Note: this call for entries has closed.
Judging update: the Yokai Castle Town design and concept contest
Thank you to everyone who entered this contest.
We received around 200 entries — far more than we had expected — and so many of them were lovely and full of character that judging took considerably longer than planned.
The final judging for the design category is now complete and the winning works have been published.
You can see them here.
Judging in the concept category is still under way, with results expected around spring.
This project is part of our work toward World Heritage inscription for the Ichijodani Asakura Family Historic Ruins, and we thank you for your continued understanding and support.
The castle town of Ichijodani once flourished with all manner of culture, modelled on that of Kyoto.
The Yokai Castle Town Project imagines — and creates — the yokai that might have belonged to the legends and culture of that lost capital, and in doing so brings new life to the site. We invited entries for new yokai to join the town’s hyakki yagyo, the night parade of a hundred demons.
1. Concept category (words alone are fine)
Invent freely and without limits: the name, the appearance, the characteristics, the circumstances in which it shows itself to people.
A rough sketch by hand, or a single drawing by a child, is perfectly welcome.
Narrative and story form are welcome too (Excel, Word and similar files).
2. Design category
Hand-drawn work, or digital files made with software (png, jpeg, PDF, bmp and other image formats). Please attach as much written information as you can — a name, a concept, characteristics — so that we can picture the yokai.
Any form is welcome, including three-dimensional works and 3DCG.
You were welcome to enter both the design and concept categories.
Entries had to be original, previously unpublished work. Works created using AI were not accepted.
Prizes
1. Concept category
Grand prize (1 entrant): 5,000 yen (plus an original yokai T-shirt and other extras)
Winners (5 entrants): 3,000 yen (plus a yokai keyring or similar)
Honourable mentions (10 entrants): a 1,000-yen book token (plus a yokai keyring or similar)
2. Design category
Grand prize (1 entrant): 10,000 yen (plus an original yokai T-shirt and other extras)
Winners (5 entrants): 3,000 yen (plus a yokai keyring or similar)
Honourable mentions (10 entrants): a 1,000-yen book token (plus a yokai keyring or similar)
How to enter
Entries have now closed.
Thank you for the many submissions we received.
Winning works will be announced and winners contacted around autumn 2024 winter 2025.
· All copyright and trademark rights relating to entries belong to the organiser.
· Entries may be reproduced on our official social media, website, in books and other media, and may be turned into products, exhibited or printed on flyers.
· Entries may be corrected or altered to suit the intended use. Where a work is made into a product or printed, the organiser may shift the position of the design to accommodate layout constraints, and may alter the shape or colour of the work. In doing so, care will be taken not to damage the character of the work.