MUSE Creative Awards 2026: Gold for the Ukiyo-e and Yokai Immersive Art Exhibitions and the Senso-ji Projection

At the “MUSE Creative Awards 2026,” an international award organized by the US-based IAA (International Awards Associate), the immersive exhibitions “Ukiyo-e Immersive Art Exhibition” and “Yokai Immersive Art Exhibition” and the Senso-ji projection mapping show “ASAKUSA CULTURE & LIGHTS 2025” won Gold. All three were in categories in the “Experiential & Immersive” field. HITOHATA, INC., which produced all three, announced the awards in May 2026, and they are also listed among the winners on the organizer’s official website.

What are the MUSE Creative Awards? Platinum, Gold and Silver decided by score

According to the official website, the MUSE Creative Awards is an international award honoring outstanding work in advertising, marketing campaigns and brand communication. Advertising agencies, brands, production companies and individual creators from any country can enter.

Judging is blind, by an international jury, evaluating strategy, creativity and originality, execution, effectiveness and results, and overall impact. Awards are determined by score: 85–100 points for Platinum, 75–84 for Gold and 65–74 for Silver. The next edition, for 2027, opened for entries on October 16, 2026, with results scheduled to be announced on April 16, 2027.

What are the three Gold-winning works?

Ukiyo-e Immersive Art Exhibition (Exhibition Experience category)

This exhibition turns more than 300 ukiyo-e prints by Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Utagawa Hiroshige, Kitagawa Utamaro, Toshusai Sharaku, Utagawa Kunisada and others into three-dimensional video spaces using 3DCG animation and projection mapping. The organizer’s award page introduces areas such as “Japan Blue,” built around shades of indigo, and “Rei,” which adorns paintings of beautiful women with images of flowers.

According to HITOHATA, INC., cumulative attendance grew from more than 500,000 at the time of the award announcement (May) to more than 700,000 after the closing of the Paris, Aomori and Hiroshima venues (announced September 11). From Friday, November 6, the “Ukiyo-e Immersive Art Exhibition GIFU” will be held at the Gifu City Museum of History, and a permanent venue is scheduled to open in Ginza, Tokyo, in spring 2027.

Yokai Immersive Art Exhibition (Exhibition Experience category)

Taking yokai paintings of the Edo and Meiji periods as its subject, this exhibition presents the worlds of the “Night Parade of One Hundred Demons” scrolls and “Hyakumonogatari” (One Hundred Ghost Stories) through 3DCG, projection mapping, holographic screens and sculpture, with the cooperation of the Nishio City Iwase Bunko Library and the Yokai Art Museum on Shodoshima.

It has been held in Nagoya (2025), Tokyo (March–June 2026) and Kagoshima (July–August), and according to HITOHATA, INC., cumulative attendance has exceeded 300,000. In October it also received a 2026 Good Design Award. The next venue had not been announced as of October 21.

ASAKUSA CULTURE & LIGHTS 2025 (Interactive Outdoor Event category)

This event, held from Wednesday, December 3 to Sunday, December 7, 2025, projected images onto Senso-ji’s Hozomon Gate, Five-Story Pagoda and the Important Cultural Property Nitenmon Gate. According to the organizers, it was the first projection mapping at Senso-ji, with motifs including the Golden Dragon Dance, the Nio guardian statues, the wind god Fujin and thunder god Raijin, and large votive tablets. The projection drew more than 150,000 visitors (organizers’ figure). The Excellence Award at the Projection Mapping Tokyo Award and the 2026 edition are summarized in our article on the award for the Senso-ji projection.

It was organized by the Asakusa Culture & Lights Executive Committee and planned and produced by HITOHATA, INC.. It also received an Excellence Award at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau’s “Projection Mapping Tokyo Award.” The second edition, “ASAKUSA CULTURE & LIGHTS 2026,” projects onto the Main Hall and Hozomon Gate from Friday, October 30 to Tuesday, November 3 (national holiday), with free viewing and no advance registration required.

Platinum for the Asuka III shipboard shows, and a Sony facility among Japanese winners

At the same awards, “KAGUYA” and “MYSTERIO,” staged in the onboard theater of the cruise ship Asuka III, won Platinum in the “Experiential & Immersive - Hologram / Projection” category (announced September 24). Both productions have each passed 100 cumulative performances, as reported in detail in our article on the shows passing 100 performances.

In the organizer’s list of winners, Sony Group’s “Sony Square” also won Platinum in the “Experiential & Immersive - Immersive Brand Experience” category. According to its award page, it is a showcase space, renovated in April 2024, where visitors can experience Sony Group’s businesses.

Editor’s perspective

At an award aimed at advertising and brand communication, exhibitions and a projection at a temple were evaluated in the same “Experiential & Immersive” framework as a corporate showcase space. Because awards are determined by score, the ukiyo-e and yokai exhibitions both won Gold in the same “Exhibition Experience” category.

On the other hand, the organizer’s award pages carry entrants’ descriptions of their works and credits, while the judges’ comments are not published. Clues to what specifically was evaluated are limited.

Award overview

Award: MUSE Creative Awards 2026
Organizer: IAA (International Awards Associate)
Gold: “Ukiyo-e Immersive Art Exhibition” and “Yokai Immersive Art Exhibition” (Exhibition Experience category), “ASAKUSA CULTURE & LIGHTS 2025” (Interactive Outdoor Event category)
Platinum: “KAGUYA” and “MYSTERIO” (Hologram / Projection category)
Winner: HITOHATA, INC.
Announced: May 2026 (three Gold awards) and September (Platinum), both announced by the winner
Official website: https://museaward.com/
*Information as of October 21, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

*Top image: Documentary photo from a past venue of the “Ukiyo-e Immersive Art Exhibition” (from HITOHATA, INC.’s press release)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on the official website of IAA (MUSE Creative Awards) and announcements by HITOHATA, INC. (May 14, 15 and 18, September 11 and September 24, 2026, and others).

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team

A note from the publisher

*Disclosure: The three award-winning works covered in this article (the Ukiyo-e Immersive Art Exhibition, the Yokai Immersive Art Exhibition and the Senso-ji projection mapping) were produced by HITOHATA, INC., an affiliate of HITOHATA ASSOCIATION, the general incorporated association that operates TOKYO ART SPHERE (About us).

The latest information on events produced by HITOHATA, INC. is available at HITOHATA, INC.’s event information. Inquiries about hosting or co-organizing the “Ukiyo-e Immersive Art Exhibition” and the “Yokai Immersive Art Exhibition” are accepted through the company’s contact form.