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Japanese Stationery Store Awards 2025: Full Winners List & Highlights
Every year, stationery enthusiasts and professionals eagerly await the results of the Japanese Stationery Store Awards, a prestigious event that celebrates the most innovative, beautifully designed, and functional stationery products released in Japan. The 2025 edition, marking its 13th year, once again showcased the creativity and craftsmanship that make the Japanese stationery world-renowned.
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What Is the Japanese Stationery Store Award?
The Japanese Stationery Store Award (文房具屋さん大賞, Bunbougu-ya san Taishou) is a major annual contest established in 2012. It honors the previous year's most popular and innovative stationery products based on votes and evaluations by a diverse jury panel. This panel includes stationery store owners, staff, bloggers, influencers, and enthusiasts from across Japan, blending expert insight with consumer preferences. The award is highly respected in the industry and serves as a trusted guide for consumers and a mark of excellence for brands.
The award structure consists of:
- Grand Prize (The highest honor)
- Three special awards: Design Award, Functionality Award, and Idea Award
- Multiple Category Awards recognizing excellence across various stationery types
- Judges' Special Awards selected by participating stores
This comprehensive format celebrates innovation, aesthetics, and practicality across the stationery spectrum, making it a key trendsetter in the market.
Major Awards of 2025
Grand Prize: Pilot KIRE‑NA Highlighter
Featuring a guide tip with an ink sponge, this highlighter allows users to draw clean, straight lines effortlessly. Its unique design includes a flat plate on the grip for thumb support, stabilizing the pen angle and reducing ink pooling — a true innovation in highlighting tools.
Design Award: Luddite THE POST Sustainable Leather Bendy Pen Case
This pen case combines sustainability with elegant design, crafted from eco-friendly leather that bends flexibly to accommodate various pen sizes while maintaining style and durability.
Functionality Award: Uni Jetstream Lite Touch Ink Ballpoint Pen
Celebrated for its smooth writing experience and lightweight feel, this pen offers excellent ink flow with minimal pressure, making it ideal for long writing sessions.
Idea Award: King Jim HITOTOKI Kori Jirushi Ice Stamp
Inspired by the appearance of ice cubes, these transparent stamps allow precise placement and add a fun, functional twist to stamping. Their innovative design has captured the imagination of stationery lovers.
Category Awards
Ballpoint Pen Award: Zebra bLen U Ballpoint Pen
The Zebra bLen U features vibration-reducing technology that ensures smooth, stable writing with less hand fatigue. Its low center of gravity and bold oil-based ink make it ideal for long writing sessions, combining comfort and precision in a sleek design.
Mechanical Pencil Award: Uni Kuru Toga Metal Mechanical Pencils
Uni Kuru Toga Metal pencils use a rotating lead mechanism to keep the tip sharp and consistent, preventing uneven lines. The durable metal body offers excellent balance and a premium feel, perfect for detailed writing and drawing.
Multi-Function Pen Award: Uni Jetstream 4&1 (Lite Touch Ink)
This versatile pen combines four ink colors and a mechanical pencil, featuring smooth Jetstream ink that requires minimal pressure. Its lightweight design and multi-functionality make it perfect for users who need quick access to multiple writing tools.
Fountain Pen Award: Sailor TUZU Adjust Fountain Pen
The Sailor TUZU Adjust offers an adjustable nib for customizable writing angles and line widths. Its elegant design and smooth ink flow provide a personalized and enjoyable writing experience for both beginners and enthusiasts.
Color Pen Award: Sun-Star Decot 3 Marker
Sun-Star Decot 3 Markers deliver vibrant colors with a fine tip, ideal for detailed artwork and layering. Quick-drying and smudge-resistant, they are perfect for creative projects and colorful note-taking.
Eraser Award: Seed Sakura Wood Radar
This eraser combines gentle yet effective erasing with a classic wood casing for easy grip. It removes pencil marks cleanly without damaging paper, making it a reliable choice for artists and students.
