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Application

Eligible Works

The Kukan Design Award invites a wide range of entries from around the world in the field of spatial communication design. We are looking for outstanding spatial design projects from designers, producers, creators, art directors, planners, architects, engineers, educators, researchers, and other spatial design professionals. The award consists of 12 categories. Projects that are realized between March 1, 2024 and April 30, 2025 are eligible for entry.

Award
Categories

◼️ Group A

01. Exhibition/Event space

Exhibitions, expositions, trade fairs, conventions, events, campaigns, private shows, pop-up stores, etc.

02. Business promotion space

Corporate showrooms, corporate museums, corporate PR facilities, factory tour facilities, model rooms, condominium galleries, etc.

03. Show window/Art space

Advertising displays (e.g., show windows, in-store displays, and floor displays), interactive art, installation art, monuments, sculptures, etc.

04. Entertainment space

Theme parks, amusement parks, parades, spaces for concert productions, stage productions, TV production sets, production spaces incorporating video, lighting, AR, and other elements, digital communication spaces, etc.

◼️ Group B

05. Shop space

Retail stores, shop showrooms, apparel shops, specialty stores, deli/food shops, supermarkets, mass sale shops, home improvement stores, etc.

06. Food space

Restaurants, cafés, bars, Japanese restaurants, food courts, etc.

07. Commercial complex space

Shopping centers, department stores, shopping malls, outlet malls, stores in stations, restaurant complexes, entertainment complexes, cinema complexes, mixed-use facilities, etc.

08. Service/Hospitality space

Hotels, inns, resort facilities, wedding facilities, ceremonial halls, hair salons, spas and beauty salons, fitness clubs, hot springs facilities, saunas, etc.

◼️ Group C

09. Cultural exchange space

Museums (art, science, etc.), resource centers, aquariums, zoos, botanical gardens, halls, theaters, concert halls, etc.

10. Public facility/Community space

Sports facilities, hospitals, clinics, schools, daycares, welfare facilities, temples, station buildings, roadside stations, rest areas, airport facilities, libraries, meeting halls, town halls, parks, etc.

11. Work space

Offices, workspaces, studios, lobbies, entrances, conference rooms, factories, warehouses, break rooms, etc.

12. Living space

Residences, housing complexes, public spaces of housing complexes, shared houses, serviced apartments, etc.

Award Type

■ KUKAN OF THE YEAR 2025

* Selected in the final round from the Gold Prize winners (1 to 3 projects)

■ Gold Prize

12 projects (selected from each category)

■ Silver Prize

12 projects (selected from each category)

■ Bronze Prize

12 projects (selected from each category)

■ Shortlist

Projects nominated for the 3rd Round

■ Longlist

Projects nominated for the 2nd Round

■ Jury’s Special Prize

Projects selected independently by each 3rd round judge from entries other than the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Prize winners

■ Young Talent Prize (newly added from this year)

All applicants under 35 nominated for the Longlist.
This prize can be awarded only once per applicant.

■ Nikkei Inc. Award (renewed with new judgment criteria)

Projects selected based on Nikkei’s original criteria, taking into account social and economic perspectives (1 project in principle)

Application Fee

Entry from within Japan
1 project (images only): 33,000 yen (tax included)
1 project (with supplementary video): 42,900 yen (tax included)

Entry from outside Japan
1 project (images only): 40,000 yen
1 project (with supplementary video): 50,000 yen

The application fee is payable by credit card (VISA, Master, or JCB) or bank transfer.
The bank transfer fee will be the responsibility of the applicant.
* The application fee must be paid by Friday, May 16, 2025.

Required Submission Materials

Image files such as photos, sketches, conceptual drawings, architectural drawings, concepts, etc.
jpeg, png, or other bitmap format, up to 1000 pixels on the longest side in either portrait or landscape orientation
Up to 1MB per file

* Up to 5 images can be submitted per project
* Please do not include the name of the applicant and company in the image files. Doing so will disqualify the project from the award.
* Please use a font size of 18 point or larger for text within images.

Project Description

Entries from within Japan should be submitted in the Japanese language, while those from outside Japan in the English language.
* For the shortlisted projects, additional product descriptions in both English and Japanese will be required.
Japanese: Up to 200 characters
English: Up to 250 words

Supplementary VideosVideos

The application form will only accept a video file in mp4 format.
The video should be no longer than 1 minute. (If longer than 1 minute, the exceeding part will be ignored.)
Please do not include the name of the applicant and company in the video. Doing so will disqualify the project from the award.
Slideshows of still images or photographs are not eligible for video submissions. The video must present the “moves” of the submitted work.
Videos smaller than 15MB can be submitted (in mp4 format) via the application form.
Videos larger than 15MB should be mailed in a DVD, labeled with your application ID and the project title, to the following address:

H¹O Kanda Building 306, 41-1 Kanda Higashi Matsushita-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan 101-0042
Kukan Design Award Application Office (inside JDN office)

Schedule

Registration Period

Friday, March 28, 2025, 10:00 am–Thursday, May 15, 2025, 11:00 pm (JST)

Procedures after
the 3rd Round

If your project is selected for the Shortlist, presentation boards (two A2-size styrene boards or 7mm-thick Harepane) should be submitted for the 3rd Round, accompanied by pdf data of the presentation boards, high-resolution picture data of the project, and project descriptions in both Japanese and English.

