Open Call: New international craft awards from Japan

Entry to the International Kogei Award in Toyama is free and offers an exciting opportunity for makers to not only win monetary awards, but also have your work exhibited in Japan at the Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design and be invited to collaborate with artists, craftspeople and designers in Japan. Anything you can do to help spread awareness will be greatly appreciated.

Applications close on 27 January 2020 and are open to international and Japanese craftspeople. Full detail are below and here is a link to download images https://we.tl/t-G2W5UVOHzk. A full press release is also attached.

Details for the International Kogei Award in Toyama follow:

Calling craftspeople and artists around the world:

International Kogei Award in Toyama offering 4,000,000 yen (£28,000*) in awards + the opportunity to collaborate with craftspeople in Japan

Applications close 27 January 2020

Toyama Prefecture in Japan has launched the International Kogei Award in Toyama to create opportunities for networking and collaboration with craftspeople and makers across the world, and from there, to paint a new future vision for the world of craft. The awards are open to artists, craftspeople and designers aged 50 and under. It offers a prize pool of over £28,000*, the opportunity to have work exhibited in Japan and to be invited to the exchange program and collaborative production program with local craftspeople and companies in Toyama in or after 2021.

The International Kogei Award in Toyama aims to:

Comprehensively evaluate and encourage not only crafts, expressions and techniques, but also the ideas and efforts, strategies and practices, and future vision of each craftsperson.
Reconsider the fixed concept of traditional crafts once from an unbiased perspective, capturing the global trends in crafts world that are becoming borderless and cross-disciplinary more and more, and create international networks and collaboration opportunities, which will enable us to draw a future vision of crafts.
To provide opportunities for many people to learn about the situation surrounding crafts and new trends of crafts through this award.

Entry is free and open to craftspeople and makers around the world practicing KOGEI (artisan crafts), who are introducing the art created only by KOGEI, which consists of two elements inextricably connected – tradition and innovation.

Techniques and materials eligible to apply are: lacquerware, metalwork, casting, woodwork, handmade washi paper, ceramics, glass, leather, dyeing and weaving or combinations thereof. Other crafts maintained in each region of the world are also welcome to apply.

Outline

Application period

1 October 2019 – 27 January 2020

Prize:

Grand Prize (1 individual/group) 2,000,000 JPY (£14,000*)
Excellence Award (1 individual/group) 500,000 JPY (£3,500*)
Honorable Mention Award (4 individuals/groups) 300,000 JPY (£2,100*)
Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Special Prize (1 individual/group) 300,000 JPY (£2,100*)

Privilege

The Grand Prize-winning work will be added to the collection of the Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design. Additionally, award-winners will be invited to the exchange program and collaborative production program with the local craftspeople and companies in Toyama in or after 2021.