Company Anthem Contest Grand Prize! Behind the Scenes of Showa Women's University's Japan-Wide Victory

On February 10, 2022, the finals and awards ceremony for the " 3rd NIKKEI National Company Song Contest," determining Japan's best company song, were held. From 142 entries, Showa Women's University won the "Grand Prize" and the "Ai Kawashima Award." Achieving the "best in Japan" result was significant, but they also gained various insights and growth throughout the song creation and application process.

Related Article
・The Passion Behind the "Company Song Contest" That Ignited a Boom
・What Two Contest Winners Gained Through Their Challenge
 

To commemorate the award, we conducted a special interview with Mr. Hideyuki Higa from the General Affairs Department and Ms. Hitomi Tezuka from the Public Relations Department of the university. Hirohei Morimoto of Dentsu Inc., the originator of the company song contest, asked them about their goals in creating the song, the process of entering the contest, and the response after winning.

Uniting the School's Spirit for Its 100th Anniversary: A Student-Led Image Song Project

Morimoto: Congratulations on winning the Grand Prize. Not only were the quality of the song and video outstanding, but your presentation at the finals was truly moving and impressive. Could you tell us about the background behind creating this song, "For Our Dreams"?

Tezuka: As our university celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2020, we undertook various commemorative projects, including creating a symbol mark and LINE stickers. As part of this, we launched the University Image Song Project. Its purpose was to deepen the affection for the university among current students, alumni, and faculty, and to pass on our aspirations for the next 100 years through song.

Higa: Our school has had a culture of valuing song since its founding. Including affiliated schools, we have about 30 songs that have been sung at various events and milestones. While we have many familiar songs, this project was born from the desire to create a new song that would unite everyone's hearts, inspired by the 100th anniversary.

Morimoto: During the finals, students gave presentations. Is this a student-led project?

Tezuka: That's correct. While the idea originated with staff, we wanted to prioritize the feelings of those who would actually sing the song. We took a supporting role, and the students took the lead in every task—from commissioning the composer, to soliciting and compiling lyrics, to commissioning the music video production.

Morimoto: I see. How did you create the melody and lyrics?

Tezuka: We commissioned the world-renowned composer and pianist Toshiaki Matsumoto for the music. For the lyrics, we held a broad call for submissions from students, affiliated school pupils, children, and faculty. Initially, we didn't get many entries. But the students brainstormed and implemented various strategies: placing call-for-submission notices in the cafeteria, having sympathetic teachers feature it in their classes, and holding workshops where students could learn composition from Mr. Matsumoto. These efforts allowed us to gather a large number of lyrics. The students also compiled the collected lyrics into a single piece, carefully aligning them with the song's purpose and the academy's history.

Morimoto: This project involved many highly challenging tasks—not just lyric creation, but also event planning and management, coordination with stakeholders, and overall project oversight. Weren't you concerned about entrusting it to the students?

Tezuka: I firmly believed that the students' passion would make the project far more interesting than anything we adults could conceive, and that they absolutely could pull it off. We kept staff control to an absolute minimum, limiting it to critical checks for oversights and offering advice when course corrections were needed.

Morimoto: That's the ideal boss-subordinate relationship, isn't it? (laughs)

Higa: The Chairman and President always emphasize, "Value student autonomy." I think that mindset has permeated the faculty and staff. It's a stance of letting them go as far as they can, only stepping in to help when they're truly about to fall off a cliff (laughs).

The "vertical and horizontal" appeal of the school embedded in the music video

Morimoto: The music video is outstanding too. It features not just students but faculty, staff, and even security personnel—truly embodying the phrase "uniting as one." How did the video come about?

Tezuka: After the song was completed, we planned it with the desire to spread it more effectively both on and off campus. Everything—from selecting the production company to the orientation and choosing the winning proposal—was student-led.

Morimoto: Wow, you're doing things just like us advertising agencies (laughs). By the way, what were the selection criteria?

Tezuka: To ensure fairness in the selection process, the students created an evaluation sheet. We examined quite detailed criteria, such as alignment with the concept and design capabilities. One key point we emphasized was whether the agency had strengths not only in shooting celebrities but also in photographing ordinary people.

Morimoto: I see. That explains why the performers all have such great expressions.

Higa: Honestly, when we first heard about making a music video, it caused quite a stir on campus. People were like, "What's going on? Why are students and faculty suddenly practicing dance routines?" (laughs). But seeing the finished video, I was moved by how it portrayed the school's diversity and depicted its past, present, and future, creating a truly multidimensional representation. It's been very well-received at alumni gatherings and reunions too, with people saying, "It brought back memories."

