Deadline: December 25, 2026
THE ADACHI UKIYOE AWARD 2026 (18th)
The Adachi Foundation for the Preservation of Woodcut Printing; in cooperation with The Adachi Institute of Woodcut Prints
Tokyo, Japan (organizer and woodcut production venue); open to international entries
Friday, December 25, 2026 (JST) — both the application form and fee payment must be completed by the deadline; results expected late February to early March 2027
- Drawing
- Graphic Design / digital artwork
- Painting
- Printmaking-oriented practice
- Applicants must be 15 years of age or older at the time of application and apply as individuals
- No restrictions on genre, career background, or nationality; no specialist knowledge or previous experience in Japanese woodcut printing is required
- Applicants under 18 must have the consent of a parent, legal guardian, or legal representative
- Winners must be able to participate on an ongoing basis in meetings with artisans and the woodcut production process (meetings may be attended online)
- Submit images of 3–5 previously created works (works 1–3 required, works 4–5 optional); previously published or exhibited works are eligible
- Any use of AI in creating submitted works must be clearly disclosed
JPY 2,000, non-refundable as a general rule; an application is complete only after both the form submission and fee payment are received
- Grand Prize: JPY 300,000 cash prize + production of a woodcut in collaboration with Adachi's professional carvers and printers + a copy of the completed woodcut
- Excellence Award: JPY 150,000 cash prize + the same collaborative woodcut production with Adachi artisans + a copy of the completed woodcut
- Honorable Mention: JPY 50,000 cash prize
Ukiyo-e prints are a uniquely Japanese art form created through the collaboration of three specialists: the eshi (artist who creates the original design), the horishi (carver who carves the woodblocks), and the surishi (printer who transfers the image onto washi paper). Hokusai, Hiroshige, and generations of other eshi reflected the customs, people, and atmosphere of their own times in their works. Established in 2009, the Adachi UKIYOE Award — now in its 18th edition in 2026 — aims to discover new eshi who can create ukiyo-e for the present day. Applicants submit images of 3–5 previous works, which are used to judge the artist's style, individuality, and potential for creating contemporary ukiyo-e (the submitted works themselves are not reproduced as woodcuts). Artists are not required to follow traditional ukiyo-e styles; the distinctive sensibilities and expressions of today's artists are welcomed. The Grand Prize and Excellence Award winners each develop a new original design specifically for woodcut production, then collaborate with professional carvers and printers at the Adachi Institute of Woodcut Prints, taking part in carving, printing, color decisions, and the full production process as their design is transformed by hand into a traditional ukiyo-e woodcut. Through this process, the award seeks not only to discover new artistic talent but also to carry traditional craftsmanship into the future by creating new ukiyo-e that reflect contemporary artistic expression.
