20th Kids Design Award: Official Decision on 'Tokyo Metropolitan Government Examination Fee Subsidy for Commendation of Products, etc., Considering Child Safety'

It has been officially decided that the Tokyo Metropolitan Government will fully subsidize the examination fees for the 20th Kids Design Award, organized by the Kids Design Association (NPO)*, under the program titled "Tokyo Metropolitan Government Examination Fee Subsidy for Commendation of Products, etc., Considering Child Safety." *Chairman: Kazunori Sakai (Director, Executive Vice President, and CHRO, TOPPAN Holdings Inc. / Director, TOPPAN Inc.) 20th Kids Design Award: "Tokyo Metropolitan Government Examination Fee Subsidy for Commendation of Products, etc., Considering Child Safety" To promote the development and dissemination of products, etc., that consider child safety by fully subsidizing the examination fees for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Tokyo applying to the "Safety and Security Improvement Category" of the Kids Design Award. To receive the subsidy, you must meet all of the following criteria: ① The application category must be the "Safety and Security Improvement Category," and the features of the submitted work must be recognized as aligning with the purpose of this category. ② The applicant must be an SME or a sole proprietor as defined by Article 2 of the Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Basic Act. ③ The head office address listed on the Certificate of Registered Matters must be within Tokyo. *Even if you meet criteria ① through ③, there are cases where you may be ineligible. Please see below for details. The full examination fee of 66,000 yen (including consumption tax) will be subsidized regardless of the examination results. ① "Tokyo Metropolitan Government Examination Fee Subsidy for Commendation of Products, etc., Considering Child Safety" Application Form ② Certificate of Registered Matters for the applying company/organization (issued within 3 months of the application date) *For sole proprietors, a "Notification of Opening/Closing of Business" is required. ③ Documentation showing the number of employees (e.g., company brochure or printout of the corporate website) ① Check the "Application for Tokyo Metropolitan Government Examination Fee Subsidy" box on the registered work screen within your My Page on the Kids Design Award website. ② Download and fill out the application form from the "Tokyo Metropolitan Government Examination Fee Subsidy for Commendation of Products, etc., Considering Child Safety" page on the Kids Design Award website, and **email the above application documents to the Kids Design Award Secretariat.** ■ Application for the Kids Design Award: By 13:00 on Tuesday, May 12, 2026 ■ Email submission of documents required for the "Tokyo Metropolitan Government Examination Fee Subsidy": **By 13:00 on Tuesday, May 12, 2026** 2026kids@kidsdesign.jp Attn: Kids Design Award Secretariat, Kids Design Association (NPO) *If the application documents cannot be verified by the deadline, the application will be considered withdrawn. *In the event of a large number of applications, subsidies may not be available due to budget constraints. Please check the application guidelines for details. Eligibility for the examination fee subsidy will be notified via email in mid-June 2026. [Image Caption: Emergency unlocking device for delivery boxes to prevent child entrapment accidents] Work that utilized the examination fee subsidy and received the Tokyo Governor's Award: [19th Kids Design Award, Tokyo Governor's Award] "Push Latch Unit" (Lock for delivery boxes) LL-0030 Tochigi-ya Co., Ltd. For more details, please see here: https://www.shouhiseikatu.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/anzen/safetygoods/ https://kidsdesignaward.jp/outline/auxiliary.html ■ What is an "SME" as defined by Article 2 of the Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Basic Act? Please see the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency website below: https://www.chusho.meti.go.jp/soshiki/teigi.html ■ Cases of Ineligibility ● If a large enterprise is substantially involved in management ● If a large enterprise is included among the joint applicants ● If receiving funding from joint applicant companies or organizations ● If the submitted work was created with subsidies from the national or local government ● If the product is an imported item without development ■ FAQ Q. Are associations or NPOs with offices in Tokyo eligible for the examination fee subsidy? A. Since the subsidy is intended for SMEs and sole proprietors as defined by Article 2 of the Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Basic Act, associations and NPOs are not eligible. Q. Will the examination fee be fully subsidized even if the entry does not win an award? A. Yes, regardless of the examination results, the full examination fee will be subsidized if you meet the eligibility requirements. Q. If applying jointly as two companies, should two application forms be submitted? A. One application form should be submitted by the representative company, but the Certificate of Registered Matters and documentation showing the number of employees must be submitted for all joint applicant companies/organizations.