The Next Generation Bamboo Art Prizes

Congratulations to the first three winners of The Next Generation Bamboo Art Prizes!

Nakatomi Hajime

Coffland Grand Prize

Kondo Masayo

Excellence in Tradition Prize

Watanabe Chiaki

Excellence in Sculpture Prize

We look forward accepting new submissions in 2026. 

The following artists have been selected as finalists for the first Next Generation Bamboo Art Prizes.

Endo Gen / 遠藤元

Goto Akinori / 後藤哲律

Honma Koichi / 本間浩一

Kizaki Kazutoshi / 木﨑和寿

Kondo Masayo / 近藤雅代

Nakatomi Hajime / 中臣一

Watanabe Chiaki / 渡辺千明

The winners of the Coffland Grand Prize,  Excellence in Tradition Prize and Excellence in Sculpture Prize will be announced on May 11, 2024 at the Beppu City Traditional Bamboo Crafts Center.

The organizers of The Next Generation Bamboo Art Prizes, Robert Coffland and Margo Thoma, want to ensure a bright future for Japanese Bamboo Art. By organizing a competition, we hope to increase awareness of the art form, gather together those who are passionate about bamboo art, and provide monetary support for young and mid-career artists in the form of a prize.

·         The winner of the Coffland Grand Prize will receive $25,000 USD.

·         The winner of the Excellence in Tradition Prize will receive $5,000 USD.

·         The winner of the Excellence in Sculpture Prize will receive $5,000 USD.

All participants must

·         be under the age of 55 years old (as of March 1, 2024)

·         have an artistic career of no longer than 25 years

·         be a citizen of Japan

·         be the primary creator of all work submitted

·         be able to travel to Oita for the final judging if selected as a finalist

To apply, participants must fill out an application and submit photos of two to three artworks. 

The works submitted

·         must be an original artwork

·         must be made within the past two years (as of March 1, 2024)

·         must be less than 2.75m in length + circumference when packed for international transport

·         may incorporate other materials, but the primary medium should be bamboo

·         may have been previously exhibited, published, or submitted to other competitions

·         must be available to be judged in person and potentially exhibited outside of Japan following the announcement of the prizewinners

Deadline for submissions is March 1, 2024.

A panel of three judges will select a slate of finalists based on a blind judging of photos. The judges are experts in Japanese bamboo art: Monika Bincsik, Diane and Arthur Abbey Curator for Japanese Decorative Arts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York;  Melissa Rinne, senior specialist at the Kyoto National Museum; and Yuki Morishima, associate curator of Japanese art at the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco.

The finalists will be announced by April 1, 2024. Finalists must send the three works they submitted to the Beppu City Traditional Bamboo Crafts Center in Oita Prefecture for in-person judging to arrive May 8-9, 2024 at their own expense. The works will be exhibited there May 11 - May 26, 2024. The organizers will pay to return the works after the exhibition.

Artists chosen as finalists who live outside of Oita Prefecture will be provided with a stipend for travel up to ¥50,000.

Winners will be announced at an event on May 11, 2024. All finalists are expected to be present for this announcement.

The artwork of the winners of the Coffland Grand Prize, Excellence in Tradition Prize, and Excellence in Sculpture Prize must be available for display at a later event at an American museum.  The winner of the Coffland Prize must be available to travel to this event. Travel expenses would be paid for by the organizers.  

Interested bamboo artists may apply by:

1.  completing the online form below 

2.  downloading and submitting the PDF application linked below to bambooartprize@gmail.com

3.  requesting an application by emailing bambooartprize@gmail.com