Japan Institute of Design Promotion(Chairman: Motomi Kawakami), the organizer of Good Design Award, starts accepting entries for Good Design Award 2016 on April 6. Good Design Award is one of the world’s leading design promotion system that aims to discover good design in various fields that develop industries and enrich our lives and to publicize them to society. Its symbol, G Mark, has been recognized widely as the emblem for “good design”.

Good Design Award 2016

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the award program, which started in 1957 as “Good Design Selection System” by then Ministry of International Trade and Industry. As with last year, serving as chairperson and vice chairperson of the award are Kazufumi Nagai (art director / creative director, President of HAKUHODO DESIGN Inc.) and Fumie Shibata (product designer, President of Design Studio S), respectively. Good Design Award 2016 will continue to take to the concept “Focused Issues” introduced last year and aims to take new measures to present possibilities of design so that the increased interest in design and understanding of techniques and ideas behind design will be further developed.

Types of awards and promotion

The entries are selected in the first and secondscreenings by specially formed judging committee. Among all awarded entries,100 superior designs with the power to build a better future are named GoodDesign BEST 100. Out of the 100, Good Design Grand Award, Good Design GoldAward and Good Design Special Awards are selected.

Awarded design will be displayed atGood Design Exhibition 2016(G Exhibition)in Tokyo Midtown and other venues starting October 28 (Fri.).They will also be introduced at exhibitions, expos and sales events in Japanand abroad. G Mark, the symbol of the award, will also be available to thewinners for use in promotional activities, providing a good opportunity toappeal to a variety of people.

Application

Prerequisite: Tangible and intangible design, including products, architecture, application, software, projects, services and systems, that are available for public announcement on September 29, 2016 and for purchase or usage by March 31, 2017.
Qualification: Principal implementing businesses and design business operators of the subject entries (corporations and individuals in Japan and overseas)
Applicants headquartered in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures are exempt from application fee.
How to apply: Register on Good Design Award Website (until June 1, Wed).

For more information about application procedures, fee and registration, see Good Design Award Website.
Good Design Award Website

Focused Issues

Focused issues are nine themes on important social issues that Japan needs to tackle and concerns that are likely to drive the society as big concerns of people. Through Focused Issues, how design relates to these themes and what design can do for them will be analyzed and messages will be delivered to society.

1. Global environment / Coexistence 
2. City / Infrastructure 
3. Community / Locality 
4. Technology / Communication 
5. Medical care / Health 
6. Safety / Security 
7. Education / Learning 
8. Business model / Ways of working 
9. Culture / Modes of life

Key dates

Application period: April 6(Wed.)- June 1(Wed.)
Announcement of the award winners: September 29(Thurs.)
Announcement of the winners for Good Design Grand Award and other special awards: October 28 (Fri.)
Good Design Exhibition (G Exhibition): October 28(Fri.)- November 3(Thurs.)

Organizer and supporters

Organizer:Japan Institute of Design Promotion
Supporters: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry/Small and Medium Enterprise Agency/Tokyo Metropolitan Government/Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry/Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)/ASEAN-Japan Centre/Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK)/Nikkei Inc./Yomiuri Shimbun Corporation(planned)