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Award 2025

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Entry Guidelines

Award Overview

Category

Wall design

The wall material and size are not specified. Come up with your free design ideas and suggestions for the wall.

Theme

Joy of Design

Jury Panel

Kentaro Yamazaki

(Representative Director, YAMAZAKI KENTARO DESIGN WORKSHOP Co.,Ltd., Professor, Kogakuin University, Architect)

profile

Nozomi Zama

(President of ZA Design Inc., Spatial Designer)

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Chie Morimoto

(President of goen° Co.,Ltd., Creative Director)

profile

Hokuto Ando

(Co-founder of we+, Associate Professor at MusashinoArt University, Designer)

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Yasumasa Kondo

President and CEO Sangetsu Corporation
*Chair of the Jury

Awards & Prize

Grand Prize(1 entry)
1 million yen
Second Prize
(1 entry)
500,000 yen
Special Prize
(4 entries)
150,000 yen
(for each winner)
Finalist Prize
(multiple entries)
20,000 yen
(for each finalist)
  • *Notes on Awards
    • ・All finalists will receive an award and prize money.
    • ・There may be additional award(s) for evaluating the ideas, proposals, concepts and other process-oriented points.
    • ・Depending on type of award, there may be “No corresponding entry”.
  • *Collaboration with Award Winners and Prize Money
    • ・We are planning public relations exhibits and events for award winners. The winners might be kindly requested to join them.
    • ・Sangetsu may develop products from winning works. For details, see the “Commercialization of Winning Works”section.
    • ・Withholding tax and special income tax for reconstruction will be deducted from prize money before payment to winners. The Finalist Prize money is not subject to this deduction.

Eligibility

The competition is available to all regardless of the company, organization, individual, group, age, gender, occupation and nationality.

  • *Finalists who pass the Primary Round are required to attend the Final Round and the same-day award ceremony, scheduled for mid-March 2026 in Tokyo.

Number of entries

Unlimited.

Entry Deadline

October 14 (Tue.) – December 22, 2025 (Fri.) 18：00 JST

Work Data Upload Deadline:
October 14 (Tue.) –December 22, 2025 (Mon.), 18:30 (JST)
  • *Optional Physical Work Submission (arrival deadline): December 22, 2025 (Mon)

Screening Method

Primary Round ：
Evaluation based on submitted data in mid-January 2026.
Final Round ：
Presentation screening in Tokyo, mid-March 2026.
Includes individual consultation sessions with jury members (planned for early February 2026).
Detailed information will be provided individually to finalists who pass the Primary Round Results.

Results Announcement

Primary Round ：
Notifications will be sent by email to all applicants (successful and unsuccessful) in mid-January 2026.
Final Round ：
Winners will be announced and awarded during the ceremony held immediately after the Final Round in March 2026.
Results will also be published later on the official website.
Kentaro Yamazaki
Representative Director, YAMAZAKI KENTARO DESIGN WORKSHOP Co.,Ltd., Professor, Kogakuin University, Architect

Yamazaki is known for receiving many international and domestic awards such as the the AIJ Prize(Architectural Design Division), the JIA Grand Prix, GOOD DESIGN GRAND AWARD, the AIJ Young Architect Award for Selected Architectural Designs, and the iF DESIGN AWARD Gold Award. His works include Itoman Gyomin Shokudo constructed by piling Ryukyu limestone with residents in Okinawa; Hakusui Nursery School, a stair-like building by making the most of the slope; Hospice in Shinfuji, a hospice with a quotidian atmosphere; and Long House with an Engawa for everyone in the community to gather. He aims to design architecture for everyone from children to elderly people, rather than creating flashy buildings.

Nozomi Zama
President of ZA Design Inc., Spatial Designer

Nozomi Zama is the principal of ZA DESIGN Inc. and a spatial designer. She graduated from the Department of Scenography, Display, and Fashion Design at Musashino Art University. After beginning her career at Yukio Hashimoto Design Studio, where she worked on a wide range of domestic and international projects including hotels, retail spaces, and wedding venues, she established ZA DESIGN Inc. in 2018.
Her notable works include the banquet halls “HAKOU”and “KIOTO”at Happo-en, Mitsui Garden Hotel Ginza Tsukiji, Laforet Hakone Gora Yunosumika Ayakan, Fuji Marriott Hotel, and Omiya Sky & Square The Tower. Through her practice, she delivers design solutions across a wide spectrum of fields, from residential environments to hotels, commercial facilities, and exhibition spaces.
Her achievements have been recognized internationally, including being named a winner of the iF DESIGN AWARD 2025 and shortlisted for the Japan Spatial Design Award 2024.

