93rd Mainichi Advertising Design Award Winners Announced: Grand Prize to Kaoru Karumai in General Category, Ajinomoto in Advertiser Category

Grand Prize: Kaoru Karumai (Nippon Design Center) Task = Iwanami Shoten "Magazine 'Sekai'" (3-part 30-column color series) The judging results for the 93rd Mainichi Advertising Design Award (sponsored by Mainichi Shimbun, backed by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) were announced on the 3rd. The Grand Prize in the 'General Public/Advertiser Task Category' was awarded to the work by Kaoru Karumai (Nippon Design Center), who created the task for Iwanami Shoten's 'Magazine 'Sekai''. In the 'Advertiser Participating Works Category', Ajinomoto's corporate advertisement 'SOUNDFUL RECIPE' won the Grand Prize. A total of 28 winning entries, including these two works, are showcased on the official website of the Mainichi Advertising Design Award (https://macs.mainichi.co.jp/design/ad-m/). The awards ceremony for the 93rd Mainichi Advertising Design Award will be held concurrently with the 2025 Mainichi Design Award ceremony on April 13 at Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo. The final judging session was held on February 3 at the Mainichi Shimbun Tokyo Headquarters. There were 917 entries in the 'General Public/Advertiser Task Category', which calls for works based on tasks submitted by advertisers, and 12 entries won prizes. In the 'Advertiser Participating Works Category', entered from advertisements published in the Mainichi Shimbun, 16 out of 101 entries won prizes. The Grand Prize in the 'General Public/Advertiser Task Category' includes a certificate from the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, a plaque, and a cash prize of 1 million yen. Judge Kazunari Hattori commented, 'By looking at the present from a future perspective and portraying various situations surrounding us—such as environmental issues, technological innovation, and international affairs—as things of the past, this work quietly yet vividly confronts us with the fact that these are undeniably the issues we must think about right now.' The Grand Prize in the 'Advertiser Participating Works Category' includes a Mainichi Shimbun certificate, a plaque, and a cash prize of 1 million yen. Judge Kenya Hara commented, 'When you jump to the site from the QR code, the sounds of battered ingredients being dropped into oil, frying to perfection, and being scooped up with chopsticks are clearly recorded. Of course, this is not just an advertisement for the visually impaired, but a message to share the happiness related to cooking and food with as many people as possible.' Grand Prize: Ajinomoto Corporate Advertisement 'SOUNDFUL RECIPE' (2-part 15-column color series) Other winners and companies are as follows. (Titles omitted) ●Excellence Award (3 entries: Plaque, Cash prize of 300,000 yen) ◇Rikuto Baba, Yomogi Miura (Dentsu) / Task = All Nippon Airways 'Air travel's