Morisawa Inc. is pleased to announce “Morisawa Type Design Competition 2016” calling for entries of original typefaces from across the world.

Morisawa Type Design Competition has been giving birth to a new typeface design for decades from the first Morisawa Awards International Typeface Competition was held in 1984. Through entries with bold ideas and new attempts in anticipation with unprecedented expressive capacity, the recent competitions held in 2012 and 2014 have received more than 1,000 entries sent from over 20 countries and regions, including both Kanji and Latin category.

The competition is comprised of two categories, Kanji and Latin, offering for each category Morisawa Award which calls for typeface designs with creativity and aesthetic excellence of design, and Akashi Award which solicits proposals for commercialization by Morisawa Inc. to enable excellent typeface design to quickly reach users. In addition, People’s Choice Award will also be held. The general public is invited to cast a vote for a favorite work from among entries to this award.

For more information about the Morisawa Type Design Competition 2016, including entry rules and conditions, please visit the official website: http://competition.morisawa.co.jp

Entry Categories
Kanji category
Latin category

Either or both categories may be chosen. There is no limit to the number of submissions per entrant. The competition is open to any individual, group or nationality.

Awards (common in both categories)
Morisawa Award
Entry works are to be judged for creativity and excellence of design. Winners receive a testimonial, a trophy and a sub-prize money;
Gold Prize: JPY 1 million (1 work)
Silver Prize: JPY 500,000 (1 work)
Bronze prize: JPY 300,000 (1 work)
Honorable Mention: JPY 50,000 (3 works)

Akashi Award
Entry works are to be judged for typeface designs appropriate for commercialization by Morisawa Inc. Winners receive a testimonial, a trophy and a sub-prize money;
JPY 1 million (one winner)

Peopleʼs Choice
The general public is invited to cast a vote for a favorite entry work online. Winners receive a testimonial, a trophy and a gift.

Judges
Kanji category
Kenya Hara / Yasuhito Nagahara / Osamu Torinoumi / Taro Yamamoto

Latin category
Matthew Carter / Cyrus Highsmith / Sara Soskolne / Fred Smeijers

Akashi Award (the above judges are included)
Tsunehisa Morisawa

See more details at the official website.

Submission Period
May 1st–July 31st, 2016(JST)

Announcement of Results
December 2016 (as planned)

Application Guideline
Download the application guideline (the competition entry rules and the design format) in the official website.
Submitted designs must conform to the format specifications for the respective category.

Organizer
Morisawa Inc.

Partner
The Font Bureau, Inc.
Morisawa Bunken Inc.

Supporter
ARPHIC TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
Beijing Hanyi Keyin Information Technology Co., Ltd.
SANDOLL Communications Inc.
TypeBank Co., Ltd.

Contact details
Type Design Competition 2016 Secretariat
Morisawa Inc. 2-27, Shimomiyabi-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
162-0822
Tel 81-3-3267-1318 / Fax 81-3-3267-1536
Contact form

About Morisawa
Since its establishment in 1924 - the year it invented the phototypographic printing machine - Morisawa Inc. has never wavered from its commitment to undertaking leading-edge research and development in the field of typography. Today the company is involved in development and marketing of typesetting software; development and supply of digital typefaces; sales of Morisawa Document Solution, automatic typesetting, and cloud font services; and sales and support of input and output editing appliances and on-demand printers. For more information, please visit www.morisawa-usa.com