The World Confucian Conference is an grand international Confucianism event co-sponsored by the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China and the Shandong Provincial People's Government, jointly sponsored by the Chinese Academy of Arts, the Shandong Provincial Department of Culture, the China Confucius Foundation, and Advanced Institute of Confucian Studies of Shandong University, etc. Since 2008, the World Confucian Conference is held during the Confucius Cultural Festival in September every year.

The purpose of the conference is to organize and hold Confucianism research activities around the world, to promote the in-depth development of Confucianism research in various countries and regions, to inherit and promote excellent Chinese traditional culture, to promote dialogues and exchanges between different civilizations, and to enhance mutual understanding and trust among nations. Converging international cultural forums, high-standard academic events and authoritative government actions, the Confucian Conference strives to create an international platform for Confucian study, exchange, and cooperation.

In September 2007, Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China and the Shandong Provincial People's Government held an international conference on the launching of the World Confucian Conference in Qufu, issued the Declaration of the World Confucian Conference. It is proposed to hold the World Confucian Conference in Qufu every September from 2008 (since 2013, it has been held every two years). The World Confucian Conference has been held successfully for six sessions. Over 1000 experts and scholars from more than 30 countries and regions including Chinese mainland, Hongkong, Macao, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Israel, Australia, Britain, France, Austria, Spain, Russia, the United States and Brazil attended the conference. There are 26 topics of the conference, including "the contemporary value of Confucianism", "Confucianism and national education", "the inheritance and development of Confucianism", "the development of Confucianism and cultural diversity", "Confucianism and social and economic development". More than 50 academic seminars have been held, with more than 800 papers submitted and 6 academic theses published.

In September 2009, Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China and the Shandong Provincial People's Government decided to set up the " Confucius Cultural Prize " at the World Confucian Conference. The purpose is to encourage Confucian researchers and research institutions around the world to deeply study the essence of Confucius thought and culture, explore the value and significance of Confucius and Confucianism, strengthen the discussion and exchange of Confucianism research results, and promote the inheritance and popularization of Confucian culture.

In the past ten years, the World Confucian Conference and the Confucius Cultural Prize have attracted widespread attention from the international cultural community and all walks of life with their high-standard and high-level academic influence, and have become an important brand for Confucian studies and Confucian cultural exchanges.