The Current State and Future of the Dentsu Inc. Advertising Awards
On Tuesday, October 22, the 77th Dentsu Inc. Advertising Awards ceremony was held in Tokyo with great fanfare. But what exactly is the Dentsu Inc. Advertising Award? And as the form of advertising communication changes with the times, how does it grasp these changes, refine its own value, and what role does it aim to play for the future?
We asked Shinobu Numazawa, who was appointed Secretary General of the Dentsu Inc. Advertising Awards Council last year.
The official council operates and recognizes advertisers.
──Please explain again what the Dentsu Inc. Advertising Award is, its purpose, and its characteristics.
Numazawa: The Dentsu Inc. Advertising Awards, established by Dentsu Inc. in December 1947 (Showa 22), are Japan's oldest comprehensive advertising awards. By honoring advertisers who have excelled in advertising communication, they aim to broaden the paths for advertisers to solve their challenges and contribute to the development of Japan's industry, economy, and culture.
The award is administered by the public body, the Dentsu Advertising Awards Council. Its successive chairpersons have been distinguished figures from the economic and industrial sectors, specifically honorary chairpersons or honorary presidents of organizations like Keidanren (Japan Business Federation) and the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Vice-chairpersons and directors include presidents and vice-presidents of advertising associations nationwide, the president of the Japan Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association, and the president of the National Association of Commercial Broadcasters in Japan.
One distinctive feature of this advertising award is that the honorees are the advertisers themselves. While the staff list includes the names of advertising agencies and production companies, it is the advertisers who take the stage at the awards ceremony. Finally emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, this year's ceremony will welcome the attendance of all companies and organizations receiving Silver Awards and above.
──What categories does the Dentsu Inc. Advertising Award have?
Numazawa: We continually review and adapt the categories to respond to changes in society, the environment, and the times. Currently, there are seven categories.
[The 7 Dentsu Inc. Advertising Awards Categories]
・Print Advertising Category
・Audio Advertising Category
・Film Advertising Category
・OOH Advertising Category
・Brand Experience Category
・Area Activity Category
・Innovative Approach Category
Each category features a Grand Prize (¥1,000,000), Gold Prize (¥300,000), and Silver Prize (¥200,000). Additionally, an Overall Grand Prize (¥2,000,000), Special Prize (¥1,000,000), and SDGs Special Prize (¥1,000,000) are awarded across all categories.
Additionally, for the Nagoya, Kyushu, and Hokkaido regions, based on regional selection, there are Regional Advertising Awards (¥200,000) and Runner-up Regional Advertising Awards (¥100,000).
Entries not associated with the Dentsu Group are also eligible.
──Please tell us about the eligibility requirements and selection criteria.
Numazawa: There's often a misunderstanding that only works involving Dentsu Group advertising or production companies can be submitted, but that's absolutely not the case. In principle, advertisers nationwide are eligible to apply, regardless of their handling advertising or production company. Submission is free of charge.
While there are slight differences by category, advertising communication works implemented within the past year are eligible for selection. Applications are typically accepted in March each year.
──Who conducts the selection process, and how?
Numazawa: Selection is conducted through voting by the Dentsu Advertising Awards Selection Committee. This committee comprises approximately 500 members, including advertisers and media representatives actively involved in advertising communication work, advertising experts, and academics from universities and research institutions. There is often a misunderstanding that Dentsu Inc. provides the selection committee members, but this is not the case.
Winning entries are selected through voting by the committee members for each category. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, all voting is now conducted online. The final determination is made after resolutions by the Chair and Vice-Chair Committee and the Advertising Dentsu Award Selection Committee Final General Meeting.
While numerous advertising awards exist in Japan and around the world, few organize such a large panel of judges or cover such a broad range of fields. This has earned the award high recognition as Japan's premier comprehensive advertising prize representing the nation's advertising industry.
──What recent trends have you observed in the submitted works?
Numazawa: The 77th Dentsu Inc. Advertising Awards received 1,178 entries. This year, we saw many communication examples that deeply considered "how to transform post-COVID society," "utilized cutting-edge technologies like AI in a natural way while demonstrating innovative approaches," and "depicted human connections and warmth, especially now." I felt all the winning works deeply considered recent social conditions and the environment surrounding products, services, and companies, and were messages sent by our advertisers.
This year reaffirmed that "advertising" encompasses an incredibly broad spectrum of communication—from media usage and evolving techniques to presenting entirely new perspectives.
A platform where outstanding domestic case studies compete
──Please tell us about recent topics, new initiatives, and challenges for the Dentsu Inc. Advertising Awards.
