Satofull Awards 'Satofull Award' in the 2nd Iron Product Idea Contest; Student Ideas to be Developed as Hometown Tax Gifts

Satofull Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Hiroaki Fujii), operator of the hometown tax portal site 'Satofull,' awarded the 'Satofull Award' at the '2nd Iron Product Idea Contest Award Ceremony' held on May 18, 2026. The winning work is currently being adjusted for deployment as a return gift for hometown tax donations in collaboration with a local ironworks. This initiative is a new attempt that allows high school students' ideas to reach donors nationwide while enabling donors to participate in the manufacturing process through their contributions. The contest is an industry-academia collaboration educational program where students from Aomori Prefectural Hirosaki Technical High School devise iron product ideas and learn everything from design to prototyping and manufacturing alongside craftsmen from Hasegawa Iron Works Co., Ltd. For this second contest, triggered by a proposal from Satofull, the school, the ironworks, and Aomori Prefecture have collaborated to develop student ideas into hometown tax return gifts. Satofull selected the design 'This makes it easy!? Iron Snow Shovel' by Reina Fujita, a second-year student in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Hirosaki Technical High School, for the 'Satofull Award.' In addition, seven other awards were presented by Aomori Prefecture, Hasegawa Iron Works, and supporting companies. The winning works are scheduled to be featured on the 'Satofull' website as return gifts for Aomori Prefecture. Donors can engage in the process until the product is completed through the sharing of the manufacturing process, messages from the students, and local site visits upon request. Adjustments are currently underway with the goal of starting acceptance around June 2026. ### Award-Winning Work ** 'This makes it easy!? Iron Snow Shovel'** Reina Fujita, 2nd Year, Mechanical Engineering Dept. * **Concept:** Considering the heavy snow issues in her hometown, she proposed a shovel easy for the elderly and women to handle. By attaching tires, it moves easily on snow. Using iron ensures high strength for effective shoveling. * **Selection Reason:** Satofull highly evaluated this highly practical idea born from the regional challenge of heavy snowfall in Aomori. The project aligns with Satofull's commitment to supporting regional issues, similar to their disaster relief donation efforts. ### Other Award Winners * **Tosane Award:** 'Sliding Workspace Expansion Desk' (Miyu Kimura) * **Aritsuka Design Award:** 'Multi-functional Hanger Rack' (Daiki Osanai) * **Prefectural Product Sales & Export Promotion Division Award:** 'Aomori Carabiner' (Renta Yamamoto) * **Principal's Award:** 'Rotating Bookshelf' (Shodai Koyama) * **Vice Principal's Award:** 'Tissue Case' (Nico Kawayama) * **Super Akira Award:** 'Waste Material Light' (Kai Kasai) * **Hasetetsu Award:** 'Transformable Rack' (Taichi Sato) Satofull Co., Ltd. will continue to promote regional revitalization through various initiatives.