November 20, Tokyo: The Awards Ceremony for the 52nd edition of the Japan Prize was held on the final day of the Japan Prize Festival in Tokyo. The Japan Prize is an international competition that is organized by NHK and it recognizes outstanding works that expand the possibilities of education through media. The Grand Prix Japan Prize was selected and presented to the most outstanding work among the four winning works of each division. The winners of each division have been announced prior to the festival. Also announced at the Awards Ceremony this day were the two winners of the Proposal Pitch which is an initiative that supports the realization of ideas for educational programs in countries and regions with limited budgets and technical facilities. 
 

Grand Prix Japan Prize

The Brink of Dreams

Country / Region: Egypt, Francec
Entering Organization: THE PARTY FILM SALES
Production Organization(s): Felucca Films / Dolce Vita Films
Length: 52'00"
Genre: Documentary

In a remote village in southern Egypt, a group of girls rebel by forming an all-female street theater troupe. They dream of becoming actresses, dancers, and singers, challenging their families and villagers with their unexpected performances. Shot over four years, The Brink of Dreams follows them from childhood to womanhood, facing the most crucial choices of their lives.
 

Proposal Pitch

Award for the Best Proposal
Khaas: Different But Equal

Country / Region: India
Organization(s): Handimachal Therapy Centre
Presenter: Akshat Jain

This documentary follows a single mother raising her child with disabilities. She is helped by a small local NGO, Handimachal, which offers early therapy. Today, with little funding, she helps keep the center running, offering care to isolated villages. The story is told through the fierce, loving eyes of mothers, gently educating the viewers to replace stigma with empathy.


Award for Outstanding Proposal
Grandma's Wonder Lab

Country / Region: Brazil
Organization(s): OZ Audiovisual and Communication Production
Presenter: Radhi Meron

This animated series follows the daily adventures of Grandma Nana, a retired, world-traveling scientist, who transforms everyday household items into exciting experiments to satisfy the endless curiosity of her grandchildren. Each episode explores everyday moments in the children’s lives and transform them into scientific adventures. It aims to foster critical thinking and autonomy of children while strengthening intergenerational bonds.
 

The Winners in Each Division
Announced on Sep. 25th

Award for the Best Work in the Pre-school Division
Lena's Farm : Full Nest

Country / Region: Germany, Croatia
Entering Organization: Studio FILM BILDER
Production Organization(s): Studio FILM BILDER / MINYA Film / ZDF
Length: 5'40"
Genre: Animation

On Lena’s farm, a bunch of peculiar animals live together, and Lena loves each one just the same. In this episode, the squirrel’s nest is warmly padded for the cold winter with all kinds of goods that he managed to sneak out. But then a flood breaks out and forest animals flee to Lena’s farm. The squirrel would like to help them...


Award of Honor in the Pre-School Division
Tweedy & Fluff : Toy

Country / Region: United Kingdom
Entering Organization: Tweedy & Fluff
Production Organization(s): Tweedy & Fluff / Stitchy Feet Second Home studios
Length: 5'00"
Genre: Animation

Tweedy makes a special toy for Fluff, hoping to entertain and stimulate his pet’s natural instincts. But when a noisy fly distracts Fluff, Tweedy is very disappointed. He realizes that animals act on instinct and never intend to hurt our feelings. With patience, he discovers a more creative way to play with the sound of a bell.


Award for the Best Work in the Primary Division
Autokar

Country / Region: Belgium, Frane
Entering Organization: Miyu Distribution
Production Organization(s): Ozù Productions / Studio Amopix/ Vivi Film / Novanima
Length: 17'27"
Genre: Drama

In the 1990s, eight-year-old Agata leaves Poland for Belgium alone. Agata writes a letter to her father back home on the bus, but her pencil falls out and gets lost. The search for the pencil leads her into a fantastic world populated by strange half-human, half-animal passengers. Through her eyes, the reality of migration becomes an initiatory experience.

 

Special Prize

An excellent work that fosters empathy and understanding for children who are facing difficulties in various cultural and social backgrounds.

I AM INVISIBLE

Country / Region: Netherlands
Entering Organization: NTR
Production Organization(s): NTR
Length: 15'22"
Genre: Documentary

Children of today reflect on objects that Jewish children in the Netherlands left behind in the custody of friends or neighbors before they went into hiding or were deported to concentration camps. Marjan left her dollhouse with a non-Jewish friend. Nico gave his football table to his neighbor Cor. With stop-motion animation, the stories behind these objects come to life.
 

Jury Commendation

Although it was not selected as a winning work, the following title received high praise from the jurors and was specially selected as a ‘Jury Commendation’.

Another Body

Country / Region: United States
Entering Organization: Cinephil
Production Organization(s): WILLA Productions
Length: 60'00"
Genre: Documentary

This documentary follows Taylor, a college student who discovers deepfake porn videos of herself circulating online. She begins a determined search for the perpetrator. Through candid video diaries, synthetic media, and 2D/3D animation, the film draws viewers into Taylor’s online and offline worlds, turning the vast social issue of deepfakes and image-based abuse into a compelling personal story.
 

What is the Japan Prize?
The Japan Prize is an international competition dedicated to educational content. Since its establishment in 1965, the competition has continued to enhance the quality of educational content around the world and has contributed to the promotion of international understanding. This year marks its 52nd edition. This year’s competition received 373 entries and proposals from 58 countries and regions. The awards for each division and the Grand Prix were judged by 12 producers and media professionals representing 12 countries and regions. During the Japan Prize Festival week, screening of the award-winning works and the Jury Commendation work were held, followed by discussions with the winners of these works on the role of educational media.

Japan Prize Festival Site
All award-winning works, finalist works, and talk sessions are available for on-demand streaming to those who register until Dec.8th!
https://vcube.touchcast.com/showtime/jp-prize2025/join
https://www.nhk.or.jp/jp-prize/english/

For further information, please contact
Fumina Koike (koike.f-ge@nhk.or.jp)
International Media Relations
NHK