2008 Good Design Awards: Judgment Process

The following sets forth important information regarding the screening for the Good Design Awards. The various sections constituting this information are as follows:

1) Institution of Good Design Awards Judging Committee

  • The Organizer establishes the Good Design Awards Judging Committee based on the Good Design Awards Principal Guidelines.

  • The Good Design Awards Judging Committee is vested with the authority to conduct screening for the Good Design Awards and all Special Awards except the Grand Award while respecting the guiding philosophy of the Good Design Awards and the screening policies pronounced by the Chair, and to render these awarding decisions accordingly.

  • The Good Design Awards Judging Committee shall seat one Chair and several Vice Chairs. The Chair shall bring the Judging Committee to order, and provide direction from a comprehensive perspective to ensure that screening of the Good Design Awards proceeds appropriately. The Vice Chairs support the Chair and are the Acting Chair in the event of any emergency.

  • The contracted term for Judging Committee members runs from April 1 to March 31 of the following year.

2) Good Design Awards Screening

  • The Good Design Awards screening for 2008 espouses judging that affirms prescient, idealized time and space for living from the perspective of the futuristic consumer, and seeks the attainment of richly sustainable and prosperous living, industry, and society through design.

  • For each subject entry, the Good Design Awards Judging Committee conducts screening based on the Good Design Awards Judging Recitals set forth below, and determines recipients of the Good Design Awards from a comprehensive set of perspectives.
    A similar screening process is employed to determine recipients of Special Awards, such as the Good Design Gold Award, from among Good Design Award recipients.

  • Good Design Awards Judging Recitals

    HUMANITY Inspiration for products and conceptual embodiments
    HONESTY Perceptiveness toward contemporary society
    INNOVATION Concepts to pioneer the future
    ESTHETICS Imagination for prosperous lifestyle culture
    ETHICS Reflecting on society and environment
     

3) Screening Steps

To determine the Good Design Awards and Special Awards, the screening process takes place in the following sequence: the First Screening, the Second Screening, Special Awards Screening, and Grand Award Selection. The specific process for screening at each phase is set forth under the Good Design Awards Judging Committee Operating Rules.

  • First Screening (submission document review)

    • The Good Design Awards Judging Committee conducts the First Screening for subject entries based on the documentation submitted at the time of application, and determines those entries passing the First Screening.

    • The First Screening and Second Screening are conducted for each of the four domains described in the Principal Guidelines. When a subject entry extends across domains, screening is conducted through an arrangement of multiple screening units.

  • Second Screening (actual entry judging)

    • For those subject entries that pass the First Screening or subject entries made through nominations of the Judging Committee (as described below), the Good Design Awards Judging Committee will conduct the Second Screening based on the actual product or embodiment in order to determine entries that receive the Good Design Award. From among these awarded entries, the Judging Committee selects nominees for the Special Awards.

    • For a portion of the entries in the Second Screening, the Judging Committee may conduct on-site screening by physical travel on the part of the committee members, or oral screening by directly hearing explanations provided by applicants. The Judging Committee may also request the production of documentation concerning the quality or another matter of a subject entry.

    • The Second Screening Panel takes place privately in advance of the GOOD DESIGN EXPO fair to be held at the Tokyo Big Sight convention center.

  • Special Awards Screening

    • The Special Awards Screening Panel is constituted by the Chair, Vice Chairs, and committee members appointed by the Chair of the Judging Committee.

    • The Special Awards Screening Panel determines the Best 15 (Gold Awards) from among the Special Awards candidates, and selects the Good Design Grand Award nominees from among the Best 15.

    • Among the Special Awards, the Good Design and Long-Life Design Award is screened from among separate applications based on the Long-Life Design Award Entry Process, and determined by the Special Awards Screening Panel.

    • The principal organization of each Special Award receives a report of the Special Awards recipients, and the awarding decision is finalized through prescribed procedures.

  • Good Design Grand Award Selection

    • For the Grand Award nominees selected by the Special Awards Screening Panel, members of the Council of Advisors and Judging Committee, and Good Design Award recipients vote to decide the Good Design Grand Award winner.

    • Selection and voting for the Good Design Grand Award will take place in advance of the Good Design Awards Ceremony to be held on November 6.

  • Subject entries deemed impossible for screening

    • For reasons relating to inadequate screening capacity, the Judging Committee may determine certain subject entries to be impossible to screen.

4) Disclosure of Screening Results

  • The Judging Committee will disclose awarding comments relating the reasons for awarding the Good Design Award entries that passed the Second Screening, and prepare screening briefs for each screening unit by domain of screening.

  • The Organizer notifies applicants with this screening information, and also makes such disclosures through the Good Design Awards website.

  • No replies are provided in return to specific inquiries regarding screening details of screened entries.

5) Authority and Obligations of Judging Committee Members

  • Decision-rendering rules for a Good Design Award

    For the determination of a Good Design Award, Judging Committee members mutually line up the views of each other based on the Good Design Awards Judging Recitals set forth above. Decisions are rendered through the consensus of Judging Committee members appointed for each screening unit of the respective screening domains.
    When a decision by consensus is difficult, the leader of the screening unit, screening domain, or Chair of the Judging Committee renders the decision.

  • Screening of entries designed by Judging Committee members

    For subject entries screened by a screening unit or in a particular screening domain to which Judging Committee members who have designed or consulted for such subject entries belong, such Judging Committee members are strictly prohibited from participating in the screening of such entries, including the supply of information.

  • Retention of confidentiality regarding screening information

    Judging Committee members are strictly prohibited from leaking confidential information learned through screening to any third party, such as confidential information concerning subject entries and screening histories.
    Prior to the start of the screening period, Judging Committee members submit their Pledge to Maintain Confidentiality to the Organizer.

  • Nominated entries by Judging Committee members

    For subjects not entered in the Good Design Awards, committee members may call for their entry according to individual member judgment.
    Judging Committee members may not nominate subjects designed or consulted upon by themselves, however.
    Entries entered upon calls from Judging Committee members are considered to have passed the First Screening, and are presented for the Second Screening. The screening of nominated entries by members and of subject entries from the general public is conducted equally.

6) Screening Honoraria

  • The Organizer pays honoraria to Judging Committee members for their screening work of the Good Design Awards. Payment of a fixed screening honorarium compensates for the screening work requested commonly to all Judging Committee members. Special Awards screening, attendance at meetings, and manuscript fees are subject to separate payments.

  • Including the fixed screening honorarium, payment for work requested through October 31 is remitted by December 31. Payment for work requested from November 1 onward during the fiscal year is remitted by March 31.