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Taro Okamoto Award for Contemporary Art (TARO Award)

Taro Okamoto Memorial Foundation for Contemporary Art / Taro Okamoto Museum of Art, Kawasaki · Kawasaki, Japan

Free-to-enter annual Japanese contemporary art award open to any age, nationality or medium, with a ¥2,000,000 top prize and an exhibition of selected works at the Taro Okamoto Museum of Art in Kawasaki. The 29th round closed 31 August 2025; the 30th call is expected in 2026.

Deadline: Not stated
Entry fee: Free

View on taro-okamoto.or.jp

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Your eligibility

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Who can enter

Location: Open worldwide
Age: No age limit
Career stage: Any
Mediums: Any medium
Submission: Online, then physical if shortlisted
Also: Any nationality, age, professional or amateur; individuals or groups who created the work and hold its copyright.

About

The TARO Award was founded in 1996 after Taro Okamoto's death to recognise work made with a new perspective or expression. Individuals or groups of any nationality, age or professional status may enter work in any form or technique, provided they hold the copyright. There is no entry fee.

Prizes (29th edition): Taro Okamoto Award ¥2,000,000; Toshiko Okamoto Award ¥1,000,000; Special Awards totalling ¥500,000; every selected entrant receives ¥100,000. The two top winners also gain a display opportunity at the Taro Okamoto Memorial Museum in Tokyo. Selected works are exhibited at the Kawasaki City Taro Okamoto Museum of Art early in the following year (29th exhibition: 31 January to 29 March 2026).

The 29th round received 644 entries and selected 21 artists; its deadline was 31 August 2025. Details of the 30th call had not been published on the foundation's site at the time of writing.