Announcement of the 22nd Soft Cream Photo Contest

The Japan Soft Cream Association (Secretariat: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; Chairman: Fumiharu Yoshida) will hold the 22nd Soft Cream Photo Contest this year as well, for the period from April 1 to September 30. The theme is "Soft cream and everyone's smiles".

This contest has been held since 2004 as a commemorative event for "Soft Cream Day (July 3)", which was established by our association to commemorate July 3, 1951, the day soft serve ice cream first appeared in Japan.

Please submit JPEG format images that match the theme "Soft cream and everyone's smiles" from the dedicated website.

Various awards will be presented from among the submitted works.

[Image: 21st Grand Prize Work] [Image: 21st Jury's Special Award]

Application Guidelines

- Application Period: April 1, 2026 to September 30, 2026 - Limited to online submissions of digital photos. - Submitted works must be taken between January 1, 2026 and September 30, 2026. Also, limited to works for which the applicant holds all rights, including copyright, at the time of submission. - The format of the submitted work is limited to JPEG image data taken with a digital camera or smartphone. - The judging committee is scheduled to be held in mid-November 2026. - The right to use the submitted works will belong to the organizer. - For details on the application, please visit the Japan Soft Cream Association website.

Regarding the Awards for the 22nd Soft Cream Photo Contest

Grand Prize: 1 winner, 30,000 yen gift certificate Excellence Award: 10 winners, 5,000 yen gift certificate Jury's Special Award: 1 winner, 10,000 yen gift certificate Jury's Award: 10 winners, 1,000 yen gift certificate

Each award will be judged by the Japan Soft Cream Association and announced on our website.

July 3 is Soft Cream Day

Soft serve ice cream first landed in Japan on July 3, 1951. Soft serve ice cream served in a cone cup was sold for the first time at a food stall during a carnival hosted by the occupation forces held at Meiji Jingu Gaien. This was the first time ordinary Japanese people ate soft serve ice cream.

From the History Plaza of the Japan Soft Cream Association History Plaza | Japan Soft Cream Association