SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

THEME

♡

Groundbreaking design often begins with a prototype.
Prototyping is to design an original idea into a form
that has the potential to lead to the next step.
The KOKUYO DESIGN AWARD 2025 seeks designs pointing the way to the future
and serving as a catalyst.
Your design will inspire others and become a vector for the future.
We look forward to seeing your “prototype”
not bound by existing thinking or limited to mockups or ideas.

ELIGIBLE ENTRIES

Any stationery, furniture or tool used in working, learning and living scenes

ELIGIBILITY

The competition accepts entries from any corporation, individual, or group that fulfills all the following requirements, regardless of their age, sex, occupation, or nationality.

1. Persons who are able to give a presentation at the final judging (March 22, 2025).

* The contest organizer will pay expenses incurred by participants for travel and lodging
(up to two individuals for group entries).

2. Persons who consent to these Rules.

* In cases when an entrant is a minor, the consent of their parent or other statutory agent is required.

NUMBER OF SUBMISSION ALLOWED

Unlimited

* Entry eligibility is limited to those designs never before shown publicly (in Japan, other countries).

PRIZES

Grand Prix 2,000,000en / Merit Award 500,000en

* 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).

* Not all prizes may be awarded for all categories if there is no winner selected.

* Prize money will be paid net of withholding tax, surtax for reconstruction funding, and other applicable deductions.

* The amount shown in dollar is that calculated at the time of publication. The prize will be calculated according to the exchange rate at the time of payment, from the amount shown in Japanese yen.

* The prize money will be paid in Japanese yen.

JUDGES

 Shogo Kishino 
 Tsuyoshi Tane 
 Nao Tamura 

 Teruhiro Yanagihara 
 Satoshi Yoshiizumi 
 Hidekuni Kuroda 

JUDGING POINTS

The idea’s clarity

The idea highlights social issues

The design’s potential to become a product

ABOUT COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF WINNING WORKS
UNDER KOKUYO CO., LTD.

About the consideration of commercialization by KOKUYO Co., Ltd.

Award-winning works may be considered for commercialization.

In principle, product commercialization is carried out through co-creation between the award winners and KOKUYO.
For this reason, we may ask winners to participate in the commercialization process.

In the event of commercialization, a part of the work may be modified upon mutual consultation.

SCHEDULE

Registration through Winner Announcements

Registration & Submission

July 26 – 12:00 (noon) JST
on October 9, 2024 

Check the entry requirements, and then register your entrant information, design information, and submit your design data using the ENTRY pages on our website.

First Round of Judging

Late October 2024

About 100 works are selected through a judging process using a presentation sheet.

Second Round of Judging

Mid November 2024

10 finalists selected from works that passed the First Round of Judging.
Please note that there will be no re-submission because judging will be based on the first presentation sheet.

Notification of Second Round Results

Early December 2024 (tentative)

Only successful entrants will be contacted.

Final Judging and Awards Ceremony

March 22, 2025
(tentative) (Held in Tokyo)

Judgement based on a presentation and model (either online or in-person).

Announcement of the Winners

March 22 2025 (tentative)

Winners will be posted on the KOKUYO DESIGN AWARD website after the conclusion of the official announcements.
* Schedule subject to change.

ORGANIZER / SPONSOR

Organizer : KOKUYO Co.,Ltd.

Sponsor : Design Magazine AXIS

RULES OF ENTRY

ABOUT SUBMISSIONS

  • •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.
  • •Entrants shall take full responsibility for their submission. The contest organizer shall bear no responsibility. If a submitted work falls under any of the following cases, the work falls outside the scope of judging. The contest organizer cannot respond to inquiries regarding the reasons, etc.
    1. Works that could violate any rights of specific characters or entertainers, or works that infringe upon a third party’s rights including copyrights, etc.
    2. Works that jeopardize others’ reputation or credibility,cause trouble, or otherwise violate laws and ordinances, and works that the contest organizer has judged to pose a risk thereof.
    3. Works that include discriminatory expressions, expressions that slander a third party or their products, cause feelings of disgust, or undermine public order and morals, and works that the contest organizer has judged to fall under such a description.
    4. Works that include advertisements, publicity, sales activities, ideologies, religious recruitment, or similar expressions.
    5. Works that include personal information including names, addresses, etc.
    6. Other than the above, works that the contest organizer has judged to be outside the scope of judging on the basis that they do not fit the intent of the award, etc.
    7. Works that include activities that could preclude this award or damage the credibility of this award.
    8. Any other works that are judged inappropriate by the contest organizer.
  • •In the process of judging, productizing the winning work or applying for various rights, we may inquire about entries from the applicants.

ABOUT ENTRANTS’ RIGHTS, ETC.

  • •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.
  • •Entries other than award-winning works may be posted on the Award website or promotional materials after confirming with the applicant in advance.

ABOUT COMPETITIVE CONCEPT

  • •Entrants shall consent in advance that there are cases that the contest organizer or the affiliate company has already developed the same or partly same concept, idea, or designs, etc. (“Organizer’s Concept”) independent of the entrant’s submitted work, and has already started product planning and development at the time the entrant submitted their work.
  • •In the above mentioned cases, submitted works that were not selected for an award include those that had the same or partly same concept, idea, or designs, etc. as that of the Organizer’s Concept. In these cases, the organizer and the affiliate company shall not be restricted with regard to the product planning and development, manufacturing and sales of said product for business purposes, acquisition of intellectual property rights in relation to these activities, etc.

PRIVACY POLICY

Personal information received from entrants will be managed according to the “Personal Information Protection Policy” of KOKUYO Co., Ltd. and of AXIS Inc. which serves as the managing office for this contest. Personal information will be used for the purposes of running this contest, for sending information, for statistical analysis, and also for sending notices related to this award’s schedule and other related events, etc. Non-identifiable personal information may be shared with group companies.

Others

  • •In principle, entrants shall bear all expenses needed for entries.
  • •In any other case that has not been stated in these Rules, decisions shall be made according to the contest organizer’s judgment. Entrants can withdraw their submission in cases which that they cannot consent to the content of these Rules. However, the contest organizer shall not bear any expense that was spent for entries.
  • •Entrants (if an entrant is a minor, including their parent or other statutory agent) are deemed to have consented to the Rules when they submit an entry. However, in cases when a minor wins an award, their parent or other statutory agent is required to submit a separate letter of consent in regard to these Rules.
  • •If an award winner is found to be violating these Rules after the announcement of winning works, their award may be withdrawn.
  • •These Rules shall be governed by the Japanese Law, and the Tokyo District Court shall be the agreed court of exclusive jurisdiction in the first instance with regard to any disputes regarding these Rules.

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