Grand Prix Decided for "Halukore 2025," a Competition Celebrating Students' Exceptional Passion Beyond Imagination
Iwasaki Gakuen Educational Foundation held the final judging session for "Hamaru Gakusei Collection - Halukore 2025," a contest evaluating students' immersive passion. Kuririn, who created idol costumes, won the Grand Prix, receiving 2 million yen. The contest celebrates young people's dedication to their passions, regardless of practicality.
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- 📰 Published: April 28, 2026 at 20:24
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Iwasaki Gakuen Educational Foundation (Kanagawa Ward, Yokohama City) held the final judging session for "Hamaru Gakusei Collection - Halukore 2025," a contest evaluating students' immersive passion, in Yokohama City on February 15, 2026.
Evaluating the ability to dedicate oneself wholeheartedly because it's enjoyable, not because it's useful.
This contest aims to compare the depth of "Gakuhama" (a term coined by the foundation referring to activities students get so engrossed in during their school days that they can't help but pursue them, regardless of personal gain or loss) with "Gakuchika" (what one has put effort into during student days), which is often discussed during job hunting.
What is evaluated is not the brilliance of achievements or results, but simply the pure "depth of immersion," "love for the subject," and overwhelming "level of dedication." It was born from the desire to affirm the passion of young people who immerse themselves in what they love, temporarily disregarding its usefulness, and to support their potential. Last year's Grand Prix winner used the 2 million yen prize money to fulfill their long-cherished dream of traveling to Norway. The foundation will continue to support the passion of young people to "live authentically."
The Grand Prix was awarded to Kuririn, who made idol costumes herself.
From 354 "Gakuhama" episodes gathered from across the country, selected finalists gave enthusiastic presentations. As a result of strict judging, Kuririn, a vocational school student from Kanagawa Prefecture, was selected as the Grand Prix winner and awarded 2 million yen as "Gakuhama" funds.
The results of the final judging are listed below.
[Grand Prix] Prize money 2 million yen
Title: Idol Costumes
Kuririn, vocational school student, Kanagawa Prefecture
Kuririn, who aspired to create idol costumes due to a strong admiration for Pretty Cure, Aikatsu!, and AKB48 since childhood. Driven by the overwhelming passion to "make my idol cute," she enrolled in a fashion vocational school. She demonstrated incredible initiative by attending live performances and handshake events wearing her self-made costumes, even surprising real idols.
Her pure "love" was the driving force, leading her to visit her dream costume company and meet designers, showing remarkable enthusiasm in paving her own path. Her overwhelming devotion and passion, combined with her ability to take action beyond adult imagination, captivated by idols, were highly evaluated.
Judges' overall comments:
It was truly impressive how her emotion of "admiration for my idol" was not merely consumed but completely sublimated into creation by making costumes with her own hands. The tenacity and scale with which she acquired specialized skills purely out of passion and forged her own path to admired professionals was truly a passion worthy of the Grand Prix. We were deeply moved by her powerful ability to bring her dreams surely into reality.
[Special Jury Award]
Title: Giant Salamander
Kaito, high school student, Hiroshima Prefecture
Since encountering a giant salamander in the summer of his third year of elementary school, Kaito has been allowed to accompany a Hiroshima University research team since junior high school, continuing river environmental surveys and conservation activities for seven years. He has acquired advanced survey skills, to the extent that he searches for elusive giant salamanders day and night and is entrusted with inserting microchips for individual identification alongside university students. Furthermore, his overwhelming initiative in organizing and operating outreach events to pass on conservation awareness to the next generation, and his deep love for living creatures, were highly praised.
Judges' overall comments:
The way his "love" for the subject permeated his entire being was extremely captivating. His answer to the question "Why do you like them?" – "Because (giant salamanders) are big!" – perfectly embodies that pure "love" needs no reason. His future potential to continue conservation activities and the significant social impact his deep love for one creature can have on protecting nature and the global environment were also highly evaluated.
[Popularity Award]
This award is given to the work that received the most "likes" on the presentation videos pre-released on the YouTube "Gakuhama Channel" and gathered support and empathy from viewers.
Title: High school student addicted to parkour
Shota, high school student, Tokyo Prefecture
Final judging presentations are now available on the special YouTube channel.
