Katsumi ASABA <Graphic Designer>

Aomi OKABE <Art Critic>

Michiko KASAHARA <Photo Critic>

Aki KUSUMOTO <Critic, Curator>

Tokihiro SATO <Photographer>

Kazuyoshi NOMACHI <Photographer>

Keiichiro HIRANO <Novelist>

Hiroshi YAMAZAKI <Photographer>

Purpose

With the idea of contributing to and fostering photographic culture as well as raising the cultural consciousness of Higashikawa residents, starting this year, 1985, we will annually be awarding prizes accompanied by monetary gifts to the photographer for his / her works.

Award

The Overseas Photographer Award *1,000,000 yen to a overseas photographer The Domestic Photographer Award *1,000,000 yen to a Japanese photographer The New Photographer Award *500,000 yen to a Japanese photographer The Special Photographer Award *500,000 yen to a photographer from Hokkaido The Hidano Kazuemon Award *500,000 yen to a photographer who contributed to society through photography

Conditions

The Overseas Photographer Award is presented to a photographer in a specific country or region chosen each year.  He / She must be either living or born in that country or region. The Domestic and the New Photographer Awards are presented to photographers whose work has been taken within the past three years that has significance either in the history of photography or as some unique expression of the art of photography. The Special Photographer Award is presented to a photographer living or born in Hokkaido or whose theme and / or object concerns this island. The Hidano Kazuemon Award is presented to a photographer in acknowledgement of his longtime contributions in taking photographs of local people, nature and culture. (The prize is open to both professional and amateur photographers.)Of all the prizes, no specific restrictions are applied concerning the year it was taken for the Overseas Photographer Prize, the Special Photographer Prize and the Hidano Kazuemon Prize.

Selection

The works selected by nominators charged by the executive committee are judged by the Jury Committee of the Higashikawa Award. The awards ceremony is held each year during the period of the Photo Fiesta in Higashikawa Town and is accompanied by commemorative symposiums and other events.

Other Stipulations

The monetary gift presented with the Higashikawa Awards is meant to purchase the original prints of the awarded photographs. Each awardee is requested to voluntarily submit original print(s) of his / her choice from among the awarded works to the residents of Higashikawa town. The residents of the town shall be responsible for storing the photographs with care and for exhibiting them to visitors to Higashikawa, the Town of Photography. These awarded photographs are exhibited at the Higashikawa Photography Museum in order to contribute to promoting a friendship and cultural development of the Town of Higashikawa.We may present other awards to the photographs of outstanding works in order to contribute to photographic culture as well as to development of the Higashikawa Awards. For this reason, awards from other committees and sponsors are negotiable.