The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has announced 8 corporate themes for the FY2026 Tokyo Business Design Award, with applications for design proposals accepted through 27 October 2026. The initiative aims to create new products and businesses through collaboration between companies and designers.
The 8 themes for the TBDA, hosted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, have been officially announced. The selected themes cover a diverse range of technologies and materials, from rubber casting for molding complex, fine metal shapes to circular materials, on-demand printing, thin-sheet processing, stained glass, garden-tree recycling, mixed waste plastics recycling and printing technologies for multi-material expression.
Design proposals will be accepted from 2 September 2026 through 27 October at 23:59. Applicants must be individuals or groups residing in Japan who are willing to collaborate with small and medium-sized enterprises. There is no application fee, although actual expenses are charged separately. The judging process will proceed to public judging, with a Grand Prize, Excellence Awards and Theme Awards to be presented.
There will be 1 Grand Prize, 2 Excellence Awards and 1 Theme Award for each theme. The Grand Prize and Excellence Award prize money will be allocated separately to the company and designer, while support for commercialization as collaborative projects will be provided for 3 years.
A Communication Day for designers on 15 September, as well as factory tours and company visits from 18 September through 2 October, are also scheduled. Details and application information are available on the official website.