Kara of the Year 2026 Opens Entries for Japan’s Spicy and Super-Spicy Food Products, Adds User Judges

Karameter, an app and web service that helps users find the level of spiciness that suits them best, announced that it will hold the “Kara of the Year 2026 / KARA OF THE YEAR 2026” awards. The program aims to widely promote the appeal of tasty spicy and super-spicy products sold in Japan, while energizing the market and supporting industry growth. In 2026, the awards will host the Product Category for the second time, and for the first time since 2024. Food manufacturers are invited to submit carefully crafted spicy and super-spicy products. The awards will be judged by spicy food experts, Karameter council members, and newly introduced “user judges.” The judging will emphasize not just heat, but the balance between flavor and spiciness. About Kara of the Year Kara of the Year is a food award dedicated to flavorful spicy and super-spicy foods. Rather than simply competing on intensity, it recognizes truly appealing spicy products from multiple perspectives, including the balance of heat and flavor, product completeness, originality, buzzworthiness, and concept. The program aims to further energize the spicy food market together with users who love spicy foods. Entry Overview Name: Kara of the Year 2026 (KARA OF THE YEAR 2026) Entry period: May 1, 2026, to 24:00 on June 15, 2026 How to enter: Apply through the entry form on the special website Special website: https://ka amete .com/ka a-of-the-yea Eligible products are flavorful spicy and super-spicy products sold in Japan between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2026. Products are eligible regardless of launch date, as long as they had sales during the period. Menus prepared and served at restaurants are not eligible. Entries are limited to food manufacturers or applicants approved by the business entity responsible for the eligible product. Categories include ramen, curry, seasonings, snacks, and all-genre/other. Products may be entered as long as they have even a small degree of spiciness. Awards and Prizes The Product Category includes the Grand Prix (Kara of the Year), Runner-up Grand Prix, Special Award, Category Awards, and Selected Entries. Prizes include a commemorative plaque, authorization to use a certification mark, and product introduction on Karameter’s special website. Products that pass the first round of screening will also receive evaluation reports from the judges. Entry Fees Entries are free through the first round of screening. From the second round onward, the fee is 33,000 yen including tax per submitted product. Each company may enter any number of products. Judging Judging will be conducted by spicy food experts, Karameter council members, Karameters, and the newly established user judges from 2026. Kim Sonhi, known as a specialist in super-spicy cuisine, will join as a special judge. The evaluation will be comprehensive, covering not only spiciness but also overall deliciousness. Results Announcement Results are scheduled to be announced on the official Karameter website on Friday, September 25, 2026. Comment from a 2024 Award-Winning Company The 2024 Grand Prix winner praised the impact of receiving the award. Ryuichiro Hama, Huafeng Food Grand Prix Winner, Kara of the Year 2024 “The effect of winning the award was extremely significant, and product awareness rose rapidly. It also led to expanded sales channels and an improved brand image. After winning, sales on our e-commerce site increased by about tenfold, generating a major response. I feel it became a major opportunity for more people to learn about our product in the field of flavorful spicy and super-spicy foods. I hope many companies will take on the challenge.” The 2024 Grand Prix product was Huafeng Food’s Laziji, rated 1.95KM, praised unanimously for its addictive numbing heat. Special Judge Profile Kim Sonhi enjoys food tours, home recipe adaptations, and gourmet mail-order foods, while working as a food writer, television commentator, and supervisor for spicy cuisine in cooking, events, and the drama Gekikaradou. Her qualifications include chef, first-class food analyst, wine expert, cheese professional, and spice sommelier. About Karameter Karameter is an app and web service that quantifies spiciness through everyone’s “spice judgments,” helping users find the level of heat that fits them best. Spicy food fans across Japan post and share information about flavorful spicy and super-spicy gourmet foods and products, helping promote spicy food culture. The app has been downloaded by 100,000 spicy food lovers, and its website receives 500,000 monthly visits from spicy food fans. Official website: https://ka amete .com/ Company Overview Company name: Karameter Inc. Established: December 26, 2018 Location: KH22 Building 5F, 1-15-6 Kego, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka 810-0023, Japan Capital: 9,990,000 yen Representative: Kan Eguchi, Representative Director and CEO Business: Operation of Karameter (https://ka amete .com/) Press Contact Secretariat within Wonder Ryukyu Inc. Email: oki awa_office@ka amete .com