We are accepting submissions of works using cutting sheets in two categories
: the General Category and the Student Category
The "CS Design Award," a design award established by Nakagawa Chemical in 1982, is now accepting entries for its 24th edition starting today. The submission period runs from Monday, December 1, 2025, to Tuesday, March 31, 2026. We are accepting entries for both the General Division and the Student Division simultaneously.
[General Category]
Eligible works must have been actually installed between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2026, using cutting sheets or similar decorative sheet materials (not limited to Nakagawa Chemical products).
[Student Division]
We solicit design proposals based on a specific theme for each edition. For this Student Division, the challenge is to propose a design for the exterior wall of MATERIO base, Nakagawa Chemical’s cultural and research space located in the Higashi-Nihonbashi area of Tokyo.
Nakagawa
Chemical coined the term “Cutting Sheet®” in the 1960s and has since widely promoted this decorative sheet material.In the 1980s, decorative sheets saw a dramatic surge in popularity, partly due to the CI (Corporate Identity) boom.
However, concerned about the relationship between urban landscapes and materials, we believed that “activities to share appropriate and highly creative designs with society” were an urgent priority for a materials manufacturer. Consequently, with the cooperation of the late Mr. Masaru Katsumi and many others from various fields, we established this award.Since the first CS Design Award in 1982, we have received support from many designers and architects. We hope that through this award, we can assist creators in using cutting sheets to create richer spaces and environments. Over the
past 40 years, we have received numerous outstanding entries that have greatly contributed to the development and advancement of CS design. We encourage you to apply.
24th CS Design Award: Call for Entries
- ● Submission Period
- December 1, 2025 (Mon) – March 31, 2026 (Tue)
- ● How to Apply
- For details on how to apply, please visit the official award website
- ● Judging
- Scheduled for May–June 2026 (Winners will be notified directly in late June)
- ● Judges
- ● Announcement
-
Winners to be announced: Scheduled
for late July 2026 Award Ceremony
: Scheduled for October 2026 *The Gold Prize-winning entry in the Student Category is scheduled to be physically constructed at MATERIO base around August–September 2026. - ● Prizes
-
[General Division
]
Grand Prize (1 winner): 1 million yen, trophy, and certificate;
Runner-up (3 winners): 300,000 yen, plaque, and certificate
; Excellence Award (5 winners): 100,000 yen, plaque, and certificate
; Nakagawa Chemical Award (several winners): 100,000 yen,plaque, certificate 【Student
Division】
Gold Prize: 1 entry / 150,000 yen, certificate
Silver Prize: 2 entries / 100,000 yen
, certificate Bronze Prize: 3 entries / 50,000 yen
, certificate Honorable Mention: 5 entries / certificate - ● Organizer
- Nakagawa Chemical Co., Ltd.
- ● Supported by
- NPO Japan Typography Association / Public Interest Incorporated Association Japan Graphic Design Association / Public Interest Incorporated Association Japan Sign Design Association / Public Interest Incorporated Association Japan Sign Association / General Incorporated Association Japan Spatial Design Association / General Incorporated Association Japan Commercial Environment Design Association / General Incorporated Association Japan Outdoor Advertising Industry Federation / General Incorporated Association Japan Display Industry Federation (in no particular order)
- ● Award Official Website
- http://cs-designaward.jp
<Contact Information> 24th
CS Design Award
Secretariat Email: info@cs-designaward.jp
/ Tel: 03-5835-0347