Excellent works will have a chance to be commercialized! Urawa University's "The 9th Toy Contest" will start accepting entries on July 1.

Urawa University (located in Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture) will begin accepting entries for the 9th Toy Contest for high school students nationwide on Tuesday, July 1, 2025.

This contest is also an ideal theme for the exploration study introduced in high schools from 2022, and high school students nationwide are invited to submit "toys for children" and prizes will be awarded to the best entries. The contest has been held since FY2017 as the University has the School of Children's Studies.

Detailed URL: https://www.urawa.ac.jp/urawa-info/sonota/11362

The 9th Toy Contest

Background

In high school education, "inquiry-based learning" will be compulsory from 2022, and each student is expected to find his/her own issues and deepen his/her learning independently. In reality, however, many students say that they do not know what kind of theme to choose, or that they want to experience learning that is connected to society.

This contest emphasizes practical education and research in the fields of childcare and early childhood education, and provides an opportunity for high school students to think about their relationship with children and society.

Urawa University has been holding the Toy Contest since FY2017, taking advantage of its unique feature of having a Faculty of Children's Studies, which is rare in Japan.

High school students compete for originality and ingenuity by devising and creating their own toys that can be played with by children aged 1-3 years old. Every year, we receive many entries that incorporate perspectives from childcare and early childhood education, such as child development, safety, and the importance of learning through play.

With the support of Saitama Prefecture, Saitama City, and Saitama Rapid Transit Railway Co., Ltd. we have also contributed to the local community through industry-academia-government collaboration by commercializing outstanding works and utilizing prefectural timber.

This year, the 9th contest, we expect to receive more diverse ideas and creative works than ever before. Another major attraction of the contest is that high school students can look back on their own childhood and make new discoveries through dialogue with their children and families.

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Features

Ideal as a theme for inquiry-based learning

This contest is ideal as an "exploratory learning" theme for high school students. Through toy making, students can experience the entire process from research, prototyping, and presentation, setting issues from various perspectives, such as children's development, safety, material selection, and the meaning of play. We also place importance on communication with families, such as discussing childhood memories with parents and grandparents through the creation of artwork.

Support System by Specialized Faculty

Urawa University dispatches teachers in charge of the toy contest to high schools that wish to participate, providing advice and workshops from a professional perspective in childcare and early childhood education. Urawa University provides practical support to high school students and teachers who are unable to find a theme for their exploratory study or who need hints on toy making. Teachers can be dispatched on a school-by-school basis, and online support is also available. We are creating an environment in which more high school students can learn independently and exercise their creativity.

Contribution to society and the possibility of commercialization

The best entries will have a chance to be commercialized. In the past, award-winning works have been commercialized in cooperation with companies and local organizations, providing a valuable opportunity for high school students' ideas to spread throughout society. In particular, through the development of toys that utilize prefectural timber, the program contributes to the effective utilization of local resources and the promotion of local production for local consumption. Furthermore, by further strengthening industry-academia-government collaboration, in cooperation with local businesses and municipalities, we are providing new value to children, their families, and local communities as a whole, thereby contributing to the creation of a sustainable society.

■ Event Outline

Application period: Tuesday, July 1, 2025 - Wednesday, September 24, 2025 (must arrive by the closing date)

How to apply: Please obtain an application form from the Urawa University website,

　　　　　 Please send it as an email attachment or by postal mail.

　　　　　 You do not need to send your work at the time of application.

　　　　　 The copyright of the submitted work belongs to Gakko-Gakuen Kuri Gakuen.

　　　　　 *Any entries received after the deadline will be considered invalid.

　　　　　 <High School

　　　　　 If there is more than one entrant, please send them all together by mail or as an email attachment*.

　　　　　 If you have more than one applicant, please send them all together by mail or as an email attachment*.

　　　　　 ＜Individuals

　　　　　 Please send by mail or as an email attachment.

Entry details: Create a toy that can be played with safely by children aged 1 to 6 years old, and send a photo of the toy (maximum of 3 photos),

　　　　　 A photo of the toy (up to 3 photos), a description of the toy, and points of ingenuity,

　　　　　 The size of the toy should be roughly 150mm (3.5" x 3.5").

　　　　　 The size of the toy must fit into a 150-size box (the sum of the three sides must not exceed 150 cm).

　　　　　 The size of the toy must fit into a box of approximately 150 cm (total of the three sides must not exceed 150 cm).

　　　　　 There will be a general category and a woodworking category, each of which will be awarded a prize.

Entry requirements: Students enrolled in high school

URL : https://www.urawa.ac.jp/urawa-info/sonota/11362

Urawa University - Nurturing the Ability to Support People - Urawa University - Urawa University

Since its inception, Urawa University has emphasized practical education and moral education based on the philosophy of "cultivating virtue through practical learning. Based on a broad range of liberal arts, Urawa University strives to nurture individuals with the practical ability to contribute to the local community in the areas of childcare, early childhood education, elementary education, and social welfare in a professional capacity, while nurturing a rich humanity.

Name of corporation: Kuri Gakuen Educational Corporation

Name of University: Urawa University

Location: 3551 Osaki, Midori-ku, Saitama-shi, Saitama 336-0974

　　　　　　　　　 15 minutes by school bus from JR Higashi-Kawaguchi Station.

　　　　　　　　　 　5 minutes by school bus from "Urawa Misono Station" of Saitama Rapid Transit.

President: Yu Hisada

Establishment: 1946

Faculty of Children's Studies (Department of Children's Studies, Department of School Education), Department of Sociology (Department of General Welfare), and Department of Social Studies (Department of Social Work).

　　　　　　　　　Department of Sociology (Comprehensive Welfare, Contemporary Society)

Website: https://www.urawa.ac.jp/

For inquiries regarding this matter, please contact

Urawa University, Faculty of Children's Studies

Official WEB site: https://www.urawa.ac.jp/urawa-info/sonota/11362