Numazawa: First, this year, Akio Mimura, Honorary Chairman of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, assumed the role of Chairman of the Selection Committee.
Regarding the selection committee, to incorporate the insights of individuals with longstanding experience in the advertising industry, we have invited chairpersons and directors from several advertising-related industry associations to serve as selection committee members starting with the 77th edition. On the other hand, to also incorporate the insights of those demonstrating the latest creativity, we have invited recipients of the Japan Advertising Agents Association (JAAA) "Creator of the Year," the Japan Ad Content Production Association (JAC) "JAC AWARD," the Japan Advertising Photographers Association (APA) "Japan Advertising Photographers Association Open Exhibition (APA Award) Advertising Works Category Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award," and the Tokyo Copywriters Club (TCC) "TCC Best Newcomer Award."
Furthermore, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all judging has shifted to online voting. Consequently, we plan to gradually increase the number of selection committee members from regions beyond the traditional Hokkaido, Nagoya, Osaka, and Kyushu areas. This aims to invigorate nationwide judging and increase the number of submissions.
A key challenge is how the Dentsu Advertising Awards themselves can continue to evolve amid changing times, enhancing and communicating their value.
In recent years, the Dentsu Inc. Advertising Awards has established new categories—"Brand Experience," "Area Activity," and "Innovative Approach"—to adapt to changes in advertising communication. While it is true that submissions to these three categories have increased, reflecting broader communication planning achievements beyond traditional graphic and video/film productions, the awards are still not sufficiently recognized nationwide. Starting next year, with the 78th edition, we will introduce a third category within the Innovative Approach Division: the "Data Category." We intend to use this opportunity to actively promote greater awareness.
──Finally, how do you envision the role the Advertising Dentsu Inc. Awards should play going forward?
Numazawa: The Dentsu Inc. Advertising Awards, alongside the ACC's "ACC TOKYO CREATIVITY AWARDS" and the Japan Advertisers Association (JAA)'s "JAA Advertising Awards & Consumer-Selected Advertising Contest," can be considered a benchmark for observing comprehensive advertising activities in Japan. First and foremost, we intend to continue fulfilling this role effectively going forward.
I have previously assisted with the secretariats of major international advertising festivals like Cannes and AdFest. While this exposed me to the latest global case studies, I also recognized the difficulty of directly applying those approaches and methods in Japan due to differences in national conditions and market characteristics shaped by national character.
This is precisely why I believe the Dentsu Advertising Awards have a vital role as a "platform where outstanding domestic case studies compete," grounded in the unique characteristics of the Japanese market. The secretariat holds all 77 volumes of the award's journal, and when I occasionally review past entries, I see that they truly honor the best and most effective advertising communications of their respective eras.
To ensure the Dentsu Advertising Awards continues to be a "competition for outstanding domestic case studies," we will strive harder than ever to embrace change and enhance its value.
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The winning entries of the 77th Dentsu Inc. Advertising Awards can be viewed at the " 77th Dentsu Inc. Advertising Awards Exhibition " held at the Ad Museum Tokyo. We encourage you to take this opportunity to visit.
【The 77th Dentsu Inc. Advertising Awards Exhibition】
Organized by: Hideo Yoshida Memorial Foundation / Dentsu Inc. Advertising Awards Council
Dates: November 8 (Fri) - 30 (Sat)
Venue: Ad Museum Tokyo
Caretta Shiodome, 1-8-2 Higashi-Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Hours: Tuesday–Saturday, 12:00 PM–6:00 PM
*Opening hours and days may change depending on circumstances
Closed: Sundays and Mondays (Other irregular closures may occur)
Admission: Free
■Details for the 77th Dentsu Inc. Advertising Awards Exhibition can be found here
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Author
Shinobu Numazawa
Dentsu Advertising Awards Council
After joining Dentsu Inc., he worked in the creative department handling various clients and Dentsu Inc.'s new VI (Visual Identity) "dentsu: 100 Colors, 100 People." In 2017, he became Managing Executive Officer and Head of the Dentsu West Japan Inc. Growth Planning Center. Currently, he serves as Secretary General of the Advertising Dentsu Awards Council, Chairman of the Production Transactions Committee of the Japan Advertising Association, and is a member of the TCC. Recipient of the Asahi Advertising Award, ACC Gold Award, TCC Newcomer Award, and Dentsu Inc. Awards category awards. In 2023, received the Japan Advertising Association's 58th Hideo Yoshida Memorial Award. In 2024, received the Tokyo Advertising Association's Shinobu Shirakawa Award as part of the Subtitled Commercial Promotion Team.