Tezuka: Thanks to the students conveying their desire to "express both the timeline and the diverse facets of the school" during the orientation with the production company, I believe we've created a music video that richly depicts the school's appeal in all its dimensions.

The song creation process itself embodies our educational philosophy

Morimoto: Could you tell us what prompted you to enter the company anthem contest this time?

Tezuka: We had completed the song, but due to the pandemic, we struggled to find an opportunity to debut it. We were searching for a platform where more people could hear it. We were aware of the company song contest itself, but it just so happened that when the Showa Women's University activities were featured in the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, an advertisement for the company song contest was printed on the opposite page. I thought, "This is fate!" (laughs). The students also expressed a strong desire to take on the challenge, so we decided to go for it and submit our entry.

Morimoto: Did you feel confident about passing the preliminary round when you applied?

Tezuka: Of course, we wanted as many people as possible to know about it, but when we found out we'd made it to the finals, the entire project team was buzzing with excitement. From then on, we spent our days watching videos of past finals presentations, brainstorming and refining our own presentation.

Morimoto: And then on the day, you delivered a brilliant presentation and won. How did you feel at that moment?

Tezuka: Just making it to the finals was enough, but I was already shaken when we made it into the top three. When the top prize was announced, I was completely overwhelmed (laughs).

Higa: The university board meeting was happening at that exact moment, and Mr. Tezuka was live-streaming the finals via video call. He was able to report the Grand Prize win right then and there, and everyone participating in the board meeting was absolutely thrilled.

Morimoto: How was the reaction from those around you?

Tezuka: The night of the finals, emails from faculty, staff, and alumni just kept coming. I heard the students also got tons of messages from their seniors who had graduated. Even before the finals, I'd get advice from faculty members who seemed cool at first glance as we passed each other. I'm truly grateful to so many people who supported and cheered us on.

Morimoto: Hearing you talk about it again, I feel that achieving the best result in the company song contest was certainly important, but the process itself has become a valuable part of the students' lives. The experience from this project seems directly applicable to society, doesn't it?

Tezuka: Yes, our school's educational philosophy centers on "Seven Powers to Realize Dreams," emphasizing skills like "the power to identify challenges and set goals" and "the power to take the first step and act." This project itself became a catalyst for developing these seven powers, and we staff also learned a great deal from the students' efforts.

Higa: It wasn't always smooth sailing, but seeing the students struggle and push through every time they hit a wall was truly inspiring. Their passion often motivated us as well.

Tezuka: No matter how hard they worked on this activity, it didn't count toward their credits (laughs). Still, the fact that these students, who poured their passion and time into it, got to experience being "Japan's best" was the greatest reward. We are truly grateful to Nikkei Inc., JOY SOUND, Cocopelli, and all the other involved parties for creating such a wonderful contest.

Morimoto: We, the organizers, are the ones who are deeply grateful for all the entries. While "company songs" might strongly evoke corporate images, the true value of this contest lies in using music to enhance any organization or team, including schools and local governments. I believe Showa Women's University demonstrated this essence perfectly by winning the "Grand Prize." Once again, congratulations on the Grand Prize!

[Comments from Project Members (Students)]

■Student A
The moment we won, I thought of everyone involved in the project and those who supported us, and my heart filled with gratitude. After winning, I received congratulatory messages from professors who had previously guided us, and I heard that students are incorporating this song into their classes. It feels like it's gradually spreading even in places we didn't know about. The company song contest became a major step toward making "For Our Dreams" a tradition of our school.

■Student B
There were many challenges, but winning the top prize made it all worthwhile. We learned that behind our student project, the staff members provided tremendous support in so many ways. We're proud to have won Japan's top prize through everyone's combined efforts.

■Ms. C
The immense sense of accomplishment when the music video finally wrapped up. Winning this award brought me even greater joy. Having our song, filled with the school's spirit, recognized publicly, and now with its release on JOYSOUND's karaoke platform, I hope even more people will discover this song.

■D
I was originally just a performer in the music video, but I was so moved by the song, the choreography, and above all, the passion of the seniors that I asked to join the project. It's a song I truly love, and I hope it will be sung and danced by many more people for years to come.

■E
Thank you so much for this wonderful award. "For Our Dreams" was completed through trial and error with my teammates and the support of many people. Seeing it grow to become the best in Japan is incredibly gratifying. I hope this song continues to grow as a new tradition and becomes a bridge connecting everyone associated with Showa Women's University, starting with the students.

■Ms. F
By collaborating with fellow students and production companies in various aspects, including the music video production, we were able to create something truly remarkable that has earned high praise nationwide. We have been working to establish "For Our Dreams" as a tradition within the university. Winning this top prize makes me very happy, as I hope it will become one of the traditions our school can be proud of.