Dai-ichi Engei's Designer Noriko Shimura Wins Grand Prix at Flower Art Award 2026 in TOKYO MIDTOWN! Maiko Katayama Wins Silver and Aika Kuroko Wins Bronze in Their Respective Categories!
Designer Noriko Shimura of Dai-ichi Engei won the Grand Prix at the Flower Art Award 2026, earning her a spot as the Japanese representative in the world competition in France. This remarkable achievement highlights the company's high level of technical skill and its dedication to talent development.
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- 📰 Published: April 3, 2026 at 23:00
## ■ Grand Prix Winning Work 'The Irreversible Beauty'
The theme for the 'Florist of France Challenge 2026' category at the art competition Flower Art Award 2026 in TOKYO MIDTOWN was 'METAMORPHOSIS'.
This competition serves as a gateway to France's most prestigious florist competition, the 'French Cup,' and is held as the Japan qualifier for the long-standing 'CONCOURS PIVERDIE 2027'.
Therefore, the participants were given the same theme as the main Piverdie competition.
The metamorphosis of life in the natural world, or symbolic transformation. Participants were required to highlight the unique, irreversible beauty born from this process, deeply explore the concept of 'change' itself, and sublimate it into their work.
In the competition, contestants had to create and present two pieces—a large-scale work and a bouquet with a structure—within a limited time, and their expressive power and completeness were judged.
Noriko Shimura's work is titled 'The Irreversible Beauty.' The piece conveys the following message:
'With the concept of the change that occurs between life and death, I traced the trajectory of evolution, such as things returning to the soil and those that repeat budding. An unbalanced structure, and the tension and coexistence of achromatic and vivid colors. The end and birth overlap and rise irreversibly. I expressed such an ephemeral yet vivid beauty of life.'
Once changed, it never returns to its original state. It is a work that three-dimensionally expresses the transience and momentary beauty of life, which is lost over time but updated into a new form, through flowers and structure.
## ■ Points Praised for the Grand Prix Win
Large-scale work:
- The very beautiful lines give a powerful movement to the structure.
- Earned technical points for the winding technique.
- There is a solid connection between the structure and the floral materials.
- The message is well-expressed.
Bouquet:
- A very beautiful structure. Good balance between floral materials and the structure.
- A lovely bouquet that shows a solid connection between the structure and floral materials.
These points were highly praised in the Grand Prix judging.
Noriko Shimura of Dai-ichi Engei, the Grand Prix winner, has been selected as the Japanese representative for the CONCOURS PIVERDIE 2027 in France. Please look forward to her future endeavors.
## ■ Grand Prix Winner Profile
**Noriko Shimura**
Joined Dai-ichi Engei in 1995. After working at the Imperial Hotel Plaza store, she now develops the Noriko Shimura brand in the online shop as a representative designer of Dai-ichi Engei.
She is involved in wedding and party floral arrangements for leading domestic and international luxury hotels, and floral decorations for luxury brands, as well as serving as an external workshop instructor and handling various product proposals and spatial design.
## ■ Silver and Bronze Medals at the Flower Art Showcase Award 2026 in TOKYO MIDTOWN!
'The Flower Art Showcase Award 2026 in TOKYO MIDTOWN' category is an art competition where aspiring flower artists present their works through free expression within the limited space of a showcase.
Four florists from Dai-ichi Engei—Maiko Katayama, Aika Kuroko, Mayumi Ozaki, and Yuka Shimomura—participated on this stage, with Maiko Katayama winning the silver prize and Aika Kuroko the bronze prize as part of the jury awards.
In addition to challenging top-level competitions, Dai-ichi Engei emphasizes the importance of next-generation florists expanding their horizons domestically and internationally to broaden their fields of expression.
The fact that four florists participated in this award and multiple florists received prizes demonstrates a challenge towards diverse expression through flowers and a steady expansion of human resource development. Dai-ichi Engei will continue to support the challenges of each and every florist.
