Sangetsu Design Award 2026: International Wall Design Competition with ¥1 Million Grand Prize
The Sangetsu Design Award 2026, organized by Japanese interiors company Sangetsu, invites creative original wall-surface designs under the theme “Joy of Design.” Individuals, teams and businesses may enter regardless of nationality, age or profession. The grand prize is ¥1,000,000, and submissions close on December 3, 2026 at 18:00 Japan Standard Time.
Eligibility and originality
Entrants are free to propose materials and wall-design dimensions. The design must be original and unpublished anywhere in the world. You cannot enter the same or a similar design in another competition until the results are announced, nor submit an unchanged generative-AI image as your work.
Prize money
One Grand Prize of ¥1,000,000; one Excellence Award of ¥500,000; four Special Awards of ¥150,000 each; and several Finalist Awards of ¥20,000 each. A tenth-anniversary public-vote award is also planned. See the official rules on tax deductions and award decisions.
Two mandatory submission files
Upload an A3 landscape visualization showing how the design appears on a wall in an interior space, plus an A2 landscape drawing of a wall-surface detail. Each JPG or PNG must be no larger than 50 MB. The form's concept and material descriptions MUST BE WRITTEN IN JAPANESE OR ENGLISH, irrespective of your own language. Register on the official entry platform.
Deadline and Tokyo final
Submit the online application and images by December 3, 2026 at 18:00 JST. Optional physical samples must arrive by that date. Finalists will need a prototype and are expected to participate in the final presentation and award ceremony in Tokyo on March 10, 2027.
Important intellectual-property terms
Intellectual-property rights in works winning prizes above the Finalist Award level vest in the organizer, and the prize money is treated as consideration for those rights. Other entrants generally retain their rights but allow award-related public use without separate remuneration. Commercial production may entail further IP-transfer agreements.
About Sangetsu
Sangetsu is a major Japanese supplier of wallpapers, flooring, curtains and other interior products. Its jury includes designers and architects, and some past winning ideas have been developed into commercial products.
Official rules and application
This article is an informational translation. Check the original Japanese rules for current requirements, IP assignments and final-stage attendance before applying.