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2005 OutlineOverview Report of the Good Design Awards 2005From a press release on October 31,158 were selected for Good Design Awards65 were selected for Special Prizes15 out of 65 Special Prizes nominated for Grand PrizeOn October 3 the Japan Institute of Design Promotion (JDP), which is Japan's only comprehensive design promotion body, announced the recipients of Good Design Awards (G-Mark) for fiscal 2005, the 49th year of the awards. The 2005 Good Design Awards selected 1,158 award winners from among 3,010 entries that were subject to screening. 65 entries were chosen for Good Design Special Prizes. The Good Design Special Prizes included the "Best 15," a distinction new to the awards this year. The 2005 Good Design Awards solicited entries from April 26 to June 15. 3,010 entries from a total of 1,303 participating companies were screened, the most since the awards were privatized in 1998 after having been previously administered by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (now the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry). The Good Design Awards Jury, chaired by the world-renowned industrial designer Toshiyuki Kita, conducted first and second screenings of the entries from June to August and selected 1,158 for Good Design Awards. Adjudication for Special Prizes was then held in September and Special Prize recipients were selected. Fifteen Good Design Award winners were chosen for the Best 15, four for the Ecology Design Prize, one for the Universal Design Prize, and one for the Interaction Design Prize, all of which are conferred by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry. Fourteen Good Design Award recipients were chosen for the Small and Medium Enterprises Prize, given by the Director-General of the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency, two for the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman's Prize, and 28 for the Long-Selling Good Design Prize. Under a policy of communicating new design from Japan to the world through the Good Design Awards, for the Best 15, fifteen entries were selected through a special adjudication process involving judges invited from overseas for the first time. Plans call for the awards to continue to be promoted outside of Japan through various means. The winner of the Good Design Grand Prize will be selected from among the Best 15 and will be determined by a vote on October 25 by this year's Good Design Award recipients, jury members, and Adjudication Board participants. The 14 entries not selected for the Grand Prize will receive Good Design Gold Prizes. The Good Design Awards are Japan's only comprehensive system for evaluating and recognizing design. They originate in the Good Design Selection System established by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry in 1957. Over the course of nearly 50 years, Good Design Awards have been conferred to over 31,000 designs (including this year's winners). About the Good Design Awards (G-Mark)The Good Design Awards have recognized the superior design qualities of over 30,000 products and other items for some fifty years to date. In evaluating and making recommendations to the public, in recent years the awards have taken a broad perspective on the role played by design. The Communication Design Category has been established for all forms of communication media, including advertisements and magazines, films and websites, and promotional activities, and the New Frontier Design Category for new initiatives that utilize design, such as next-generation business activities and regional promotion projects in which design plays a central part. Today, good design is required in a whole range of fields. In order for design to take the lead in new industries and society as a whole, the Good Design Awards, which are a form of social infrastructure facilitating the creation of good design, work to enrich people's lives, foster good businesses, and concretely construct cultures and lifestyles for a new era. 2005 Good Design AwardsThis fiscal year constitutes the 49th holding of the awards. In 2005, with mounting interest in design on the part of the public, screened entries were sent by 1,303 companies and numbered 3,010, the most since the awards were privatized. With respect to trends, there were many entries in every field of digital home electronics, which includes cell phones, digital cameras, compact audio devices, and flat-screen televisions. Entries also increased in areas where public need is growing, like health, medicine and security products, and in public arenas such as railroad cars. Starting this year, Japanese and overseas companies were formally allowed to enter products not on sale in Japan in the Product Design Category, so there were many entries for IT-related products from companies based in Asia and elsewhere. In addition, the Good Design Awards ASEAN Selection, which was held for the fourth time this year, introduces Japan to exceptional design from ASEAN countries. In this category, a large number of culturally rich products utilizing local technologies received awards. Screening for the Good Design AwardsThe Good Design Awards confers awards on entries recognized for exceptional design by a screening process conducted by the Good Design Awards Jury. Screening for this year's awards was conducted from July to September in four categories and 15 units by jury members. The jury is made up of designers, architects and others who represent the world of Japanese design and who are at the forefront of their respective fields. Good Design Special PrizesGood Design Special Prizes are given to entries selected to receive Good Design Awards that are particularly exceptional from the viewpoint of society, culture or lifestyle. Special Prizes include the Ecology Design Prize, Universal Design Prize, and Interaction Design Prize, which are Theme Prizes, as well as the Small and Medium Enterprises Prize and the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman's Prize. The winners of these prizes are chosen at the Special Prize Adjudication meeting, which is attended by jury members representing each screening category. In addition, starting with this year's awards, under a policy of communicating new design from Japan to the rest of the world, a special adjudication process was conducted involving judges invited from overseas. This process selected 15 of the most outstanding award winners as the "Best 15." This year's winner of the Good Design Grand Prize will be chosen from among the Best 15 and Good Design Gold Prizes will be determined. Selection of the Good Design Grand PrizeAs a symbol for the year, the Good Design Grand Prize plays the role of widely conveying to society contemporary design issues and future prospects. Selection of the prize is conducted by a vote on the Best 15 by jury members, Adjudication Board participants, and all Good Design Award recipients. This year, the prize will be determined at the awards ceremony to be held on October 25. About the Good Design PresentationThe administrators of the Good Design Awards work to make it possible for large numbers of people to experience the latest in design by actively publicizing the diverse range of entries and the screening process. As a part of these efforts, the Good Design Presentation 2005, Japan's largest design fair, was held this year for the general public from August 25 to 27 at Tokyo Big Site. In addition to exhibiting award candidates, the year's Good Design Presentation ran a special exhibit entitled "Design Initiative" put on by leading design companies and educational institutes. The Good Design Presentation was attended by some 29,000 people, a record high. Disclosure of Good Design Award Information over the Internet2005 Good Design Award information will be publicly disclosed beginning 14:00 on October 3 on the Good Design Awards website. The website also features information on all 31,000 award winners over the past 49 years. In addition to photos, specifications, company names and designer names for the award winners, visitors to the site can view summaries of the winners as well as comments from the designers in charge and evaluations by jury members. Keyword searches (by the word "ecology" for instance) are also possible. 2005 Good Design Award Winners
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