* Detailed information will be provided to the relevant applicants.
* Participants from outside Japan may send their presentation board data to Kukan Design Award Office. KDA will prepare the presentation boards.

Publication and
Announcement of
Results

The results will be posted on this website.
The projects on the Shortlist or higher awards will be published in the Annual of Spatial Design in Japan 2026 (domestic and overseas versions).
Part of a project may be omitted if it contains duplicates or a series of works.
Applicants are responsible for submitting the required photos and text for the Annual to the designated publisher promptly.
The Annual is edited by the Kukan Design Organization Annual Publishing Committee, jointly established by the Japan Commercial Environmental Design Association (JCD), Japan Design Space Association (DSA), and Japan Sign Design Association (SDA).

Format: Deluxe edition Scheduled Publication: December 2025
Award winners may be requested to provide seminars for the Association.
Award winning projects will be exhibited in major cities in Japan.

In mid-February 2026, the Japan Kukan Design Award Exhibition 2025 will be held at GOOD DESIGN Marunouchi.
In early March 2026, the Japan Kukan Design Award Exhibition 2025 will be held at Japan Shop 2026.

Notes
  • Approval from owners, clients, and stakeholders must be obtained prior to project submission. This condition applies to all applications.
  • Applicants are responsible for managing project copyright, photo copyright, publishing rights, industrial property rights, etc., and ensuring the necessary procedures prior to submission.
  • KDA Office assumes that the submitted project is not suspected of imitation or plagiarism. KDA Office will not be involved in any mediation or arbitration, in the event of a problem caused by an applicant.
  • Note that the award may be withdrawn even after the judging is completed, in the event KDA identifies significant alteration or intentional processing/modification of the photos and videos of a submitted project.
  • Make sure not to submit the same work more than once.
    Note that an award-winning project may not be published in the Annual if the applicant does not follow this oversight and procedures.
  • The permission to use photos must be obtained between the applicant and the photographer prior to application.
  • The copyrights of the project photos or the like are reserved by the creator of the products. After the application for the award, however, the sponsoring associations, the Kukan Design Organization Annual Publishing Committee, and the publisher of the Annual of Spatial Design in Japan shall be granted the rights regarding all materials used in the entries: for publishing in the Annual of Spatial Design in Japan 2026 (both conventional print and electronic versions), other publications, our website, the website of the sponsoring associations, exhibitions, and media/publications affiliated with the associations; and for developing image data DVDs. If permission is not obtained, the publication will be canceled and the award will be withdrawn.
  • If the “photo credit” field in the application form is blank, it will be deemed that photo credit is unnecessary.
  • The contents of the application guidelines are subject to change for various reasons.

Inquiries about
Application

Kukan Design Award Application Office (inside JDN office)
kukan@japandesign.ne.jp
Office hours: 10:00–17:00 (M-F)

Contact Us　→

Judgement

Judgement Criteria

■ Contemporary

Projects that reflect the needs of the times and bring change to society through their spatial designs, such as projects with expressions that are ahead of the times.

■ Creative

Projects that are created with unique ideas and excellent concepts.

■ Social

Projects that are highly influential to society with designs that take into account social nature, regional characteristics, and harmony with the environment, and that place strong emphasis on universal design and sustainability.

■ Cultural

Projects that convey cultural messages, such as those that capture the history/culture of a country/area, and effectively present tangible and intangible aspects.

■ Well-designed

Projects that are well-designed, for example with a superb aesthetic presentation or novel expression.

■ Innovative

Projects that are innovative due to their unforeseen designs or revolutionary ideas.

■ Sustainable

Projects that have outstanding contributions to sustainability in addition to progressiveness, creativity and functionality.

Judgment Procedure

◼️ 1st Round

The judges will be experts from the Japan Commercial Environmental Design Association (JCD) and Japan Design Space Association (DSA).
All submitted projects will be judged online.
Projects for the Longlist will be selected from all submitted works.
The results will be emailed to all applicants, and posted on our website (scheduled in mid-June).

◼️ 2nd Round

The judges will be experts from the Japan Commercial Environmental Design Association (JCD) and Japan Design Space Association (DSA), as well as the association’s judges recommended by the chairman and vice chairman of the award committee.
The projects on the Longlist will be judged online.
About ten projects from each of the 12 genres will be selected for the Shortlist.
The results will be emailed to all applicants on the Longlist, and posted on our website (scheduled in mid-July).
The applicants on the Shortlist will submit presentation boards (two A2-size boards) for the 3rd Round, pdf data of the presentation boards, high-resolution picture data of the project, and project descriptions in both Japanese and English.
* Detailed information will be provided to the relevant applicants.

◼️ 3rd Round (open to public)

The judging process will be open to public at the venue.
How to apply for participation in the 3rd round will be announced at a later date.
In the 3rd Round, Gold, Silver and Bronze Prizes will be selected from each of the 12 genres.
The results will be emailed to all applicants on the Shortlist and posted on our website (scheduled for early September).

◼️ Final Round (closed to the public)

One to three projects will be selected as the KUKAN OF THE YEAR 2025 from the 12 Gold Prize winners.
The announcement will be made at the award ceremony (Friday, November 21).

3rd and Final Round: Saturday, August 23, 2024

Location: to be determined