Chie Morimoto
President of goen° Co.,Ltd.,Creative Director

Born in Misawa, Aomori, Japan, Chie Morimoto graduated from Musashino Art University and began her career in advertising in 1999.
In 2007, she founded goen°Inc., guided by the philosophy: “Discover encounters, shape dreams, and connect people.”
Her work spans advertising, product development, book and cover design, spatial direction, regional revitalization projects, and educational design.
She has received numerous awards both in Japan and internationally and serves as a juror for various design competitions.
Committed to design that respects life, she strives to bring happiness to people through the power of creative expression.

Hokuto Ando
Co-founder of we+, Associate Professor at Musashino Art University, Designer

Designer and Co-Founder of we+, acontemporary design studio founded in 2013. Through an alternative approach grounded inresearch and experimentation, he explores new perspectives and value creation. In addition to presenting self-initiated projects born from daily research both domestically and internationally, he engages in a wide range of commissioned work, including R&D, installations, furniture design, interior design, and art direction. He has received numerous awards, including the FRAME Awards 2023 / Furniture of the Year,Wallpaper* Design Awards 2023 / Best Elements of Surprise, and Dezeen Awards 2022 / Emerging Design Studio of the Year (PublicVote). He was also a nominee for the ELLEDECO International Design Awards 2019 / Young Designer of the Year. He serves as a jury member for the iF Design Awards and D&AD Awards. His works are permanently collected by institutions such as the Vitra Design Museum. He is an Associate Professor at Musashino Art University, and a Visiting Professor at ShihChien University and Tohoku University of Art & Design.

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Primary Round

How to Enter

STEP1
Online Entry

Complete your entry via the official website or by scanning the QR code.
Once your entry is confirmed, a confirmation email will be sent to your registered email address.
This email will include your entry number and an upload URL for submitting your work data.

  • *If you use domain restrictions on your email account, please ensure that you can receive messages from: @sangetsu-award.jp.

Entry

STEP2
Upload Work Data

Submit your work data using the upload URL provided in the confirmation email.
After uploading, you will receive a confirmation email.

STEP3
Optional Submission of Physical Work

For the Primary Round, all entries must be submitted in digital format. Applicants may also submit a physical work as supplementary material, in addition to the digital data. See “Submission Guidelines for the Physical Work (Submission 2)”for details.

  • Note: Judging for the Primary Round will be based solely on the digital data. Submission of a physical work will not affect the results.

Schedule

October 14,2025 (Tue)

Entry acceptance opens.

December 22 (Mon), 18:00 (JST)

Entry Deadline

December 22 (Mon), 18:30 (JST)

Work Data Submission Deadline

  • *Deadline for Physical Works (optional): December 22, 2025 (Mon)(must arrive by this date)

Mid-January 2026

Notification of Primary Round Results

Submission Guidelines

After completing your entry, please submit the following two materials (①and ②) using the upload URL included in your confirmation email.
For Submission ①, you must download and use the official template provided.

You can download the project templates for A, B and D in batch.

Project Template
for Submission ①

Submission ①
Spatial Image + Work Information (using the provided template)
Format:A3 landscape(420 mm ×297 mm)

A. Spatial Image

Provide perspective drawings, renderings, or sketches that clearly show how your design will be applied within a space.

To indicate scale, include figures, furniture, or other reference elements within the perspective.

B. Work Information

Complete all required fields in the template (entry number, concept, materials, etc.).

  • Language: Japanese or English only

Template
Print Size
〈 A3 〉

●Data Format:

File format: PDF / JPG / PNG
File size: Up to 5 MB
File naming: `EntryNo_WorkTitle_1`
(Example: `20250000_Title_1.pdf`)

Submission ②

C. Design DrawingFormat:A2 landscape(594 mm ×420 mm)

Create a design drawing that represents a portion of the wall surface at full scale (A2 size).

Expression method is free.

  • *Template not provided.
  • *You may submit digitally created data or data scanned/photographed from a physical work.

Design Drawing
Print Size
〈 A2 〉

●Data Format:

File format: PDF / JPG / PNG
File size: Up to 10 MB
File naming: `EntryNo_WorkTitle_2`
(Example: `20250000_Title_2.pdf`)

Submission ①Format:A3

Submission ②Format:A2

Notes on Uploaded Data
  • You may submit either digitally created data or scanned/photographed data of a physical work.
  • Recommended resolution: at least 3,000 pixels on the longer side.
  • If photographing or scanning, avoid excessive reduction when editing or trimming the image.
When photographing with a digital camera or smartphone:
  • Images taken with a 12-megapixel (12 MP) camera or higher generally meet the resolution requirement. Most current smartphones and digital cameras exceed 12 MP, so standard devices are acceptable.
  • To ensure accurate color reproduction, shoot in a bright location, preferably under natural light.
  • Avoid excessive color correction or retouching.
  • A plain background (white or gray) is preferred.
Optional Submission of Physical Works (for Submission ②)