*Including these works, all pieces from the Flower Art Showcase Award 2026 in TOKYO MIDTOWN will be displayed as public art until June. To reflect the evaluation of a wider audience, an audience vote via SNS is being conducted until mid-May. The final Grand Prix will be announced on May 25, based on a combination of 75% jury evaluation, bonus points for top jury award winners, and 25% audience evaluation.*
## ■ What is Flower Art Award 2026 in TOKYO MIDTOWN?
An art competition founded in 2000 with the aim of discovering, supporting, and sending promising flower creators who create a prosperous society and a better tomorrow with innovative ideas to the international stage. It has been held at Tokyo Midtown since 2010.
## ■ About Dai-ichi Engei's Talent Development
Through its internal educational institution, the 'Dai-ichi Engei Academy,' the company strives to improve the technical skills and expressive abilities of each florist.
In addition to establishing a phased education system from the acquisition of basic techniques to the strengthening of application and creative skills, it actively encourages participation in domestic and international competitions.
Through these efforts, Dai-ichi Engei enhances its comprehensive strength as a professional of flowers and greenery and continues to be a top runner in the flower industry.
## ■ Dai-ichi Engei Co., Ltd. Overview
Dai-ichi Engei is a company of the Mitsui Fudosan Group, celebrating its 128th year since foundation as a professional of flowers and greenery. It operates a wide range of businesses, including the sale of products for individuals and corporations at stores and online shops, wedding floral arrangements, urban greening for office buildings and commercial facilities, landscaping and management of parks and gardens, and seasonal spatial decoration. Dai-ichi Engei will continue to take on challenges to realize a rich, vibrant, and sustainable society surrounded by flowers and greenery.
Location: Mitsui & Co. Global Logistics Katsushima Bldg. 20, 1-5-21 Katsushima, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo
Representative: Katsuharu Yamamura, President and CEO
Founded: 1898 (Established 1951)
Capital: 480 million yen
Shareholder: Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd. (100%)
The theme for the 'Florist of France Challenge 2026' category at the art competition Flower Art Award 2026 in TOKYO MIDTOWN was 'METAMORPHOSIS'.
This competition serves as a gateway to France's most prestigious florist competition, the 'French Cup,' and is held as the Japan qualifier for the long-standing 'CONCOURS PIVERDIE 2027'.
Therefore, the participants were given the same theme as the main Piverdie competition.
The metamorphosis of life in the natural world, or symbolic transformation. Participants were required to highlight the unique, irreversible beauty born from this process, deeply explore the concept of 'change' itself, and sublimate it into their work.
In the competition, contestants had to create and present two pieces—a large-scale work and a bouquet with a structure—within a limited time, and their expressive power and completeness were judged.
Noriko Shimura's work is titled 'The Irreversible Beauty.' The piece conveys the following message:
'With the concept of the change that occurs between life and death, I traced the trajectory of evolution, such as things returning to the soil and those that repeat budding. An unbalanced structure, and the tension and coexistence of achromatic and vivid colors. The end and birth overlap and rise irreversibly. I expressed such an ephemeral yet vivid beauty of life.'
Once changed, it never returns to its original state. It is a work that three-dimensionally expresses the transience and momentary beauty of life, which is lost over time but updated into a new form, through flowers and structure.
## ■ Points Praised for the Grand Prix Win
Large-scale work:
- The very beautiful lines give a powerful movement to the structure.
- Earned technical points for the winding technique.
- There is a solid connection between the structure and the floral materials.
- The message is well-expressed.
Bouquet:
- A very beautiful structure. Good balance between floral materials and the structure.
- A lovely bouquet that shows a solid connection between the structure and floral materials.
These points were highly praised in the Grand Prix judging.
Noriko Shimura of Dai-ichi Engei, the Grand Prix winner, has been selected as the Japanese representative for the CONCOURS PIVERDIE 2027 in France. Please look forward to her future endeavors.
