Japan is the land of origami, the land of great kirigami masters and respected brands dedicated to the production of notebooks, diaries, pens, markers and other desktop tools suitable for both offices and studios. mangakasSo it’s no surprise that all things stationery are elevated to a higher level there. In Japan, paper and pencil are not a tool but an end.

Therefore, it is not surprising if there is a place in the world where a major stationery championship is held, a fair that is the “Oscar” of the industry, and awards sold like the World Pencil Cup. , this is Japan.

Japanese Stationery Awards. Football has the World Cup, cinema has the Oscars, the music industry has the Grammys, writers have the Nobel, architects have the Pritzker, so… Why shouldn’t stationery have such big awards? A few days ago, the TikTok account of Bungustore, which has nearly 600,000 followers and is an expert in the industry, reiterated the winners of this year’s Japanese stationery awards, “Japanese Stationery Awards 2024”.

He notes that the awards are for four products, one of which is the industry’s “big award.” Of course, these are all objects you can use at your next business meeting, making a cartoon, or taking an exam.

And the winner is… According to Bungustore, at least this year’s “Japanese Stationery Awards” won two different types of pens, a notebook, and the odd paperclip.

The grand prize was won by Mattehop pens belonging to the Pentel brand, a historical company headquartered in Tokyo that distributes materials worldwide. Of these, the top of the “Japan Stationery Awards” podium is topped by a single-ball P pen marketed by Mitsubishi Pencil Company; Campus Plain Kimochii Notebooks; and some interesting Unkammuri clips.

“Colors are inspired by food”. If the list is compelling, so are the qualities that stand out in each of the winners. Bungu, a uni-ball pen, highlights its designs with “beautiful colors inspired by foods like grapes, oranges and bananas.” In reality, the awards cover many categories, and the focus is not on the same qualities in each case: One is dedicated to best design, another to functionality, and the “idea award” or concept.

The 85 Rue Tranquille website includes more details, including that this year’s winners were announced in mid-February and that the most popular stationery stores in Japan usually participate in the selection process. According to the information obtained, nearly 1,600 articles were selected in various categories this year.

Click on the image to go to the tweet.

“The Oscars of Stationery”. Great prizes, great fairs. Japan hosts ISOT, an international trade fair for stationery and office supplies that is often presented as the largest event in the country and the most important in Asia. There are also those who go even further and call it the “Oscar of the stationery industry”. At least in recent years, the “Stationery of the Year” award has been held here, which the event organization claims is “the most valuable award in the industry.”

For example, in 2023, when the 32nd edition was held, the grand prize was given to Mitsushi Pencil’s sustainable mechanical pencil spare parts. An adhesive tape stood out in the functionality category, while some small colorful notes printed with specially designed grids for kanji stood out in the design category. At least most of the products the website highlights as “award-winning” in its 2023 edition come from Japanese manufacturers.

What are the awards for? İSOT presents its awards as “selected stationery products” as the “most valuable award of the industry”. It ensures that the winners are selected by a special committee of product designers and magazine editors. The website features, for example, design director and university professor Kazuo Kawasaki or editor Norihito Yasuda. TELL ME. Pens, pencils, folders, diaries, notepads, staplers, pencil cases, rulers… and every imaginable stationery are available at their disposal.

“Award winners will be featured in major Japanese television programs, magazines, newspapers and websites to attract the attention of industry professionals and the public,” ISOT said, reminding that winners have the right to wear the seal that accredits them as such. An award ceremony was held in 2023 and the awarded products were exhibited for several days. It was announced on the Lifestyle Week website that ISOT Tokyo, currently in its 35th edition, will be held in early July this year.

Appreciate good stationery. Although it is difficult to compete with the Japanese stationery tradition, it is not the only Asian country that hosts major fairs for the sector. The London Stationery Fair is held every year in the United Kingdom, where awards are given in different categories and each company can compete with the maximum number of products. Its aim, as ISOT claims, is to “celebrate the best and newest products in the stationery industry”.

Finalists will be announced at the fair and winners will be announced in mid-May. After all… Who said pencils, notebooks, notepads, and markers are just tools for making art? Why can’t they be art themselves… and good art worthy of a prize?

Image | Camille San Vicente (Unsplash)

in Xataka | These were the tests of the last Excel world championship (yes, that’s what it sounds like)