The full presentations of the students, which astonished the judges and exceeded adult imagination, are now publicly available on the YouTube "Gakuhama Channel." Their overwhelming initiative and deep love beyond others' comprehension – what kind of passion was truly there? Please witness the unpredictable energy emitted by the finalists in the videos.
▶︎Presentation videos available here (Gakuhama Channel)
https://www.youtube.com/@gakuhama
List of finalist presentation videos
"I'm hooked on idol costumes" Kanagawa Prefecture, Vocational
Evaluating the ability to dedicate oneself wholeheartedly because it's enjoyable, not because it's useful.
This contest aims to compare the depth of "Gakuhama" (a term coined by the foundation referring to activities students get so engrossed in during their school days that they can't help but pursue them, regardless of personal gain or loss) with "Gakuchika" (what one has put effort into during student days), which is often discussed during job hunting.
What is evaluated is not the brilliance of achievements or results, but simply the pure "depth of immersion," "love for the subject," and overwhelming "level of dedication." It was born from the desire to affirm the passion of young people who immerse themselves in what they love, temporarily disregarding its usefulness, and to support their potential. Last year's Grand Prix winner used the 2 million yen prize money to fulfill their long-cherished dream of traveling to Norway. The foundation will continue to support the passion of young people to "live authentically."
The Grand Prix was awarded to Kuririn, who made idol costumes herself.
From 354 "Gakuhama" episodes gathered from across the country, selected finalists gave enthusiastic presentations. As a result of strict judging, Kuririn, a vocational school student from Kanagawa Prefecture, was selected as the Grand Prix winner and awarded 2 million yen as "Gakuhama" funds.
The results of the final judging are listed below.
[Grand Prix] Prize money 2 million yen
Title: Idol Costumes
Kuririn, vocational school student, Kanagawa Prefecture
Kuririn, who aspired to create idol costumes due to a strong admiration for Pretty Cure, Aikatsu!, and AKB48 since childhood. Driven by the overwhelming passion to "make my idol cute," she enrolled in a fashion vocational school. She demonstrated incredible initiative by attending live performances and handshake events wearing her self-made costumes, even surprising real idols.
Her pure "love" was the driving force, leading her to visit her dream costume company and meet designers, showing remarkable enthusiasm in paving her own path. Her overwhelming devotion and passion, combined with her ability to take action beyond adult imagination, captivated by idols, were highly evaluated.
Judges' overall comments:
It was truly impressive how her emotion of "admiration for my idol" was not merely consumed but completely sublimated into creation by making costumes with her own hands. The tenacity and scale with which she acquired specialized skills purely out of passion and forged her own path to admired professionals was truly a passion worthy of the Grand Prix. We were deeply moved by her powerful ability to bring her dreams surely into reality.
[Special Jury Award]
Title: Giant Salamander
Kaito, high school student, Hiroshima Prefecture
Since encountering a giant salamander in the summer of his third year of elementary school, Kaito has been allowed to accompany a Hiroshima University research team since junior high school, continuing river environmental surveys and conservation activities for seven years. He has acquired advanced survey skills, to the extent that he searches for elusive giant salamanders day and night and is entrusted with inserting microchips for individual identification alongside university students. Furthermore, his overwhelming initiative in organizing and operating outreach events to pass on conservation awareness to the next generation, and his deep love for living creatures, were highly praised.
Judges' overall comments:
The way his "love" for the subject permeated his entire being was extremely captivating. His answer to the question "Why do you like them?" – "Because (giant salamanders) are big!" – perfectly embodies that pure "love" needs no reason. His future potential to continue conservation activities and the significant social impact his deep love for one creature can have on protecting nature and the global environment were also highly evaluated.
[Popularity Award]
This award is given to the work that received the most "likes" on the presentation videos pre-released on the YouTube "Gakuhama Channel" and gathered support and empathy from viewers.
Title: High school student addicted to parkour
Shota, high school student, Tokyo Prefecture
Final judging presentations are now available on the special YouTube channel.
The full presentations of the students, which astonished the judges and exceeded adult imagination, are now publicly available on the YouTube "Gakuhama Channel." Their overwhelming initiative and deep love beyond others' comprehension – what kind of passion was truly there? Please witness the unpredictable energy emitted by the finalists in the videos.
▶︎Presentation videos available here (Gakuhama Channel)
https://www.youtube.com/@gakuhama
List of finalist presentation videos
"I'm hooked on idol costumes" Kanagawa Prefecture, Vocational