The Kokuyo Design Award is launching the competition for 2026, themed: Hamon – Design that Resonates. Kokuyo Design Award is an international competition for product design that aims to co-create with talented designers and support their activities. The best design will be awarded with 2,000,000 Japanese yen — about $14,000. Three Merit awards of 500,000 Japanese yen each, will also be selected, along with up to 10 winners for the New Generation Award — awarded with 30,000 Japanese yen each.

Read more about Kokuyo Design Award 2026: Hamon on Contest Watchers.

Kokuyo Design Award is an international competition for product design that aims to co-create with talented designers and support their activities. The theme for the Kokuyo Design Award 2025 is “prototype.” In product design, the word “prototype” is generally used to mean a pre-finished product or a sample before completion, but for this project, Kokuyo saw it as “an original idea that has the potential to lead to the next step.” A well thought-out prototype will inspire others and serve as a catalyst for the future. The Kokuyo Design Award 2025 is looking for product designs that will be the starting point for the future. The best design will be awarded with 2,000,000 Japanese yen — about $12,800. Three Merit awards of 500,000 Japanese yen each, will also be announced and special prizes may as well be awarded. Up to 10 winners will also be announced for the New Generation Award and will each be awarded with 30,000 Japanese yen.

Read more about Kokuyo Design Award 2025: Prototype on Contest Watchers.

The Kokuyo Design Award is an international product design competition that’s all about imagining and creating the future together. It gathers proposals from all around the world, and turns outstanding entries into commercial products. The Kokuyo Design Award 2024 will be the 21st competition, and this time, the organizers are calling for works based on the theme “primitive.” The word is usually used to describe something close to nature and in its “original state,” or something “basic” before it is refined. This time, however, the organizer wants to see entries that interpret it as “redefining the essence of something” and present a product design that will replace that essence for years to come. The best design will be awarded with 2,000,000 Japanese yen — about $15,000. Three Merit awards of 500,000 Japanese yen each, will also be announced and special prizes may as well be awarded.

Read more about Kokuyo Design Award 2024: Primitive on Contest Watchers.

The Kokuyo Design Award is an international product design competition that’s all about imagining and creating the future together. It gathers proposals from all around the world, and turns outstanding entries into commercial products. The Kokuyo Design Award 2023 will be the 20th competition, and this time, the organizers are calling for works based on the theme “embrace.” This word carries meanings like “inclusion” and “hugging.” In that same vein, the organizers are looking for product design proposals that make people feel cheerful and positive by accepting and acknowledging the differences between people and the challenges society is facing. The best design will be awarded with 2,000,000 Japanese yen — about $15,000. Three Merit awards of 500,000 Japanese yen each, will also be announced and special prizes may as well be awarded.

Read more about Kokuyo Design Award 2023: Embrace on Contest Watchers.

Registrations and submissions are now being accepted for the Kokuyo Design Award 2022 international contest — themed: Unlearning. This year’s theme targets designs for “stationery, furniture and all items generally used in working, learning and living scenes”. With the pandemic making latent issues in society more manifest, the theme is about resetting the knowledge and senses we’ve never questioned before and the experiences we’ve accumulated up to now, and exploring what designs can be created by imagining ideal futures for each of us. The best design will be awarded with 2,000,000 Japanese yen — about $18,000. Three Merit awards of 500,000 Japanese yen each, will also be announced and special prizes may as well be awarded.

Read more about Kokuyo Design Award 2022: Unlearning on Contest Watchers.

Registrations and submissions are now being accepted for the Kokuyo Design Award 2021 international competition — themed: Post-Normal. The Kokuyo Design Award is an international competition for user-centric product design, where the best of the best are actually put on the consumer market. The organizers are looking for any and all ideas to turn into actual products. The best design will be awarded with 2,000,000 Japanese yen — more than $18,000. Three Merit awards of 500,000 Japanese yen each, will also be announced and special prizes may as well be awarded.

Read more about Kokuyo Design Award 2021 on Contest Watchers.

Kokuyo is accepting registration and submissions for its international competition for 2020, the Kokuyo Design Award — themed: ♡. The reading of “♡” is deliberately not defined. How to read and interpret this symbol is completely up to the applicant to decide. Kokuyo would like you to allow your imagination to flow as freely as possible as you think about the expectations contained within “♡”. The best design will be awarded with 2,000,000 Japanese yen — more than $18,000. Three Merit awards of 500,000 Japanese yen each, will also be announced and special prizes may as well be awarded.

Read more about Kokuyo Design Award 2020 on Contest Watchers.

With the intention to discover and recognize functional product designs from around the world, Kokuyo is calling for entries for its Design Awards competition for 2018 — themed: Beyond Boundaries. The target designs that the organizers want to receive are for stationery, furniture and all items generally used in working, learning and living scenes. This year’s best design will be awarded with 2,000,000 Japanese yen — more than $18,000. Three Merit awards of 500,000 Japanese yen each, will also be announced and special prizes may as well be awarded.

Read more about Kokuyo Design Awards 2018 – Beyond Boundaries on Contest Watchers.

The Kokuyo Design Awards competition has recently open for entries for 2017, to once again discover and recognize functional product designs from around the world. The competition theme for 2017 is “New Story” and this time the organizers are looking for designs that pave the way to new experiences, open new doors and go on to establish new genres. The best entry will be awarded with a Grand Prix of 2,000,000 Japanese yen — more than 16,000 Euro! Three Merit awards of 500,000 Japanese yen each, will also be announced. Special prizes may also be awarded.

Read more about Kokuyo Design Awards 2017 on Contest Watchers.

Registrations and submissions are now being accepted from all parts of the world for the Kokuyo Design Awards 2016 international competition, themed “How To Live“. Designs for items used in our everyday lives, such as stationery, furniture or household goods are eligible for submission. The best entry will be awarded with a Grand Prix of 2,000,000 Japanese yen — more than 16,000 Euro! Three Merit awards of 500,000 Japanese yen each, will also be announced.

Read more about Kokuyo Design Awards 2016 International Competition on Contest Watchers.