2009 Good Design Awards: Screening Process

The following sets forth important information regarding the screening for the Good Design Awards. The various parts 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 shall seat one Chair and several Vice Chairs.
  • The Chair shall supervise the Judging Committee to ensure that screening of the Good Design Awards is conducted properly. The Vice Chairs support the Chair.
  • The contracted term for Judging Committee members runs from April 1 to March 31 of the following year.

2) Role of Good Design Awards Judging Committee

  • The Good Design Awards Judging Committee shall conduct screening and render final awarding decisions for the Good Design Award, Good Design Long Life Design Award, Good Design Frontier Design Award, 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.

3) Good Design Awards Judging Recitals and Policy

  • The following judging recitals guide the judging of the Good Design Awards.
    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

  • Through judging conducted from near-future lifestyle perspectives, the 2009 Good Design Awards seek the attainment of richly sustainable and prosperous living, industry, and society.
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4) Screening Steps for Awards

  • The Good Design Awards Judging Committee shall conduct screening according to the following steps for the respective Good Design Awards. For reasons relating to inadequate screening capacity, the Judging Committee may determine certain entries to be impossible to screen.
  • The specific process for screening is set forth under the Good Design Awards Judging Committee Operating Rules.

(1) Good Design Award Screening

  • Screening of the Good Design Award is conducted for each of the domains (Human Body, Living, Work, Society, and Network) provided in the Good Design Awards Application Process.
    The Judging Committee assembles a judging unit for each domain, or multiple judging units for domains with large numbers of entries. The Vice Chairs supervise the judging of their respective domains.
  • The Good Design Award screening takes place in two steps: the First Screening and the Second Screening.
  • The First Screening consists of judging the entries, based on the documentation submitted at the time of application, and results in decisions on entries that pass and qualify for the Second Screening.
  • The Second Screening is conducted with the actual product or embodiment, as a general rule, for entries that pass the First Screening or for entries made through nominations from Judging Committee members. The Second Screening takes place privately at the Tokyo Big Sight convention center in advance of the Good Design Expo fair.
  • For 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 the like of an entry.
  • The Second Screening is the step for final decisions on entries that will receive the Good Design Award. Candidates for special awards are selected from among these awarded entries.

(2) Long Life Design Award Screening

  • The Long Life Judging Unit, whose members comprise the Judging Committee Chair, Vice Chairs, and committee members appointed by the Chair, conduct screening for the Long Life Design Award.
  • The Long Life Judging Unit finalizes decisions regarding the Long Life Design Award through screening of entries nominated by users, and screening of actual products.
  • Screening of the actual product or the like is held at the same venue concurrently with the Second Screening for the Good Design Award.

(3) Frontier Design Award Screening

  • The Frontier Judging Unit, whose members comprise the Judging Committee Chair, Vice Chairs, and committee members appointed by the Chair, conduct screening for the Frontier Design Award.
  • The Frontier Design Award screening takes place in two steps: the First Screening and Second Screening.
  • The First Screening consists of judging the entries, based on the documentation submitted at the time of application, and results in decisions on entries that pass and qualify for the Second Screening.
  • The Second Screening is conducted with the actual product or the like, as a general rule, for entries that pass the First Screening or for entries made through nominations from Judging Committee members. The Second Screening takes place privately at the Tokyo Big Sight convention center in advance of the Good Design Expo fair.
  • The organizer will host the Second Screening and Good Design Expo fair at the Tokyo Big Sight from August 27 to 30.

(4) Special Award Screening

  • The Special Awards Screening Panel, whose members comprise the Judging Committee Chair, Vice Chairs, and committee members representing each judging unit, presides for judging of the special awards.
  • The Special Awards Screening Panel renders decisions for the respective special awards, such as the Best 15 (Gold Awards), from among the special awards candidates, and selects the Good Design Grand Award candidate from among the Best 15.
  • The sponsor organization of each special award receives a report of the pending recipient, and the awarding decision is finalized through prescribed procedures.

(5) Good Design Grand Award Selection

  • For the Grand Award candidate selected by the Special Awards Screening Panel, members of the Board of Advisors and Judging Committee, and Good Design Award recipients vote to decide the Good Design Grand Award winner.
  • The Judging Committee Chair may call for votes from the general public in selecting the Good Design Grand Award winner.
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5) Disclosure of Screening Results

  • The Judging Committee will disclose awarding comments relating the reasons for selecting each awarded entry, and prepare screening briefs for the Good Design Award concerning each screening domain and judging unit.
  • The Organizer notifies applicants with this screening information, and also makes such disclosures public through the Good Design Awards website.
  • No replies are provided in return to specific inquiries regarding screening details of screened entries.

6) Authority and Obligations of Judging Committee Members

  • Decision-rendering rules for awarded entries

    Screening for the awards is conducted through consensus among Judging Committee members.
    When a decision by consensus is difficult, the leader of the judging unit or the Judging Committee Chair renders the decision.

  • Screening of entries designed by Judging Committee members

    For entries screened by a judging unit to which Judging Committee members who have designed or consulted for such 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 and screening histories of entries.
    Prior to the start of screening work, Judging Committee members submit their Pledge to Maintain Confidentiality to the Organizer.

  • Entries nominated by Judging Committee members

    For products or embodiments 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 products or embodiments designed or consulted upon by themselves, however. Entries made subsequent to calls from Judging Committee members are considered to have passed the First Screening, and are presented for the Second Screening. The screening is conducted equally for entries nominated by Judging Committee members and for entries from the general public.

7) 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.