Certified NPO AYA Announces Winning Entries for "Volunteer T-shirt Design Contest 2026"!

Certified NPO AYA (Location: Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture; Representative Director: Yuki Nakagawa), which operates with the goal of creating a society without an "experience gap" for children with illnesses and disabilities, children requiring medical care, and their families, held the "AYA Volunteer T-shirt Design Contest 2026" to solicit designs for T-shirts to be worn by volunteer staff nationwide, and has now decided on the winning entries. Artwork was solicited from children with illnesses or disabilities, and the design by SAKUTO (9 years old) was selected for the Grand Prize. Moving forward, staff wearing T-shirts featuring SAKUTO's artwork will play an active role at AYA events nationwide. Overview of the "AYA Volunteer T-shirt Design Contest 2026" AYA is aiming to establish "Inclusive Movie Day" in May 2027. This is an event where children with illnesses or disabilities and their families can enjoy watching movies with peace of mind, held simultaneously at movie theaters in all 47 prefectures across Japan. The "AYA Volunteer T-shirt Design Contest" was planned to foster a sense of unity among volunteer staff in preparation for "Inclusive Movie Day." From March 2 to March 8, 2026, designs themed around the "Sea" were solicited from children with illnesses or disabilities registered on AYA's official LINE account. As a result of the selection process by five judges, including manga artists and illustrators, one Grand Prize and five Judge's Prizes were decided. Judges (in alphabetical order, titles omitted) - KASA (Manga Artist) Aimed to be a professional tennis player but faced setbacks. Utilizing that experience, he draws tennis manga. - Yoshimi Kurata (Manga Artist) Born in Akita City. Became a manga artist after working as an assistant to Tetsuya Chiba. "Aji Ichi Monme," currently being serialized, is in its 41st year of publication. It is a manga that carefully expresses the characters' emotions to convey the story clearly to readers. - SHO WATANABE (Artist/Painter) An artist who has created many highly artistic works, mainly drawings such as silk screens and oil paintings, as well as pen drawings drawn with only one pen, expressing a unique worldview that expands based on black and white. His own apparel brand, Cloveru, is an apparel brand with a strong fan base celebrating its 28th year. - Shingo Narukawa (Picture Book Author) Picture book author. While repeatedly publishing commercially, he is also engaged in child abuse prevention projects and activities in the welfare field. He values the perspective that connects expression and society. - 326 (Illustrator) Debuted as an illustration-writer. Recently, he mainly creates board games. He donates all royalties from games made at his game company, Daymoon Games, to childhood cancer support. So please buy his games if you can. Announcement of Winning Entries [Grand Prize] - Thoughts on the artwork: I expressed how fish that look different are swimming happily together. It has a colorful, fun, and bright image. - Comment from Yuki Nakagawa, Representative Director of Certified NPO AYA: Congratulations on winning the Grand Prize. We received many comments from the judges about the free use of color, bold composition, and rich imagination. It was particularly supported at the judging committee as a work that conveys the joy of the production process itself, drawn freely with overlapping lines. We look forward to you continuing to draw wonderful works with free ideas. SAKUTO's artwork is scheduled to be designed onto T-shirts and worn by volunteer staff nationwide who support AYA's events. (*The color scheme and other aspects are being adjusted by our organization.) [Judge's Prizes] The following 5 works were selected for the Judge's Prizes. - Thoughts on the artwork: The sea of Okinawa. Various colors, fish. Coral and sea anemones are also doing well. - Comment from Judge Yoshimi Kurata: Sea creatures swimming happily, filling the entire screen. It makes the viewer feel like they are in the sea too. Each individual is different, and the use of color is bright and beautiful, making me think the artist really loves sea creatures. This is a work that conveys the artist's joy while drawing. - Thoughts on the artwork: This work was born from the learning activity, "Let's make an original character!" This mysterious shape is a stamp of RYUON's kneecap. It's a character that looks just like a sea creature, born unintentionally. - Comment from Judge SHO WATANABE: I was happy to see this wonderful artwork. RYUON, please continue to enjoy drawing pictures with free ideas. <326 Prize: Naomichi (2nd year Junior High School student)> - Thoughts on the artwork: Squid! Well, whatever. As long as I'm healthy today, whatever. - Comment from Judge 326: The picture and comment seem to cheer everyone up, and it reaffirmed for me that this is what the true wonder of drawing is all about. It was an incredibly wonderful work with that much power. By the way, all the pictures were like that. Not just the drawings, but all the works were very moving and filled with love. Please continue to draw wonderful pictures!