Suntory Holdings Limited 47th Suntory Regional Culture Award Winners Announced

[Suntory Holdings Limited] 47th Suntory Regional Culture Award Winners Announced ​ Suntory Holdings Limited Press Release: September 11, 2025 To Members of the Media 47th Suntory Regional Culture Award Recipients Announced The Suntory Foundation (Chairman: Shingo Torii), a public interest incorporated foundation, has decided to present the 47th Suntory Prize for Community Culture to the five organizations listed below. This award recognizes organizations and individuals who have contributed to the development of community culture. As a general rule, five awards are given each year. The winner will receive a plaque as the main prize and a prize of 3 million yen. Since the award’s inception in 1979, 250 awards have been presented, including this year’s winners, spanning every prefecture in Japan. The award ceremony is scheduled to be held in Osaka City on Monday, October 20th. *In 2011, two “Special Awards” were awarded to works selected from previous winners, so two duplicate awards have been excluded. ◎The winners are as follows. Kitakami City, Iwate Prefecture: “Kitakami Muse Chorus” As a “local club activity” that transcends the boundaries of schools and grades, we spread our singing voices far and wide. Representative: Kitakami Muse Chorus President, Yuko Chida Yuko) Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture – Gojinjo Daiko Preservation Society Preserving local performing arts that are deeply rooted in the community and continue to be a source of pride and hope for the residents Representative: Hiroyuki Tsuchiya, Secretary General of the Gojinjo Taiko Preservation Society
“BOOKUOKA,” Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture A book festival that conveys the charm of books through a variety of events set in the city. Representative: Minoru Ooi, Executive Committee Chairman, BOOKUOKA Executive Committee Amakusa City, Kumamoto Prefecture – “Collegio no Nakama” Communicating the sounds and history of the era when Nanban culture flourished through the performance of period instruments to the local and international audiences Representative: Collegio no Nakama Representative, Ms. Fumiyo Matsumura Oita City, Oita Prefecture: “Oita Area Cleaning and Sorting Promotion Sports Day” Connecting local daily life with art through a toilet cleaning performance on the 10th of every month Representative: Chikage Yasaka, Chairman of the Oita Area Cleaning and Sorting Promotion Athletic Association ◎For a summary of the selection comments and the winners’ activities, please see the URL below.
https://www.suntory.co.jp/news/article/14891-2.html

◎Selection Process This award is given to organizations and individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the enhancement of local culture through any cultural activity, including art, literature, preservation and inheritance of traditions, cultural creation in the areas of food, clothing, and shelter, environmental beautification, and international exchange. To fully respect the opinions and evaluations of the local community, nominations were received from newspapers across the country and NHK. After a written review of the nominated candidates, on-site inspections were conducted. The winners were carefully selected based on criteria such as the track record of the activities, their uniqueness, their impact on the enhancement of local culture, and their potential for continuity and future development. ◎Selection committee member Mr. Jun Iio (Professor, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies) Michifumi Isoda (Professor, International Research Center for Japanese Studies) Sachiko Okimoto (Professor, University of Tokyo) Kumiko Hashi (Non-fiction author) Itsuki Natsui (Haiku Poet) Takashi Mikuriya (Professor Emeritus, University of Tokyo) ◎About the Suntory Foundation The Suntory Foundation was established in Osaka in February 1979 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Suntory’s founding. Its purpose is to contribute to the development of academic research, the promotion of cultural activities, and the advancement of international understanding in response to the globalization and information age. Home page https://www.suntory.co.jp/sfnd/ End *This email was sent automatically, so please do not reply.