Delivering the "Now" of the GOOD DESIGN AWARD
The thoughts that go into the application for the GOOD DESIGN AWARD, The thoughts that go into the judging of the GOOD DESIGN AWARD, Various thoughts intersect and connect The process of exploring "GOOD DESIGN" will be delivered to you.
Applications for GOOD DESIGN NEW HOPE AWARD 2025 are open until 1 p.m. on August 15!
2025.07.25
The GOOD DESIGN NEW HOPE AWARD supports young talent who will pioneer the design of the future. The program began in fiscal 2022 for students and newly working adults who have just graduated or completed their programs of study. Entrants have a free choice of theme, and can use their past efforts, such as work made for assignments or independently while studying, to apply. In this article, we introduce the attractive features of the NEW HOPE AWARD, which broadens entrants’ hands-on learning and networks as designers.
What is the GOOD DESIGN NEW HOPE AWARD?
The GOOD DESIGN NEW HOPE AWARD will take place for the fourth time this year. It is an award for young designers, who can submit a variety of design and research, irrespective of genre.
GOOD DESIGN NEW HOPE AWARD applications ・Applicants must be current students or newly working adults who have just graduated or completed their studies. ・Applicants can submit their assignment/graduation work for university or vocational college, or independently produced designs. ・Applicants can submit designs produced as a proposal or concept, as long as these are their own original designs. ・There is no application fee. Check here for the outline of the event and the application guidelines.
When applying, choose the category best suited to your design from among the following four categories: “product design,” “place design,” “information design,” and “systems design.” Judges from various fields of expertise are responsible for screening each category of application.
In the first screening, the award-winning works and up to two Excellent Award winners in each category will be selected. At the final screening, the Grand Award winner is selected after presentations of the Excellent Award winning designs. Each year, the final presentations given by young designers from the same generation are filled with enthusiasm and provide a variety of opportunities for learning and stimuli.
▶︎ Click here to see what the final screening for FY 2024 was like
Last year, 94 of the 606 entries were selected as award-winning works. Of these, the top two designs in each category, a total of eight designs, were chosen for Excellent Awards and advanced to the final screening. Seven designs received Excellent Awards and one design the Grand Award.
A great adventure starting from your bed: "Adventure Box," the 2024 Grand Award
"Adventure Box," which won the Grand Award last year, is a play starter kit that delivers the magic of "play" to hospitalized elementary school children, taking “Let the adventure begin from your bed!” as its motto. Through innovative play, the kit nurtures curiosity and imaginative power, and generates opportunities for children to weave new, positive stories about their experiences of being ill.
The judges praised the design, saying “Based on their own experience, the designers have carefully researched the environment surrounding children undergoing medical treatment from psychological, physical, and social standpoints. A very powerful design process has been used to propose products and services to solve the issues, to collaborate in a team across disciplines, and to develop the project so that it can reach society. The attitude of the people involved with this product can be said to demonstrate one of the guiding principles for the next generation of designers.”
Respecting children’s agency and involving people from diverse fields of expertise and society as a whole, rather than limiting itself to the category of nursing, this powerful design has developed into a broader project through cooperation across various boundaries.
Fulfilling learning and connections which continue even after receiving an award
NEW HOPE AWARD winners not only receive a commendation certificate, memorabilia, and a cash prize, they also have the opportunity to further develop their skills and network as designers. The following program was implemented in fiscal 2024. * The content of this year’s program will be announced as soon as they are confirmed.
● All award-winning works displayed in the list of Award-Winning Works on the official website「, along with comments from the judges. Publication of a book containing all the works selected as “award-winning works” or for a higher award.
● Articles published in design media.
Interview with the Grand Award winner and the judges for AXIS. It is a valuable experience for the winner to look back on their winning design with the judges.
Interview with past Grand Award winners for JDN. Wider opportunities to meet colleagues from the same generation.
● Participation in the 2024 GOOD DESIGN AWARD winners’ exhibition “GOOD DESIGN EXHIBITION 2024”
The GOOD DESIGN AWARD winners’ exhibition introduces all of the GOOD DESIGN NEW HOPE AWARD winning works. This is an opportunity for many people to see and know about your design.
● Study tours of “design sites”
Visits to corporate design studios and construction and community development sites, which cannot usually be seen. These times provide many opportunities to learn about what professional designers and architects actually do and how they spend their daily lives.
In fiscal 2024, study tours were held at the Digital Agency, THE CAMPUS FLATS TOGOSHI, JAKUETS TOKYO MATSUBARA, FEEL GOOD CREATION, and others.
● Follow-up seminar
This is a fruitful opportunity for you to present your work and receive reviews and advice directly from the judges. Through the discussions, participants deepened their understanding of the works and gained new perspectives and contacts.
● Design workshop
A workshop to bring design into higher definition, focusing on dialogue. Through the workshop and dialogue, participants were able to interact with one another and to think about who "design" is for, what it is necessary for, and what is expected of it.
The GOOD DESIGN NEW HOPE AWARD is a prize which honors good design, excellent design, etc., and a place for future designers to grow through participation in various programs. Applications for 2025 are open until 1 p.m. on August 15. We look forward to receiving your design submissions!
Chieko Asakura
Writing
While working at a bookstore, she creates books and videos. She participated in Tokyo Art Book Fair (TABF) 2024. She is also active as an actor, participating in the theater company chelfitsch’s Five Days in March Re-creation and Metamorphosis of a Living Room.
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