What is the “LONG LIFE DESIGN AWARD,” for designs which have taken root in our lives and continue to be loved?

What is the LONG LIFE DESIGN AWARD?

The tools that are essential in your daily life, the buildings that have become part of familiar landscapes, the services that you cannot do without in your life: the GOOD DESIGN LONG LIFE DESIGN AWARD (hereinafter, LONG LIFE DESIGN AWARD) celebrates such designs that have been loved by many people throughout the ages. This award is given to products or services that have been sold or supplied for more than 10 years and that are expected to continue to provide recognized value. We pay attention to designs that have had a positive impact on society, and celebrate people and companies that continue to create designs which are both easy to use and visually appealing. Through this award, we also aim to present models for the future designs which will appear going forward. In selecting the winners, we place particular importance on the following perspectives.

・Innovation: has the design brought us new functionality or roles? ・Trustworthiness: is it supported and trusted by people? ・Universality: does it have value as a standard? ・Normativity: has it become a model for the next era and the designs which come after it? ・Future prospects: are the impact and effects which it will have on future society appropriate?

As we evaluate each design during the screening, we carefully discuss perspectives such as whether it will be passed down to future generations, the timeliness of why it should be recognized this year, and whether it will still be an excellent design in the future.

The varied award-winning designs which have been loved across eras

Since its inception in 1980, the LONG LIFE DESIGN AWARD has recognized a variety of designs that have been supported by people for many years. To date, the award has been given to designs in a wide range of fields, including products, web services, apps, architecture, activities, and initiatives.

Last year's winners included Mobile Suica, an app used for train travel such as the commute to work or school; Chakkaman utility lighters, essential items for barbecues or fireworks; and Fulltime Locker delivery lockers, which have made sending and receiving parcels more convenient.

Over the past 10 years, Mobile Suica has not only added more convenient functions but has also made our lives better. The simple operation of merely “swiping” the Suica card to use it has been left as it is, but by allowing it to be used on a smartphone, it has become more convenient without greatly changing the way we have been using it. This has reduced the worry about losing your card or the hassle of using a machine to top it up with money, and it has become an essential part of people's daily lives.

The Chakkaman lighter, which has been used for 40 years, is so well-known that it comes to mind immediately for many people as the tool to light a fire. It is used in various situations such as cooking, barbecues, candles, or bonfires. It is distinguished by its simple operability for everyone from children to adults, requiring just the push of a button to ignite. Continual improvements have been made over the course of its long history, and various types have been developed to suit different uses; you can feel the readily understandable design rules that are common to each product. Safe and easy to use, with a good balance of streamlined form and ease of operation, it is a convenient and beautiful tool which plays a useful role in our everyday lives.

It has become easy to order a variety of things over the Internet nowadays, and manpower and systems issues frequently arise in home delivery and distribution. The Fulltime Locker was created about 40 years ago, in 1986, as though it had foreseen such a future. 40 years ago, in a period when the focus was on whether or not a product would sell, the thinking of the designers and company who bravely took the first “small step” created value that is worthy of the LONG LIFE DESIGN AWARD. Fulltime Lockers are unmanned, and so you can pick up your package at any time, 24 hours a day. Since they use authentication keys, only the recipient can take out the package. Because the transaction does not take place face to face, there is no need to worry about security. It is a convenient system that can be used freely as it suits the recipient, reducing the burden on the condominium caretaker and the need for redelivery by the delivery company.

There are also examples of TV programs which have won awards in recent years, including Whiz-Kids TV, a program for 4 to 12 year-olds, and Kewpie 3 Minute Cooking, which helps with daily meal planning. The Radio Exercises program, exercises broadcast on TV and radio and which can be easily carried out by anyone, has also won an award.

Whiz-Kids TV is a fun educational program aimed at children from 4 to 12 years old. When it went on air in 1993, NHK had programs for children, but hardly any programs starring children. Elementary and junior high school students play the leading roles as “TV warriors,” and as children and their parents and guardians watch them take on various challenges in fantasy worlds created each year using computer graphics, the program has communicated “the fun of trying something and growing” and “the interest of unknown worlds” every day for over 30 years. The program uses a variety of methods, including documentaries, variety shows, dramas, and games, to keep its child viewers from getting bored. It also makes use of new technologies, such as telephone surveys and data broadcasts, to develop systems which enable interactions between children and the program.