## ■ Grand Prix Winner Profile
**Noriko Shimura**
Joined Dai-ichi Engei in 1995. After working at the Imperial Hotel Plaza store, she now develops the Noriko Shimura brand in the online shop as a representative designer of Dai-ichi Engei.
She is involved in wedding and party floral arrangements for leading domestic and international luxury hotels, and floral decorations for luxury brands, as well as serving as an external workshop instructor and handling various product proposals and spatial design.
## ■ Silver and Bronze Medals at the Flower Art Showcase Award 2026 in TOKYO MIDTOWN!
'The Flower Art Showcase Award 2026 in TOKYO MIDTOWN' category is an art competition where aspiring flower artists present their works through free expression within the limited space of a showcase.
Four florists from Dai-ichi Engei—Maiko Katayama, Aika Kuroko, Mayumi Ozaki, and Yuka Shimomura—participated on this stage, with Maiko Katayama winning the silver prize and Aika Kuroko the bronze prize as part of the jury awards.
In addition to challenging top-level competitions, Dai-ichi Engei emphasizes the importance of next-generation florists expanding their horizons domestically and internationally to broaden their fields of expression.
The fact that four florists participated in this award and multiple florists received prizes demonstrates a challenge towards diverse expression through flowers and a steady expansion of human resource development. Dai-ichi Engei will continue to support the challenges of each and every florist.
*Including these works, all pieces from the Flower Art Showcase Award 2026 in TOKYO MIDTOWN will be displayed as public art until June. To reflect the evaluation of a wider audience, an audience vote via SNS is being conducted until mid-May. The final Grand Prix will be announced on May 25, based on a combination of 75% jury evaluation, bonus points for top jury award winners, and 25% audience evaluation.*
## ■ What is Flower Art Award 2026 in TOKYO MIDTOWN?
An art competition founded in 2000 with the aim of discovering, supporting, and sending promising flower creators who create a prosperous society and a better tomorrow with innovative ideas to the international stage. It has been held at Tokyo Midtown since 2010.
## ■ About Dai-ichi Engei's Talent Development
Through its internal educational institution, the 'Dai-ichi Engei Academy,' the company strives to improve the technical skills and expressive abilities of each florist.
In addition to establishing a phased education system from the acquisition of basic techniques to the strengthening of application and creative skills, it actively encourages participation in domestic and international competitions.
Through these efforts, Dai-ichi Engei enhances its comprehensive strength as a professional of flowers and greenery and continues to be a top runner in the flower industry.
## ■ Dai-ichi Engei Co., Ltd. Overview
Dai-ichi Engei is a company of the Mitsui Fudosan Group, celebrating its 128th year since foundation as a professional of flowers and greenery. It operates a wide range of businesses, including the sale of products for individuals and corporations at stores and online shops, wedding floral arrangements, urban greening for office buildings and commercial facilities, landscaping and management of parks and gardens, and seasonal spatial decoration. Dai-ichi Engei will continue to take on challenges to realize a rich, vibrant, and sustainable society surrounded by flowers and greenery.
Location: Mitsui & Co. Global Logistics Katsushima Bldg. 20, 1-5-21 Katsushima, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo
Representative: Katsuharu Yamamura, President and CEO
Founded: 1898 (Established 1951)
Capital: 480 million yen
Shareholder: Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd. (100%)
FAQ
What is the key takeaway from this news?
Dai-ichi Engei's designer, Noriko Shimura, won the Grand Prix at the Flower Art Award 2026 and will represent Japan at the world competition in France.
What was the theme of the competition?
The theme was 'METAMORPHOSIS'. Participants were required to express the ephemeral yet vivid beauty of life that never reverts, through a process of transformation.
What does this award mean for the company?
It's a significant achievement that proves the company's high level of design skill, enhances its brand image domestically and internationally, and shows its internal talent development is succeeding.