as the "Davos Forum", selects outstanding candidates from thousands of nominated candidates every year through a nomination and selection process based on strict selection criteria, and awards them the title of "Young Global Leaders". They are invited to become official members and sign the Charter of Rights and Responsibilities of Young Global Leaders. The Forum of Young Global Leaders has now become a unique group of multi-stakeholders, consisting of more than 700 outstanding young leaders who are committed to shaping the future of the world.

Ma Yansong is known as the most important voice and representative of the new generation of architects. In 2004, Ma Yansong founded MAD and won the ABSOLUTE international competition for super-high-rise residential buildings near Toronto, Canada in 2006 with the "Monroe Building", becoming the first Chinese architect to win an important landmark building overseas. He is committed to exploring the future of architecture, advocating the combination of urban density, function and landscape, and moving towards a new era of urban civilization with human spirit as the core by re-establishing the emotional connection between people and nature. Starting with the Floating Island in 2002, Ma Yansong has been practicing this declaration of the ideal future human settlement around the world with imaginative works such as the Absolute Building, Beijing 2050, Hutong Bubble No. 32, Ordos Museum, and Rockery. At the same time, he has also discussed the cultural value of cities and architecture with the public through a series of solo exhibitions, publications and artworks at home and abroad.