Kewpie 3 Minute Cooking, the first TV content to receive a LONG LIFE DESIGN AWARD, began from the desire to help mothers who were struggling to make meals every day and to contribute to dietary culture as a food manufacturer. In the beginning, there were no broadcasting networks of TV stations. Moreover, local stations in Hokkaido, Miyagi, Tokyo, Aichi, and Fukuoka produced their own programs in order to provide menus tailored to the food culture of each area at a time when there were regional disparities in the availability of ingredients. Due to the subsequent development of TV networks and distribution channels, it has now been amalgamated into and broadcast by two groups.

Radio Exercises is a set of physical exercises which has continued for an astonishing 90+ years, and is known to most Japanese people. The program began in 1928 as “National Health Exercises,” and was widely introduced via the radio. Between 1951 and 1952, it took on its current form as Radio Exercises 1 and 2, and it is still popular with many people today as exercise that can be easily done by anyone. The point about Radio Exercises is that they can be done “anytime,” “anywhere,” and by “anyone.” They are designed to move the muscles of the whole body evenly, aligned with the body’s structure, and can be used in various places, such as at school, work, or home. Because of this, they have played a role not only in physical health but also in mental health and the revitalization of local communities.

By looking at these examples, we can understand the unique nature and characteristics of each era from the designs which remain in people's lives and memories, unaffected by changing eras even after many years. When you learn why a design became popular and continued to be loved, you can see the ways of thinking, lifestyles, and trends of that period, and recall the memories and lifestyles of people at the time.

Greatly expanded value and further possibilities through winning the award

Winning the LONG LIFE DESIGN AWARD will provide access to the following services:

・No entry fee or fee for use of the logo after winning an award ・Presentation of a commendation certificate and trophy ・Participation in the GOOD DESIGN EXHIBITION ・Appearance in the GOOD DESIGN AWARD YEARBOOK ・Provision of sales and distribution opportunities

Use of the winning logo increases your credibility as “good design.” In addition, the value of the design will be conveyed anew through exhibitions and publication in the yearbook, and there will be more opportunities for further recognition.

Anyone can easily nominate a design! LONG LIFE DESIGN AWARD

We not only accept applications for the LONG LIFE DESIGN AWARD from companies on behalf of their own products, but also accept nominations from you, the users, of the designs that you have been using regularly for a long time. *Please keep in mind that not all of the designs nominated will end up receiving awards.

User nominations and applications on behalf of a company’s own products can be made here

The LONG LIFE DESIGN AWARD aims to enrich people's lives by spreading good designs which have been loved for a long time. It also contributes to the realization of a sustainable and better society. Designs that have been in use for more than 10 years are eligible for entry, so this year, designs born before 2017 and still in use are eligible.

If you look into the designs which have received awards, you may be surprised to find that “Even something like this won the LONG LIFE DESIGN AWARD!” And sometimes you realize that the things and services you use in your life without a passing thought are actually very well designed.

PlayStation® controller, 2014 GOOD DESIGN LONG LIFE DESIGN AWARD recipient; Chicken Ramen, 2018 GOOD DESIGN LONG LIFE DESIGN AWARD recipient; Post-it® Notes, 2013 GOOD DESIGN LONG LIFE DESIGN AWARD recipient

There may be wonderful designs lying around you which you have used for a long time but which have not yet been recognized by a LONG LIFE DESIGN AWARD. It is possible that you will find a design which will win a 2026 LONG LIFE DESIGN AWARD among the familiar goods and services which you use on a daily basis. There is no limit to the number of items you can nominate, so please enjoy yourself as you keep an eye out, and nominate more and more!

The LONG LIFE DESIGN AWARD celebrates designs that have been loved for a long time, and through the application and screening process, it is also a place to create the “standards” of the future.

Applications for 2026 are open from April 1! We look forward to receiving applications for designs that improve your lives and society.