Winners of the 2026 Kokuyo Design Awards (spoon-tamago.com)

Japan’s Kokuyo Design Awards 2026 named Hiroki Kannari’s “Before Note” as Grand Prix, a customizable “pre-notebook” concept positioned between mass production and personalization. Other merit winners include Takashi Higashide’s “Gram” pen series focused on subtle weight changes, and Yuji Tsukamoto’s “Notebooks Identified by Edges,” which uses colored edges for quick organization while minimizing ink use. The article also lists several finalists spanning innovative notebook layouts, writing aids, and packaging ideas.