February 17, 2023

THE 20TH KOKUYO DESIGN AWARD SPECIAL “YOKOKU AWARD” HAS BEEN DECIDED
Award

From the entries submitted by the students, 18 works that make us feel an exciting future were selected

KOKUYO Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Osaka/President: Hidekuni Kuroda) has announced the selection of 18 special awards for the 20th KOKUYO DESIGN AWARD, an international competition for product design.

Since its inception in 2002, KOKUYO DESIGN AWARD has been working to commercialize award-winning works. During the screening process, consideration for aspects such as manufacturing methods, and comfort and safety during use are also necessary. Even if ideas stand out, the balance with feasibility must be taken into consideration.

The YOKOKU Award, a special award given to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the KOKUYO DESIGN AWARD, was established for the purpose of challenging and supporting young leaders of the next generation by selecting works that are appealing in their ideas and perspectives, without premise of commercialization, from among all entries submitted for the KOKUYO DESIGN AWARD 2023.

“YOKOKU” is derived from our purpose “Bringing you a tomorrow you can’t wait for.” The selection was made with an emphasis on having exciting elements and a sense of the future.

The YOKOKU Award ceremony will be held privately on Friday, February 24, and the winners will be presented with a certificate and cash prize of 30,000 yen.

The final judging to decide the Grand Prix and Excellence Award for the KOKUYO DESIGN AWARD 2023 will be held on Saturday, March 18, and the award ceremony will be held that evening. The final screening and award ceremony will be streamed globally on YouTube, and the YOKOKU AWARD ceremony will be featured.

The 20th KOKUYO DESIGN AWARD Special “YOKOKU Award” Award Winning Works (Order of entry)

Details such as the presentation sheet of the work, description of the work, and judging comments are posted on the KOKUYO DESIGN AWARD 2023 website.
https://kokuyo.jp/pr/KDA2023en_yokoku/

KOKUYO DESIGN AWARD 2023 Final judging, award ceremony, and talk show broadcast
In the final judging that will occur in the first half, 10 designers from Japan and overseas who were selected as finalists, after the initial judging of 1,023 entries, will give presentations and have a question and answer session with the judges.
In the second half, the award ceremony and talk show by the judges will be broadcast live.
In addition, during the final judging period, held privately between the first and second halves, a vote will be held for the “Audience Award” selected by live viewers, and the results will be announced at the award ceremony.

[Date and Time]
Saturday, March 18
14:30-17:00 (JST) Part 1: Finalist Presentations (Final judging)
18:30-20:00 (JST) Part 2: Award Ceremony and Judges’ talk show

[Broadcast URL]
Kokuyo Design Award YouTube 
https://www.youtube.com/c/KokuyoDesignAward

*Details of the broadcast will be available on the KOKUYO homepage from March 6th, 2023 (Mon.).
https://kokuyo.jp/pr/en_award/

*Only Japanese is available during the broadcast. The judges’ talk show will be released with English subtitles at a later date.

* KOKUYO DESIGN AWARD website and social media
Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/KokuyoDesignAward.japan/
Twitter / https://twitter.com/kokuyo_DA
Instagram / https://www.instagram.com/kokuyo_designaward/
LINE / @kokuyo_da