Metagri Laboratory (operated by Noujoujin Inc., headquartered in Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecture, CEO: Yuichiro Kai), which promotes the utilization of new technologies in agriculture, conducted an initiative in collaboration with local governments for a regional PR video contest. Using regional materials provided by the administration, 28 creators nationwide produced 31 regional PR videos using AI video generation.

An online seminar, "Bringing Regional Charm to Life with AI Video," will be held on Saturday, July 4, 2026, from 10:00 AM, introducing the results of the contest where 31 different "ways of seeing the town" emerged from the same materials, and the production process behind the award-winning works.

*Real-time participation is free.

Apply

Background of the Seminar

With a declining population, promoting migration and settlement, and increasing regional awareness are common challenges for many local governments.

While the importance of information dissemination through video and social media is growing, it is not easy to continuously consider who to reach, what charm to convey, and how to express it, given limited personnel and budgets.

Therefore, this contest aimed to verify a method of simultaneously generating multiple perspectives by opening up the same regional materials to creators nationwide, rather than narrowing down to a single expression beforehand.

AI video generation is utilized not merely as a tool for production efficiency, but as a means for diverse creators, including those with little prior connection to the region, to research the area, select its charms, and reconstruct them into their own narratives.

31 Works from 28 Creators Nationwide, Grand Prize to Become Official City PR Video

This initiative was implemented as the "Shirai City PR Video Contest," co-hosted by Metagri Laboratory and Shirai City, Chiba Prefecture. Under the theme "A Relaxed Life Fulfilled in Shirai," PR videos of 30-60 seconds targeting families with children in their 20s and 30s were solicited from across the country.

Video Contest

As a result, 31 works were submitted by 28 creators nationwide, and 6 works were selected for various awards.

The Grand Prize-winning work, "Shirai City Quest" by Shishamo, has been decided to be adopted as Shirai City's official PR video. It is scheduled to be utilized on the city's official website, social media, within city facilities, and at events related to migration and settlement from the summer of 2026 onwards.

List of Works

"31 Visions of the Town" Born from the Same Materials

This co-creation contest revealed three values unique to a format involving multiple creators:

(1) From a single set of materials, entirely different "visions of the town" emerge.

Even when starting with the same materials, interpretations varied as much as the number of people. Some works turned the challenges of daily life into monsters and crafted RPG-style stories, while others depicted the regional landscape as a "fantasy slightly connected to reality," focusing on making viewers want to visit at first impression. The greatest feature of co-creation is that it allows for the simultaneous acquisition of multiple perspectives, rather than the administration deciding on a single "correct way" to present it.

(2) Creators become "storytellers of the town."

The process of researching the region for production and re-telling its charms from one's own perspective also serves as an opportunity for creators to connect with the area. Not only do more videos increase, but the number of people who can speak about the town also grows—this is what our laboratory considers a new achievement in regional PR.

(3) It balances buzz generation with practical benefits.

The Grand Prize-winning work, "Shirai City Quest," has been decided to be adopted as Shirai City's official PR video. The ability to obtain tangible results that the administration can actually use, while taking the form of a buzz-generating contest, is also an advantage for local governments.

Learning from Contrasting Works: Planning and Production Process

In the seminar, the production processes, invisible from the finished videos alone, will be explained by the respective creators, using two contrasting award-winning works as case studies. Additionally, pre-recorded interviews with officials from the co-hosting municipalities will be screened, discussing "the background of the contest" and "the behind-the-scenes of the judging process."

Work: "Shirai City Quest"

Creator: Shishamo

This work depicts challenges of daily life such as childcare, long commutes, and housing costs as monsters, and crafts a story in an RPG style about a family overcoming them.

Shishamo challenged this contest about one month after starting to use AI video generation. They will introduce their planning method of converting regional issues into a story, character settings, storyboards, and the trial-and-error process.

Work: "A Place Where Family Laughs, Shirai"

Creator: Hana Petal

This work depicts the scenery of Shirai City as a "fantasy slightly connected to reality," aiming to make viewers feel "I want to visit" and "I want to live there" from their initial impression of the video, rather than explaining information.

They will explain how to balance fantastical expression with regional reality, prompt adjustments to refine people, cameras, and lighting, and directing that evokes a sense of happy family time from the footage.

Through two contrasting works born from the same materials and theme, the breadth of planning and expression in regional PR will be explored.

Seminar Overview

Title

Bringing Regional Charm to Life with AI Video ~Behind-the-Scenes of Regional PR Video Production Told by Award-Winning Creators~

Date and Time

July 4, 2026 (Saturday) 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Venue

Online

Participation Fee

General Ticket: Free / Ticket with Archive: ¥800

Organizer

Metagri Laboratory (Operated by Noujoujin Inc.)

Application

https://shiroi-pr-contest-award.peatix.com/view

Target Audience

Those who want to create AI videos in the future

Those interested in the video production process

Those who want to learn about use cases of AI video generation

Those interested in regional charm promotion and town development

Those involved in public relations and PR for municipalities and regional organizations

Schedule

10:00 - 10:05 (1) Opening (Seminar Theme and Contest Overview)

10:05 - 10:15 (2) Interview Video with Co-hosting Municipality (Background of Implementation and Behind-the-Scenes of Judging)

10:15 - 10:35 (3) Behind-the-Scenes of Grand Prize Work | Shishamo "Shirai City Quest"

10:35 - 10:55 (4) Behind-the-Scenes of Noujoujin Award Work | Hana Petal "A Place Where Family Laughs, Shirai"

10:55 - 11:00 (5) Closing & Announcements

Archive Ticket 300 Yen OFF

Archive tickets, normally ¥800, can be purchased for ¥500 by entering the coupon code "METAGRI300" at the time of application, a discount of ¥300.

*General tickets for real-time participation only are free.

Apply

Organizer: "Metagri Laboratory"

Metagri Laboratory

Metagri Laboratory is a community dedicated to realizing sustainable agriculture under the keyword "Agriculture x New Technology." Launched in March 2022, it has over 1,300 participants as of June 2026. It is named "Laboratory" to signify the importance of embracing new social experiments without fear of failure.

We invite those interested in initiatives combining generative AI, Web3, and the metaverse with agriculture to join our community.

Metagri Laboratory

Official Website: https://metagri-labo.com/ Event Seminars: https://metagrilabo.peatix.com/ Official SNS (X): https://x.com/metagrilabo/ Official SNS (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/metagrilabo/ Official Line: https://page.line.me/918tbanl

Operating Company of "Metagri Laboratory"

Noujoujin Inc.

Representative: Yuichiro Kai

Services Provided (Partial): - Agricultural Marketing Support - Planning and Development of Agriculture x New Technology - AI Consulting - Book Publishing

URL: https://noujoujin.com/

FACT BOX

  • Source: PR TIMES
  • Category: Event