TERRADA ART AWARD 2027 Opens for Entries on December 16, with ¥3 Million in Production Funds for Five Finalists

On October 21, 2026, Warehouse TERRADA announced “TERRADA ART AWARD 2027,” a contemporary art award aimed at supporting emerging artists. Entries will be accepted online from Wednesday, December 16, 2026, to 18:00 on Friday, February 19, 2027. The five finalists will each receive ¥3 million in production funds and present their work at a finalists’ exhibition opening on Friday, April 7, 2028, at WHAT MUSEUM in Tennoz, Tokyo. This is the first time the finalists’ exhibition will be held at the museum.

Who can apply? Ages 18 to under 45, open to all contemporary art

Individuals or units aged 18 or older and under 45 as of the start of the application period can apply (for units, the age of the representative applies). Nationality does not matter, but applicants must be able to communicate in Japanese. They must have presented their work at least once and must not have been selected as a finalist before. They must also be able to take part in the finalists’ exhibition planned for March to May 2028 (including installation and removal) and the awards ceremony.

The award covers contemporary art in general, including all media: painting and other two-dimensional work, photography, sculpture, textiles, video, digital and media art, performance and other bodily expression, and sound and music. Each individual or unit may submit one entry. According to the application guidelines on the official website, a video submission is required in addition to a portfolio, and the application form will open in late November.

Selection process and judges: Final judging by five, including Daito Manabe and Meruro Washida

The first round is judged on portfolios, with those passing announced on Thursday, May 20, 2027. They then submit exhibition plans (deadline Monday, July 12, 2027) and proceed to the final round. The five finalists will be announced on Wednesday, October 13, 2027. The judges are as follows.

• Final round: Takahiro Kaneshima (Associate Professor, SCAPe, Art Studies Program, Kanazawa College of Art), Yukie Kamiya (Chief Curator, The National Art Center, Tokyo), Yuki Terase (Founder, Art Intelligence Global), Daito Manabe (artist/programmer/composer) and Meruro Washida (Director, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa / Associate Professor, Tokyo University of the Arts)

• First round: Shinji Ohmaki (artist), Katsura Kunieda (curator, Pola Museum of Art), Haruko Kumakura (independent curator/writer), Ryutaro Takahashi (psychiatrist/contemporary art collector), Hitoshi Nakano (curator, Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art / visiting professor, Tohoku University of Art and Design) and Sayaka Mitome (curator, Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media [YCAM])

Of the ¥3 million, the exhibition commission is paid as a commission fee, and the remainder is paid as prize money after deduction of withholding income tax and the special income tax for reconstruction. Production costs exceeding ¥3 million are borne by the artist. Participation in the finalists’ exhibition and the display of at least one new work are mandatory.

Who were the last finalists? Five prizes named after judges

In the previous edition, TERRADA ART AWARD 2025, five finalists were selected: Daisuke Kuroda, Yuki Kobayashi, Sakura Koretsune, Yusuke Yanaka and Claire Fujita. The finalists’ exhibition was held from January 16 to February 1, 2026, at Terrada G3-6F (Shinagawa City, Tokyo).

Each of the five received a prize named after a final-round judge: Kuroda the Yuki Terase Prize, Kobayashi the Meruro Washida Prize, Koretsune the Yukie Kamiya Prize, Yanaka the Takahiro Kaneshima Prize and Fujita the Daito Manabe Prize. This edition’s final judges are the same five people whose names those prizes bear. The official website also has archives of the 2021 and 2023 editions.

Why WHAT MUSEUM? A museum in a converted warehouse

WHAT MUSEUM is a museum of contemporary art and architecture operated by Warehouse TERRADA. The announcement says it hopes for ambitious exhibition plans that expand the possibilities of expression by making use of the characteristics of the renovated warehouse space and the significance of the museum as a venue. From January 19, 2027, the museum will host “WE ARE THE HOUSE” by Tomoko Mukaiyama and Fuyuhiko Takata.

The award is sponsored by Japan Airlines and Ruinart (Moët Hennessy Japan), and supported by Shinagawa City, the Shinagawa City Board of Education and the Shinagawa Cultural Promotion Foundation. In a September 29 announcement, Warehouse TERRADA positioned WHAT MUSEUM as “the hub of Tennoz, an international art city.” The international art exhibition that uses the Tennoz area as one of its venues is introduced in our article on TOKYO ATLAS.

Editor’s perspective

The award sets an upper age limit of under 45 and invites work in any medium. On top of that, the five selected finalists receive production funds and a platform to present their work at a museum. With more than a year between the entry deadline and the opening of the finalists’ exhibition, it can be described as support that includes time for conception and production. The exhibition, held last time at Terrada G3-6F, moves to WHAT MUSEUM this time, and how that change shows in the scale and presentation of the works will be another point of interest.

Overview

Name: TERRADA ART AWARD 2027
Application period: Wednesday, December 16, 2026 – 18:00, Friday, February 19, 2027 (online)
Eligibility: Ages 18 or older and under 45 as of the start of the application period, any nationality (must be able to communicate in Japanese), at least one prior presentation of work, and other conditions
Support: ¥3 million in production funds for each of five finalists, and the opportunity to exhibit at the finalists’ exhibition
First-round results: Thursday, May 20, 2027
Finalists announced: Wednesday, October 13, 2027
Finalists’ exhibition: Friday, April 7 – Sunday, May 7, 2028 (planned), WHAT MUSEUM (Terrada G Building, 2-6-10 Higashi-Shinagawa, Shinagawa City, Tokyo), free admission
Organizer: Warehouse TERRADA
Sponsors: Japan Airlines Co., Ltd., Ruinart (Moët Hennessy Japan K.K.)
Supporters: Shinagawa City, Shinagawa City Board of Education, Shinagawa Cultural Promotion Foundation
Operational cooperation: Fujiwara Haneda LLC, Rocket Pencil Co., Ltd.
Official website: https://www.terradaartaward.com/ja
*Information as of October 21, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

*Top image: WHAT MUSEUM, the venue for the finalists’ exhibition (from Warehouse TERRADA’s press release)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on announcements by Warehouse TERRADA (October 21 and September 29, 2026) and information on the official website.

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team