- Days Remaining 57
Event History
Since its establishment, excellent product designs have been selected from entries that represent current social conditions, and award-winning works have been turned into commercial products through co-creation between KOKUYO developers and the award winners. By delivering designs to the world that breathe new life into the tools we regularly use in our daily lives and at work as reliable products, KOKUYO aims to support the future activities of designers and at the same time, bring you a tomorrow you can't wait for. More than 24 years have passed since the founding of the award, and more than 20 products have been created to date. It is continuing to evolve as a project that conveys value reflecting the times, and not simply as something to be selected and awarded.
Copyright Policy
•The contest organizer recommends all entrants take steps to protect their rights as necessary. •Worldwide rights related to patents, utility models, designs, trademarks, or copyrights (including rights specified in Article 27 and 28 of the Copyright Act of Japan) for winning submissions shall reside with the contest organizer for any works selected for awards (winning submissions). The entrant agrees not to exercise his/her rights to such works for winning submissions. Payment for the transfer of said rights from the entrant to the contest organizer shall be deemed as made in the form of contest prize money. •All rights (intellectual property rights, etc.) and obligations related to works not selected for awards shall, as a rule, reside with the related entrant. •An award given to any winning submitted work with the same (or very similar) design as an article made public may be withdrawn at any time, even after winners have been announced. The foregoing also applies to any submitted works that infringe on the intellectual property rights of a third party, either prior to, concurrent with, or subsequent to submission.
Image Usage Rights
•Submissions must be the original work of the entrant. Submissions cannot have been made public (in Japan or overseas) before or concurrent to this contest. •Submitted works cannot have been entered into other competitions. Submissions may not be displayed publicly without the agreement of the contest organizer. •The organizer shall not be held responsible for any expenses incurred with the entry of works withdrawn. The contest organizer will exercise due care in the handling and transportation of works submitted. However, the contest organizer shall not be liable for any damage or loss resulting from natural disasters or other unexpected events. •Works (including Presentation Sheets and Models) submitted shall belong to the contest organizer and shall not be returned. The contest organizer retains all rights related to contest exhibition or publication of submitted Works.
The theme for the KOKUYO DESIGN AWARD 2027 is “dialogue”
This theme focuses on the reciprocal relationships that lie behind excellent design, specifically between “the people who create objects, and the users,” “the users and the objects,” and “the objects and their surrounding environment.” Under this year’s theme, “dialogue,” we are seeking designs that explore unknown ideas and insights within this new “space” and expand the possibilities of living, learning, and working.
Gen Suzuki (Product Designer) will be invited to participate as the sixth judge alongside the other five judges, Shogo Kishino, Nao Tamura, Kunihiko Morinaga, Satoshi Yoshiizumi, and Hidekuni Kuroda (Representative Corporate Officer and President of KOKUYO Co., Ltd.).
“Any stationery, furniture or tool used in working, learning and living scenes” is eligible to be entered. The judges will focus on the following points: “The idea reflects an interpretation of the theme,” “The idea engages with a social issue,” and “The idea has potential for real-world production.”
We will also be giving the “NEW GENERATION AWARD” again this year. The NEW GENERATION AWARD is selected by KOKUYO from all submitted works by students (elementary school to graduate students), with the hope that they will achieve great things in the future. KOKUYO believes that curiosity is essential for enriching one’s life. In addition to proposals related to the theme, we will select up to 10 excellent designs from the submitted presentation sheets that spark the curiosity of users and evoke a sense of an “exciting future” (no model review).
The deadline for entries and design submissions is 12:00 noon (Japan Standard Time) on Wednesday, October 7.
We are eagerly awaiting your designs.
Prizes:
- Grand Prix (one from all entries) ¥2,000,000 (about $13,000)
- Merit Award (three from all entries) ¥500,000 (about $3,200) per winner
- NEW GENERATION AWARD (max ten winners) \30,000 (about $200) per winner*
*About NEW GENERATION AWARD
This award is selected by KOKUYO Co., Ltd. from among all entries submitted by students (from elementary school to graduate school students) in the hope for their future success. We will select up to 10 outstanding entries that, based on their presentation sheets, make us “feel that their futures will be exciting” (without judging the models).