Although all first-round submissions must be made in digital format, applicants who wish to also submit a physical version of Submission ②may send it to the address below:

Sangetsu Corporation
Sangetsu Design Award Secretariat
1-4-1 Habashita, Nishi-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 451-8575, Japan

Please attach the official back-label template to the reverse side of your work and clearly write your entry number and work title.

back-label template
for Submission ②

Regulations for Physical Works
  • The physical work must conform to the format of Submission ②.
  • Do not submit works larger than A2 size, non-panel mockups, three-dimensional objects only, or material samples only.
  • Three-dimensional expressions using the intended materials are acceptable within the design drawing.
  • As a guideline, thickness should not exceed 150 mm and weight should not exceed 3 kg.
  • Works that are too thin or flexible to stand upright must be mounted on an A2-sized art board.

Final Round

Only finalists (those who pass the Primary Round) will be contacted individually with details regarding the schedule and procedures.
The Final Round will consist of an oral presentation and a Q&A session with the jury. Finalists must submit a prototype that reflects the actual quality of their work.

Leading up to the Final Round, finalists will also have the opportunity to attend individual consultation sessions with jury members. Further details will be provided after the Primary Round results are announced.

Schedule

Mid-January 2026

Finalist notification

Early February 2026

Individual consultation sessions with jury members

Mid-March 2026

Final Presentation and Awards Ceremony

Submission Materials

  • Prototype of the work (Required)
    A prototype representing the actual quality of the work must be submitted. If you submitted a physical work for the Primary Round, the same piece may be used.
  • Large-format work data (Optional)
    To have your work printed in large size, submit data sized 920 mm (W) ×1850 mm (H), resolution 72 dpi or higher, by the specified deadline. The Award Secretariat will prepare a full-scale output for display on the day of the Final Round.
  • Presentation-day materials (Optional)
    Additional materials or 3D objects may be brought to the presentation.
  • Projection materials (Optional)
    Supplementary materials such as images or videos may be submitted by the specified deadline.
*Notes on Submissions

All submission items may either be brought on the day of the screening or sent in advance.
Restrictions on size and format may apply, depending on whether materials are brought or shipped.
Detailed instructions will be provided individually to finalists.

Additional Notes

Commercialization of Winning Works

  • Some winning entries may be developed into commercial products.
  • In such cases, finalists may be invited to participate in product development meetings and asked to enter into agreements regarding the transfer of intellectual property rights. Specific details will be provided individually.
  • During the commercialization process, design or material adjustments may be required to accommodate manufacturing methods and specifications.
  • In addition to product commercialization, winning works may also be applied in other design formats. Further details will be communicated individually.

About Submitted Works

  • Submitted works must meet the following conditions:
    1. 1. Must be the applicant’s original creation.
    2. 2. Must not have been published in Japan or abroad.
    3. 3. Must not be identical or substantially similar to existing works.
    4. 4. Must not violate public order, morality, or applicable laws and regulations.
    5. 5. Must not infringe upon the intellectual property or other rights of third parties.
    6. 6. Must not consist solely of images generated by AI and used without modification.
  • If a submitted work or any accompanying materials (illustrations, images, etc.) are found to violate conditions ①–⑥, the award may be revoked even after results are announced. The applicant will be solely responsible for resolving any disputes arising from such violations, and the organizer will assume no responsibility.
  • For all winning works except the Finalist Prize (hereinafter referred to as “top prize”), intellectual property rights will be transferred to the organizer. The prize money will serve as consideration for these rights.
  • For works that do not receive a top prize, intellectual property rights will remain with the applicant. However, applicants agree that the organizer may reproduce, transmit, publish, or exhibit the works and related materials free of charge for purposes related to this award.
  • From the start of the application period until the announcement of results, entries may not be submitted to other contests orcompetitions, nor made public without the organizer’s prior consent.
  • While every effort will be made to handle submissions with care, the organizer will not be responsible for damage or loss resulting from natural disasters or unforeseen accidents.
  • Submitted works will not be returned. Applicants should retain copies for their own records if necessary.
  • In the case of minor applicants, a parental consent form will be required if they receive an award.

Personal Information

Personal information provided by applicants will be managed by Sangetsu Corporation. It will be used solely for purposes relatedto the operation of this competition, including contacting applicants, providing information about related events, and statistical analysis.

＞Privacy Policy

Operation & Management

Organizer: Sangetsu Corporation

Contact

E-Mail：info@sangetsu-award.jp
Sangetsu Corporation Sangetsu Design Award Secretariat

PDF Downloads

Entry Guidelines

  • ※Please feel free to print this document for your reference and use as needed.

Flyer

Project Template for
Submission ①

Back-label template for
Submission ②
(optional)

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