Results of the 13th "BOVA" Video Contest by "Brain" Magazine Announced! Awards Ceremony Held, Grand Prix in Online Video Category Goes to a Work Based on SECOM's "Sticker"

The 13th Brain Online Video Award (BOVA), a contest hosted by "Brain" magazine (published by Sendenkaigi), announced its winning entries in the Online Video category on May 29. The results are available on the official BOVA website (https://bova.co/history/13th) and in the July 2026 issue of "Brain" (https://amzn.to/3PTGwjx). The Grand Prix in the Online Video category was awarded to "Sticker-Swapping Elementary Schoolers," a submission for SECOM's challenge to create a "video that attracts young people's hearts to SECOM." The work was created by Sumire Ohno (Dentsu) and Tenki Kaihara (Taiyo Kikaku). The video features a conversation between two elementary school students swapping stickers. When one says they want a "SECOM" sticker, an unsettling atmosphere gradually begins to build. Please watch the video for the full story. Final judges for the Online Video category, Shinya Nakajima and Keisuke Yoshikane (Hakuhodo), commented on the work: "The perspective of planning this around the social phenomenon of the 'sticker-swapping boom' to feature the SECOM sticker is brilliant. Within that, it very effectively communicates that 'SECOM protects the home.' The excellent direction that drew out such wonderful performances from the children also received high praise." (Mr. Nakajima) "For me, this was the clear Grand Prix winner. The concept is straightforward, but the dialogue is incredibly sharp. 'It's not puffy, you know?' 'Getting protected by a macho man and a sticker.' If BOVA had a copywriting award, I would definitely nominate it. And the tense direction. The exquisite balance of suspense and comedy. If BOVA had a directing award, I'd nominate it for sure. And an acting award, definitely." (Mr. Yoshikane) On May 29, an awards ceremony was held in Takeshiba, Tokyo, bringing together the winners from both the Online Video category and the previously announced Vertical Video category. This year's Online Video category received 253 entries (including 49 from the student division). Details on the Grand Prix, as well as Gold (1), Silver (4), Student Division Awards (2), and individual Judge's Awards (9), along with the finalists, are published in the July 2026 issue of "Brain" magazine, released on June 1. The Sponsor's Awards for the Online Video category were announced on May 1 on the BOVA website and in the June issue of "Brain." At the ceremony, awards were also presented to the winners of the Vertical Video category. The Grand Prix in this category went to "Late-Night Pet Camera," a submission for Shogakukan's challenge to create a "video that makes you want to buy 'Shogakukan's Picture Book NEO'." It was created by Yutaro Nagashima, HiROKi, and Riki Kashiwagi (all from UUUM Marketing). What appeared on the late-night pet camera set up in a living room was... a raccoon? When the homeowner, alerted by the noise, turns on the light, they find the "Animals" edition of "Shogakukan's Picture Book NEO." This year's Vertical Video category received 208 entries (including 46 from the student division). Details on the Grand Prix, as well as Gold (2), Silver (3), Student Division Awards (3), and individual Judge's Awards (7), along with the finalists, are published in the April 2025 issue of "Brain." The Sponsor's Awards for this category were announced on the BOVA website and in the March issue of "Brain." BOVA, or the Brain Online Video Award, is an online-focused video contest started by "Brain" magazine in 2013 to vitalize the video production industry and to discover and nurture the next generation of video creators. It consists of the "Online Video Category," which calls for self-produced videos of up to 3 minutes that solve a given challenge, and the "Vertical Video Category," which calls for self-produced vertical videos of up to 1 minute for a similar challenge. 【Submission Guidelines】 Entrants submit an original, previously unreleased video of up to 3 minutes that provides a solution to a challenge set by a sponsoring company. The contest seeks and awards videos that are buzzworthy and full of new ideas unique to the online format. *Established in the 12th BOVA. Entrants submit an original, previously unreleased vertical video of up to 1 minute that provides a solution to a challenge set by a sponsoring company. 【Judges】 (In alphabetical order, titles omitted) The final judging panel included Sayaka Arimoto, Ikuko Ota, Yusuke Kanda, Maiya Kinoshita, Yusuke Sato, Shuhei Shibue, Wakana Suzuki, Shinya Nakajima, and Keisuke Yoshikane. The preliminary judges were Sezan Iseda, Natsuko Suzuki, Masashi Fukuda, Emari Hosoya, Hiroki Horanai, Ryoko Kataoka, Yohei Kato, Shintaro Suzuki, Noboru Matsuo, and Shinpei Mizumoto. 【Judges】 (In alphabetical order, titles omitted) The panel included Gakuto Akashi, Haruka Ichikawa, Natsuki Uchiyama, Shuichiro, Kai Hayasaka, Rei Hanada, and Kairi Manabe.