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Neurodiversity Award 2026: Applications Now Open

The organization, Hyper Diverse (currently in preparation), led by Chairperson Nanako Ishido, has announced the launch of applications for the Neurodiversity Award 2026. This initiative aims to foster a better understanding of neurodiversity and create a society where everyone can showcase their unique strengths in their respective fields.

What is the Neurodiversity Award?

The Neurodiversity Award is designed to recognize significant achievements in research, technology, products, and social action that contribute to a deeper understanding of neurodiversity. Through this award, we aim to pave new paths for promoting diversity and inclusivity across society.

The previous edition received applications from ten countries worldwide, indicating its growing international recognition. With each iteration, the award has become a vital platform highlighting innovative efforts related to neurodiversity.

Who Can Apply?

We welcome diverse individuals and organizations to apply, including students, researchers, enterprises, educational institutions, government agencies, and non-profits interested in advancing neurodiversity initiatives. Self-nominations and third-party nominations are both accepted.

Applications can be submitted online via our application form, where you will need to provide relevant details and attach explanations about your projects. The deadline for submissions is September 13, 2026. For more information, visit our official website here.

Award Ceremony

The award ceremony will take place in early November 2026 at the Tokyo Port City Takeshiba, coinciding with the event “An Exciting Future Ahead 2026” and the collective world of neurodiversity.

About Hyper Diverse (Neurodiversity Organization)

The Neurodiversity Project, which was initiated and continues to operate within B Lab, has made significant strides over the past three years through support and collaboration from various stakeholders. To further develop these initiatives, we are working on establishing Hyper Diverse (the Neurodiversity Organization) as a formal entity. This foundation will enable us to create a larger social impact and expand our activities.

Until the organizational structure is fully established, B Lab will continue to serve as the administrative office, ensuring smooth operations and supporting ongoing efforts.

To learn more about our initiatives, visit here.

Understanding Neurodiversity

MISSION: Creating a Society Where Everyone Can Shine

Neurodiversity stems from the concept that our brains and nervous systems are diverse, which applies to everyone. This diversity can sometimes lead to feelings of difficulty in life. However, these challenges do not arise solely from individual traits; rather, they emerge from the interaction between personal characteristics and environmental factors, both physical and social.

By respecting individual uniqueness and creating an appropriate environment, we can alleviate the challenges that come with neurodiversity and transform personal traits into strengths. Promoting neurodiversity can unlock new creativity for all individuals and contribute to the overall advancement of society.

We aim to build a society where technology complements and extends individual brain functions and bodies while redesigning physical spaces, social systems, and practices from a D&I perspective. This way, we can mitigate life difficulties and empower everyone to express their strengths fully.

About B Lab

B Lab, standing for Beyond, Borderless, Breakthrough, serves as a participatory platform that connects universities, research institutes, communities, and talent worldwide. By merging individuals' unique skills and knowledge, we aim to create new technologies, services, content, businesses, and societal solutions. While our work covers a broad scope, the common thread is social implementation and co-creation. Everyone—from parents to children—is considered a researcher, embodying the lifelong learning ethos, and holding a second research ID. This open, social, participatory approach connects everyone to build a new society that addresses challenges, ideas, technologies, finances, skills, and people, fostering collective innovation for a brighter future.

For more information regarding our work, visit here.

Contact Information

For inquiries about the Neurodiversity Award, please reach out to our office:
Email: [email protected]