KENGO KUMA & HIGASHIKAWA KAGU DESIGN COMPETITION 2026
Organizer:
“Kengo Kuma & Higashikawa” KAGU Design Competition Executive Committee, composed of the Town of Higashikawa, Higashikawa Chamber of Commerce, Higashikawa Tourism Association, Higashikawa Agricultural Cooperative, Higashikawa Construction Association, Higashikawa Forestry Association, Higashikawa Promotion Corporation, Asahikawa Furniture Cooperative, Higashikawa Town Council, Higashikawa Board of Education, and Higashikawa Woodworking Association. Sponsor: SOLIZE Holdings Corporation.
Deadline:
Submission deadline: 30 September 2026, 12:00 PM JST.
Submission Category:
One single furniture design competition under the theme “Quiet Furniture”. Entries should use natural materials, with wood as the primary material. Initial submission requires one A3 landscape, single-sided PDF sheet including the title, concept, description, sketches, drawings, CG renderings, or model photos. Finalists must submit a 1:5 to 1:1 scale model; at full scale, the total width + depth + height must not exceed 5 meters.
Eligibility:
Open to students from Japan and abroad. Applicants must be enrolled in an educational institution at the time of submission and be 30 or younger. Individual and group entries are accepted, provided all group members meet the requirements. Each applicant may participate in only one submission.
Entry Fee:
Free of charge. Entrants are responsible for their own production and material costs.
Awards & Benefits:
Grand Prize (Kengo Kuma & Higashikawa Award): 1 entry, ¥500,000 and commercialization opportunity. Second Prize (SOLIZE Award): 1 entry, ¥200,000. Excellence Award: 1 entry, ¥100,000. Honorable Mention: 7 entries, no cash prize. Special Award (Higashikawa Woodworking Association Award): 1 entry selected from the above winners, with commercialization opportunity and planned full-scale realization.
Finalists will be invited to Higashikawa for the final judging and awards ceremony; travel and accommodation costs will be covered by the organizer, with up to two members invited for group entries.
Core Introduction:
The 6th “Kengo Kuma & Higashikawa” KAGU Design Competition is an international student furniture design competition jointly developed by Higashikawa Town in Hokkaido and architect Kengo Kuma. Under the theme “Quiet Furniture”, the competition invites young designers to explore how furniture can reconnect people with nature, objects, local craft, and a more mindful way of living through long-lasting, material-sensitive design.
