The 57th Hakuhou Award is Now Accepting Applications for Educational Contributions

The 57th Hakuhou Award Begins Applications

The Hakuhou Foundation, a public interest corporation based in Chiyoda, Tokyo, is pleased to announce the opening of applications for the 57th Hakuhou Award, with the endorsement of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

What is the Hakuhou Award?

The Hakuhou Award was established to invigorate and support child education settings. The core mission is to foster children's growth through the power of words. It recognizes grassroots activities and contributions by schools, organizations, and education practitioners that have the potential for impactful ripple effects. The award also provides support for sharing achievements and continuing and expanding grassroots efforts.

Areas of Activity

The award covers various educational practices focusing on:

- Japanese language and word development.
- Supporting communication activities for children with special needs or diverse requirements.

In response to changes in the educational environment, the award has broadened its scope over time, covering:

- National language education
- Japanese language education
- Special support education
- Co-creation education tied to Japanese culture and hometown
- International culture and multicultural coexistence education
- Innovative and pioneering educational activities

Award Details

Each recipient of the Hakuhou Award will receive a main certificate and a supplementary award of cash. Notably outstanding activities among the awardees may also receive the Minister of Education Award. It’s important to note that there may be instances where no candidates are selected for each award.

- Hakuhou supplementary award: Approximately 1 million yen (around 15 awards anticipated)
- Meritorious service award supplemental: 500,000 yen
- Encouragement award supplemental: 300,000 yen
- Minister of Education Award: Presented to particularly outstanding activities among the Hakuhou award recipients.

Schedule

- Application Period: April 1, 2026 (Wed) to June 25, 2026 (Thu) — All documents must arrive at the foundation by this date, including any necessary corrections.
- Announcement of Awardees: Late October 2026 (planned)
- Award Ceremony: December 11, 2026 (Fri) at the Japan Industrial Club in Chiyoda, Tokyo.

Candidate Qualifications

- Activities must be conducted within Japan and primarily target children aged 6 to 15 (or 4 to 18 for special support education).
- The activity period must exceed three years (activities in their third year are not eligible).

Application Process

- Third-party recommendations from qualified individuals are mandatory.
- The necessary application guidelines and documents are available for download from the foundation’s website or can be sent by mail through local education boards.

Recommendation Eligibility

Qualified recommenders include:

- Education directors and office heads from local governments, heads of education centers, presidents of school associations, professors or associate professors from universities in Japan, mayors of local governments, chairs of prefectural private school associations, heads of international exchange associations, and representatives or chairs of organizations and research groups with expertise in relevant fields.

Judging Committee

The judging panel will be chaired by Kuniyoshi Takigawa, a professor at Kyoto Women’s University, along with nine additional members.

About the Hakuhou Foundation

Since its establishment in 1970, the Hakuhou Foundation has aimed to contribute to healthy human development by providing assistance in national language education and education for individuals with visual and auditory impairments. The foundation not only honors exceptional educational practices through the Hakuhou Award, but also engages in diverse activities including research grants related to child education and scholarships for teacher training, all focused on “children,” “words,” and “education.”