Winners of the 93rd Mainichi Advertising Design Awards Announced: Kaoru Karumai Wins Grand Prize in "General Public/Advertiser Task Category", Ajinomoto Wins in "Advertiser Participating Work Category"

The judging results for the 93rd Mainichi Advertising Design Awards (hosted by The Mainichi Newspapers, supported by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) were announced on the 3rd. The Grand Prize in the "General Public / Advertiser Task Category" went to Kaoru Karumai (Nippon Design Center) for her work on Iwanami Shoten's "Magazine 'Sekai'" task. The Grand Prize in the "Advertiser Participating Work Category" was awarded to Ajinomoto's corporate advertisement "SOUND FUL RECIPE".

A total of 28 winning entries, including these two works, are showcased on the official Mainichi Advertising Design Award website (https://macs.mainichi.co.jp/design/ad-m/).

The awards ceremony for the 93rd Mainichi Advertising Design Awards will be held simultaneously with the 2025 Mainichi Design Award ceremony on April 13 at Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo.

The final judging was held at the Mainichi Shimbun Tokyo Head Office on February 3. The "General Public / Advertiser Task Category," which recruits works based on tasks submitted by advertisers, received 917 entries, of which 12 won awards. The "Advertiser Participating Work Category," in which advertisements published in the Mainichi Shimbun are entered, had 16 winners out of 101 entries.

The Grand Prize winner in the "General Public / Advertiser Task Category" receives a certificate from the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, a plaque, and 1 million yen in prize money. In his judging comment, jury member Kazunari Hattori noted, "By viewing the present from a future perspective and portraying the 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 issues we must think about right now."

The Grand Prize winner in the "Advertiser Participating Work Category" receives a Mainichi Shimbun certificate, a plaque, and 1 million yen in prize money. Jury member Kenya Hara commented, "When you scan the QR code to visit the site, sounds such as battered ingredients being dropped into oil, frying to the perfect crisp, and being scooped up with chopsticks are clearly recorded. Naturally, this is not an advertisement exclusively for the visually impaired, but a message intended to share the happiness associated with cooking and food with as many people as possible."

Other award winners and companies are as follows. (Titles omitted)

<General Public / Advertiser Task Category> ● Excellence Award (3 works: Plaque, 300,000 yen prize money) - Rikuto Baba, Yomogi Miura (Dentsu) / Task = All Nippon Airways "The Exhilaration of Air Travel" - Seiya Mizukami (Light Publicity), Ryu Nakamura (peak) / Task = OZEKI "One Cup Ozeki" - Ouka Kosaka (Osaka Seikei University) / Task = Shinchosha "Shincho Bunko"

● Encouragement Award (3 works: Plaque, 100,000 yen prize money) - Reona Mori (TBWA HAKUHODO), Ippei Morimoto (Taki Corporation) / Task = Shinchosha "Shincho Bunko" - Hanako Ikeda, Yunosin Ayukawa (Nippon Design Center) / Task = SECOM "Securing your 'important' with 'SECOM Home Security'." - Miki Uehara, Mitsuaki Kawamura (Chuo Ad Shinsha) / Task = OZEKI "One Cup Ozeki"

● Student Award (5 works: Plaque, 50,000 yen prize money) - Koharu Narito (Kanazawa College of Art) / Task = Iwanami Shoten "Magazine 'Sekai'" - Hikaru Kinoshita (Kanazawa College of Art) / Task = OZEKI "One Cup Ozeki" - Reina Morisawa (Osaka Seikei University) / Task = Yaokin "Sour Paper Candy" - Hikaru Kinoshita (Kanazawa College of Art) / Task = SodaStream "Corporate Advertisement" - Suzuka Ito (Kanazawa College of Art) / Task = Kikkoman "Corporate Advertisement"

<Advertiser Participating Work Category> ● Excellence Award (3 works: Plaque) - Kajima Corporation - FamilyMart - Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance

● The Mainichi Newspapers Special Award (Plaque) - Komatsu

● Work Award (10 works: Plaque) - KADOKAWA - Kindai University - Suntory - Sekisui House - Chiba Institute of Technology - Tokyo Zokei University - Toyota Motor Corporation - Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition - Yamato Transport - Universal Music

● Planning Award (Plaque) - National Association of Racing

- Mainichi Advertising Design Award https://macs.mainichi.co.jp/design/ad-m/

Logo mark design: Makoto Wada

The Mainichi Advertising Design Award (hosted by The Mainichi Newspapers, supported by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) is Japan's oldest advertising award, established in 1931 (Showa 6) as a project of the commercial art promotion movement. Currently, it consists of two categories: the "General Public / Advertiser Task Category" and the "Advertiser Participating Work Category," receiving numerous entries every year. The Grand Prize and other awards in each category are decided through a judging process by Japan's leading creative directors, graphic designers, and copywriters.

[Inquiries regarding this matter] The Mainichi Newspapers Tokyo Head Office, Mainichi Advertising Design Award Secretariat 1-1-1 Hitotsubashi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8051 TEL: 03-6265-6816 (Excluding weekends and holidays, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM) Email: m-design@mainichi-ks.co.jp