Projection Mapping Tokyo Award: Top Prize for “Elder Shibusawa’s Banquet,” Three Works Chosen from 45 Entries

The three winning works of the “Projection Mapping Tokyo Award,” with which the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau honor projection mapping staged in Tokyo, have been published on a special page. From 45 entries, “Elder Shibusawa’s Banquet” received the top prize, and “Nakano Sunplaza Projection Mapping -To be continued-” and “Senso-ji Hozomon Gate / Five-Story Pagoda / Important Cultural Property Nitenmon Gate Projection Mapping” received Excellence Awards. On Saturday, November 14, the final screening of the “Tokyo International Projection Mapping Award Vol.11” will be held at Tokyo Big Sight.

What is the Projection Mapping Tokyo Award? What it covers and how winners are chosen

The award honors projection mapping initiatives as part of a campaign promoting the appeal of Tokyo at night. Its stated aims are to attract travelers from Japan and abroad and to promote new forms of Tokyo tourism. It covers works staged in Tokyo between April 1, 2023, and December 31, 2025, regardless of location, scale, paid or free admission or genre.

Eligible applicants were the municipalities, tourism associations, chambers of commerce, private businesses and others that organized or staged the works; individuals and religious corporations were not eligible. Entries were accepted from December 18, 2025, to January 30, 2026. After document screening and review by judges, commemorative gifts were to be presented to around three particularly outstanding works from the perspectives of regional revitalization and artistry.

What are the three winning works?

The results were announced in March 2026 by each winning organization in its own announcement. For the top prize, “Elder Shibusawa’s Banquet,” the special page lists the title but not the organizer, venue or dates (as of October 21). The judges’ names and comments have not been published either.

The Excellence Award winner “Nakano Sunplaza Projection Mapping -To be continued-” was a projection with residents’ participation organized by Nakano City. According to an announcement by Shin Unity, it used Nakano Sunplaza, which closed after a history of more than 50 years, as its stage, featuring pictures and messages collected from residents, illustrations drawn at the workshop “Nakano Art Note” and music by artists associated with the venue. It was produced by Sim Direct, with creative by SWAG and technical support by Takenaka.

Why does the Tokyo Metropolitan Government honor projection mapping?

The metropolitan government held the award as an initiative for the “promotion of nighttime tourism” set out in “Strategy 14: Tourism” of the “2050 Tokyo Strategy.” The permanent projection on the Tokyo Metropolitan Government No. 1 Building, “TOKYO Night & Light,” which began in February 2024, is positioned under the same strategy, and an August 7, 2026, announcement said cumulative viewers had reached 1.55 million.

There are also grants for private events. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau’s “Projection Mapping Promotion Support Project Grant” covers events that project images matched to the shapes of buildings and other three-dimensional objects, among others. Awards, permanent projection and grants are proceeding in parallel.

November 14: The final of the Tokyo International Projection Mapping Award Vol.11

The “Tokyo International Projection Mapping Award (PMA TOKYO)” is a contest created as a place for young creators to project their works onto real architecture. The theme of Vol.11 is “ReBORN,” and videos of up to 1 minute 30 seconds are projected onto the exterior wall of the Conference Tower at Tokyo Big Sight for final judging and awards. It is organized by the PMA TOKYO Executive Committee.

The teams advancing to the final were scheduled to be announced on Friday, October 30, but as of November 9 the announcement had not appeared in the news section of the official website. On the day, doors open at 16:30, the opening is at 17:30, screenings run from 18:00 to 19:00 and the awards ceremony and closing are scheduled from 19:30 to 20:00, with free admission. The venue is a 3-minute walk from Tokyo Big Sight Station on the Yurikamome and a 7-minute walk from Kokusai-tenjijo Station on the Rinkai Line. Prizes include the Grand Prix (¥300,000), the runner-up prize (¥100,000) and the Judges’ Special Prize (¥50,000). Details are in our article on PMA TOKYO Vol.11.

Editor’s perspective

The three winners differ in stage and origin: a projection onto temple buildings, a projection with residents’ participation staged at the closed Nakano Sunplaza, and “Elder Shibusawa’s Banquet.” It is a lineup befitting an award that lists regional revitalization and artistry as its judging perspectives, but with neither judges nor comments on the special page, the reasons for the selections are hard to discern from outside.

If the words of evaluation were published, they would also give viewers clues. The special page makes no mention of a next call for entries (as of October 21), and whether the award will continue is also a point to watch.

Award and final overview

Award: Projection Mapping Tokyo Award
Presented by: Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau
Eligibility: Projection mapping staged in Tokyo between April 1, 2023, and December 31, 2025
Entries: 45
Top prize: “Elder Shibusawa’s Banquet”
Excellence Awards: “Nakano Sunplaza Projection Mapping -To be continued-” and “Senso-ji Hozomon Gate / Five-Story Pagoda / Important Cultural Property Nitenmon Gate Projection Mapping”
Official website: https://www.tokyonightstory.com/campaign/pm-tokyo-2025/
Final: Tokyo International Projection Mapping Award Vol.11 final screening, Saturday, November 14, 2026, doors open 16:30, plaza in front of the Conference Tower, Tokyo Big Sight (3-11-1 Ariake, Koto City, Tokyo), free admission
Official website of the final: https://pma.tokyo/
*Information as of October 21, 2026. Please check the official websites for the latest information.

*Top image: Projection mapping on Nakano Sunplaza (from Shin Unity Co., Ltd.’s press release)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on an announcement by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau (December 18, 2025) and the special page, announcements by Shin Unity Co., Ltd. (March 26, 2026) and HITOHATA, INC. (March 24 and September 2, 2026), and information on the official website of the PMA TOKYO Executive Committee.

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team

A note from the publisher

*Disclosure: Among the winning works introduced in this article, the Senso-ji projection mapping (ASAKUSA CULTURE & LIGHTS 2025) was planned and produced by HITOHATA, INC., an affiliate of HITOHATA ASSOCIATION, the general incorporated association that operates TOKYO ART SPHERE (About us).

One of the Excellence Awards went to the work projected onto Senso-ji’s Hozomon Gate, Five-Story Pagoda and the Important Cultural Property Nitenmon Gate at “ASAKUSA CULTURE & LIGHTS 2025.” Held from December 3 to 7, 2025, it drew more than 150,000 visitors, according to the organizers. Its images, with motifs drawn from Senso-ji’s 1,400 years of history and culture, also won Gold at the MUSE Creative Awards 2026. Details are in our article on the award for the Senso-ji projection. In 2026, the event is being held at the Main Hall and Hozomon Gate from Friday, October 30 to Tuesday, November 3 (national holiday), as introduced in our article on the Senso-ji projection mapping.