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.
The winners of the 2026 GOOD DESIGN SPECIAL AWARDS, including the GRAND AWARD, have been decided! The winners will be announced on October 15
2026.9.25
On September 17, the Special Awards Panel met to select the GOOD DESIGN SPECIAL AWARD winners from among several thousands of entries. At the panel meeting, the winners of the GOOD DESIGN BEST 100 gave presentations, after which the judges took time for a thorough exchange of views and careful, repeated consideration. At the end of this process, the winners of the SPECIAL AWARDS, including the GRAND AWARD and GOLD AWARDS, were decided. In this article, we will introduce the kinds of discussions that took place at the panel meeting in preparation for the announcements of the awards.
The selection of one GOLD AWARD winner from among the top entries in each category
The GOOD DESIGN AWARD 2026, which began in April, is about to enter its final stage at last.
At the Second Screening Panel, held at Makuhari Messe from August 5 to 7, 100 particularly excellent designs were selected from among the award winning objects to be awarded the GOOD DESIGN BEST 100.
Our topic this time is the screening that takes place to select the winners of the SPECIAL AWARDS, such as the GOOD DESIGN GRAND AWARD, GOOD DESIGN GOLD AWARD, and GOOD FOCUS AWARD, from among the BEST 100.
In the same way as last year, the GOOD DESIGN GRAND AWARD winner is decided at the Special Awards Panel meeting. First, the top entry is selected from each category to decide on the total 20 GOOD DESIGN GOLD AWARD winners. After this, the GOOD DESIGN GRAND AWARD winner is chosen from among the 20 GOLD AWARD recipients.
This selection method aims to implement a more accurate screening by having each judge carry out an evaluation based on a deep understanding of the category. In addition, by selecting one design from each category, a system is created in which any design submitted in any category has a chance to win the GRAND AWARD, and a wide range of designs are evaluated fairly.
Heartfelt final presentations to determine the SPECIAL AWARDS
The Special Awards Panel meeting began with presentation screenings by the GRAND AWARD and GOLD AWARD nominees.
The presentation screenings by the GRAND AWARD and GOLD AWARD nominees One representative of each GRAND AWARD and GOLD AWARD nominee gives a presentation on their winning design, using projected materials and sharing their screen. The presentation time is less than 4 minutes + 5 minutes for Q&A, a total of 9 minutes. (If interpreting is involved, the presentation time is less than 8 minutes + 10 minutes for Q&A, a total of 18 minutes.)
A total of 24 people, consisting of the chair, vice-chairs, and each unit leader (20 people), carry out the screening.
Many ingenious ways of conveying the appeal and value of the designs in a readily understandable manner during the limited presentation time were observed. In addition to videos, drawings, and illustrations, these included the use of concrete figures or actual user feedback. Some of the judges were moved to tears by the passion about the designs in these presentations.
During the Q&A sessions after the presentations, questions were asked about the value and impact of the award winning objects on users and society, or the potential for the design going forward, including:
・The trigger for developing the design for design, and points where the designers got creative during the production process ・The materials used in the design ・The mechanism for bringing the design to users ・The current situation after starting to apply the design ・The impact of the design on users, changes in trust ・How the design will be developed going forward, and the merits and burdens at that time
After heated and prolonged discussions, the SPECIAL AWARD winners were finally decided!
After the presentations by the GRAND AWARD and GOLD AWARD nominees, which took place from early in the morning, were over, the Special Awards Panel meeting began at last. In order to reach a conclusion that would satisfy all the judges, they exchanged opinions from various perspectives, and the heated discussions continued until late at night, even overrunning the scheduled end time.
The Special Awards Panel The SPECIAL AWARDS are selected through discussions among the chair and vice-chairs of the screening committee and each unit leader. Twenty GOOD DESIGN GOLD AWARD winners are selected from among the BEST 100, followed by one GOOD DESIGN GRAND AWARD winner from among them. Next, the remaining 80 designs are divided into four categories, and up to three GOOD FOCUS AWARD winners are chosen from each.
In the discussion about the GRAND AWARD selection, the judge in charge of the unit to which each award winning object belonged also gave a further explanation of what was outstanding about the design from their professional perspective.
They also proactively sought opinions from judges with expertise in other fields when there were points that they could not understand with their own expert knowledge alone. When discussions reached a deadlock, they returned to the message for this year from the chair, Mr. Nakagawa, "Design that advances vision." Then, all members considered whether the design was in line with the message as they moved ahead with their discussions.
In addition, the selection method for the GOOD FOCUS AWARDS changed from this year. The judges were divided among four tables, “New business design,” “Design of technique and tradition,” “Design of community development,” and “Disaster prevention and recovery design.” While watching the presentation videos for each subject entry, the judges on each table discussed them, and selected the GOOD FOCUS AWARDS.
As the representative of each table, the chair or vice-chair shared details of the subject entries and the opinions of each judge with the whole group. The deliberations gave due consideration to the fairness of the evaluation while also checking and respecting the opinions of all the judges, such as by explaining why they decided on that design and asking whether there were any objections from the judges at the other tables.
The two Focused Issues researchers also participate as observers. Listening to the presentations by the winners and the discussions among the judges, they organize the design characteristics and trends that have become apparent through this year's screening panel, and share the keywords that have emerged with the judges.
At the end of the 10-hour screening, the chair, Mr. Nakagawa, reflected, "I enjoyed the three days of the Second Screening Panel in Makuhari, but I also really enjoyed today’s screening. There were some items from which I strongly sensed design that advances vision, others from which I didn’t, and also some that couldn’t be confined to a single category – there were various things to think about,” he said, looking back over this year’s screening.
The GOOD DESIGN AWARD winners will be announced on October 15!
At last, the time for announcing the award winners is almost here! On October 15,
・The GOOD DESIGN AWARDS ・The GOOD DESIGN BEST 100 ・The GOOD DESIGN SPECIAL AWARDS (GOOD DESIGN GRAND AWARD, GOOD DESIGN GOLD AWARDS, and GOOD FOCUS AWARDS)
will be announced. After this, the GOOD DESIGN AWARD winners’ exhibition “GOOD DESIGN EXHIBITION 2026” will be held from October 31.
Please see the GOOD DESIGN AWARD official website for a detailed schedule and what happens after winning an award.
Chieko Asakura
Writing
While working at a bookstore, she creates books and videos. She participated in Tokyo Art Book Fair (TABF) 2025. 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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