With the emergence of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in blockchain technology, educational institutions have been able to use NFTs to reward students. This is done by automatically processing transaction information and the buying and selling process using smart contract technology. The technology enables the establishment of recognition levels and incentivizes students to receive NFT recognition rewards. According to the Taxonomy Learning Pyramid, learning through hands-on experiences plays a crucial role in attracting students’ interest. In this study, we analyzed the potential for using NFTs in education and the current applications of NFTs in society. We conducted a case study and performed a preliminary investigation of the types of NFT applications in the education industry. We then analyzed different education industries using individual analysis combined with SWOT analysis to understand the impact, value, and challenges of NFT applications. The results revealed 10 educational applications of NFT: textbooks; micro-certificates; transcripts and records; scholarships and rights; master classes and content creation; learning experiences; registration and data collection; patents, innovation, and research; art; payment; and deposit. Finally, ways to reduce the negative impact of education NFTs on the sustainable environment are discussed.

Non-fungible token (NFT) products are important for industrial applications. In recent years, they have rapidly gained importance in the field of blockchain combined with metaverse. The concept of NFTs has developed gradually, as many industries have begun using NFTs creatively to raise new business innovation opportunities in entrepreneurship. However, few studies have been conducted analyzing critical features of NFTs for success, trends, and challenges in NFT products. In this study, group discussions, case analysis methods, and the OpenSea database were used to analyze fashion trends among NFT products. A mixed method was used in this study. Quantitative and qualitative data derived from the questionnaire and group discussions were analyzed using the case study method, and the actual historical trading data of NFT products obtained from the OpenSea platform were analyzed. This study analyzed NFT products, fashion characteristics, and trends in NFT artwork. The opportunities and challenges of NFT applications and sustainable NFTs are discussed in this study. Our research results show that the most attractive NFT product types are collectible digital works and creative artworks. The critical design characteristics are lovely (cute), beautiful, and interesting. We recommend that NFT makers use the above-mentioned characteristics to create NFT artworks with special design characteristics to increase NFT values. The advantage of NFTs is that makers can freely create their works through the NFT platform, which can decrease the limitations of traditional methods such as the need for venues, exhibition setup costs, and intermediaries’ commissions. The major challenges of current NFT applications include usability challenges, security and privacy issues, and governance considerations. We believe that our research results can provide useful directions and strategies for future researchers, makers, and ventures seeking to develop NFT applications. Our research results, such as identifying the critical design factors and current trends in NFTs, can provide guidelines for art design and innovation education. In addition, this study discusses the applications of NFTs in sustainable education, which can provide benefits for sustainable educational development to meet the goal of quality education in SDG4.