NEWS

KOKUYO DESIGN AWARD 2025 Finalists Announced!

The KOKUYO DESIGN AWARD 2025 accepted designs based on the theme of “prototype” between July 26 and October 9, 2024. During that time, we received 1448 entries (716 from within Japan and 732 from overseas).

In the initial round, each judge member had reviewed all the entries in advance and selected a total of 109 nominated works. In the second round of judging, there was a vigorous discussion on the selected entries from the first round, in line with the judging criteria set out in the application guidelines.

This resulted in the decision of the 9 finalists that will continue on to the Final Judging. The Final Judging will be held on March 15, 2025, along with the Award Ceremony, where the Grand Prix and Merit Award winners will be decided.

Also, we received messages from the judges on the design tendencies and their expectations for the fine-tuning to the designs that are continuing to the Final Judging, so please take a look at those as well.

The Final Judging and Award Ceremony will be streamed live on YouTube. We’ll release the link for the streaming at a later date.

〈 Finalist 〉

作品番号	作品名	作者名
KDA2025-0149VKK-490230	Universal sticker	Yasuyuki Yamada
KDA2025-0540AOO-490673	spinning	Haruki Ichijo
KDA2025-0688NAA-191534	KAKONET	Yoshihiro Matsumura
KDA2025-0752OYY-491590	Color-it	8000000studio (Tomoki Batori, Yuze Chen)
KDA2025-0853BXT-010652	6°note	Shingo Iwasa, Atsushi Tanaka
KDA2025-0908REZ-011460	Campus Cardboardpad	HASNICCA (Shunya Kokubo, Keishiro Nakahira, Ryunosuke Taketomi)
KDA2025-0916KUU-220671	NEWRON	Toshiyuki Kawada
KDA2025-1026BFL-490782	material tag punch	Yukiko Iwasaki, Ryo Matsuoka
KDA2025-1360MNN-071191	Secret	weiweichen (Gaowei Liu, Cheng Chen)

〈 Messages from the Judges 〉

Shogo Kishino (Representative of 6D-K / Art Director and Graphic Designer)

While the quality of the products have improved compared to last year, I felt that the connection with the theme “prototype” was somewhat weak.
In this judging, we have carefully looked at how much “prototyping” is expressed in the works, but because this theme has a wide range of interpretations, I felt that there were few works that properly met the theme.
I am really looking forward to seeing more complete and refined ideas in the final judging!

Tsuyoshi Tane (Founder of Atelier Tsuyoshi Tane Architects / Architect)

This year’s theme, “prototype” can be interpreted in a variety of ways, and active discussions took place during the judging process. Against the backdrop of a modern age full of objects, we judged whether there were any proposals for the future.
There were two tendencies in the entries: A tendency to reinterpret existing values, and a tendency to challenge unknown possibilities. I think we were able to draw out fresh ideas depending on the theme.
As a designer, I am looking forward to seeing the masterpieces that are particular about the completion and quality of the ideals and mock-ups in the final judging.

Nao Tamura (Designer)

This year, the number of works that tried a free approach without being focused on the restrictions on commercialization increased, but I got the impression that the degree of completion and the depth of the theme were somewhat lacking.
The judging focused on the three themes of “thought,” “process,” and “sharing,” and focused on works that gave rise to new perspectives and empathy. I evaluate the motivation and reason for making things, the process of giving shape to thoughts, and whether they have the ability to speak to others.
I would like the finalists to further deepen this theme, be conscious of clearly communicating their ideas, and brush up on them.

Teruhiro Yanagihara (TERUHIRO YANAGIHARA STUDIO. CO LTD. / Creative Director and Designer)

I was surprised at the number of entries that could be evaluated from various perspectives. I judged based on whether the works would create a new experience value while emphasizing completion and process.
While there were many works that accurately expressed this year’s theme “prototype,” there were also works that allowed us to hope for a more ingenious approach.
In the final judging, I am looking forward to presentations that emphasize consistency with the theme and deepen the understanding of prototypes. I am looking forward to the presentations on the day.

Satoshi Yoshiizumi (Principal of TAKT PROJECT Inc. / Designer)

It was a difficult screening with different directions of votes and proposals, but I think it was fulfilling and allowed us to feel diverse perspectives and ideas.
In the judging process, I was conscious of whether the design would be “stimulating” and would bring out broader and multifaceted possibilities rather than a one-sided design.
I hope that the final judging will be a place where people can exchange and share their own interpretation of the theme and completion as real things.

Hidekuni Kuroda (KOKUYO Co., Ltd. / Representative Corporate Officer and President)

We received proposals full of ingenuity and commitment. During the active discussion of the judging process, participants were evaluated based on the “essence of design” and “contribution to society” that KOKUYO values. I feel that the overall level has increased even further.
The number of works that are furniture pieces has also increased, and the many approaches to designing people’s lifestyles have left an impression on me. I look forward to seeing mock-ups with a strong focus on prototypes and passionate presentations in the final judging.