Pencil Case Award: Sun-Star UFO Pen Case
The UFO Pen Case features an expandable design inspired by flying saucers, offering ample storage in a compact form. Its sturdy build and sleek look make it both practical and stylish for everyday use.
Desktop Storage Award: Raymay Memory Tray
Raymay Memory Tray is a minimalist organizer with multiple compartments to keep your desk tidy. Its clean design fits any workspace, helping users maintain order and focus.
Pouch & Bag Award: LIHIT LAB Myfa Decoration Box Pouch
This colorful pouch combines playful aesthetics with practical compartments, perfect for storing stationery or personal items on the go. Its durable construction ensures long-lasting use.
File Award: PLUS Ito/oshi
The PLUS Ito/oshi file offers durable, easy-to-use document storage with a smooth opening mechanism. Its sleek design suits both office and home environments.
Sticky Notes Award: Daigo To-Do Sticky Notes Film
These sticky notes feature a film-like texture for smooth writing and easy repositioning without residue. Their translucent design blends subtly with documents, ideal for planners and reminders.
Letter Award: Midori Flower Washi Ippitsusen
Midori’s letter set uses delicate floral washi paper to add elegance to personal correspondence. The high-quality paper is perfect for fountain pens and special messages.
Card Award: Ryu-Ryu Transparent Card
Ryu-Ryu’s transparent cards offer a modern, see-through design that adds sophistication to greetings. Durable and unique, they make memorable keepsakes.
Memo Award: Maruman Kurutto Ring
This compact ring-bound memo pad is easy to flip through and perfect for quick notes. Its sturdy cover and quality paper make it a handy everyday companion.
Notebook Award: Daigo Tea & Reading Time Notebook
Designed for journaling and note-taking, this notebook features thoughtful layouts and smooth paper. It’s ideal for readers and writers who appreciate both function and style.
Stamp Award: Sun-Star Pyokkori Stamp
The Pyokkori Stamp offers cute and clear impressions, adding fun to planners and letters. Its easy-to-use design makes stamping a delightful activity.
Diary Award: Mark’s Life Log Weekly Planner Block
This planner features a clean weekly layout for organized scheduling and lifelogging. It's a quality paper and simple design supports productivity and mindfulness.
Masking Tape Award: mt Upcycle Tape
Made from upcycled materials, this eco-friendly masking tape combines sustainability with attractive patterns. It’s perfect for decorating and crafting.
Seal (Sticker) Award: Sun-Star Palettone Sticker
Inspired by artist palettes, these vibrant stickers add color and creativity to notebooks and letters. Their strong adhesive ensures lasting decoration.
Clip Award: Sun-Star Terrasuno Glowing Clip
This clip securely holds papers and glows in the dark, making it easy to find in low light. It’s both practical and fun for office or school use.
Scissors Award: Kutsuwa Cap-Integrated Kid Scissors
Designed for safety, these kid scissors feature an integrated protective cap and easy-to-use blades. They’re perfect for children’s crafting and school projects.
Cutter Award: Sun-Star AKELKEY 2WAY Opener
A compact, multifunctional cutter with two cutting modes, the AKELKEY offers precision and safety. Its ergonomic design makes it ideal for everyday use.
Judges' Special Awards
Apart from the main prizes, several special awards were given by participating stores recognizing unique and practical stationery items:
- Ishimaru Bunkoudou Award: Lion Hanisakku vol.3 Haniwa-shaped Finger Cots — charming finger protectors inspired by ancient Japanese clay figures.
- Office Vendor Award: Midori Calendar Template — a brass template designed for bullet journal enthusiasts to create neat and consistent calendar layouts.
- Kumazawa Bookstore Award: Nakabayashi Manual Pencil Sharpener — a versatile hand-crank sharpener accommodating various pencil sizes with adjustable sharpness settings.
Why the Japanese Stationery Store Award Matters
This award is more than just a competition; it is a reflection of both consumer and retailer preferences in Japan's vibrant stationery culture. For consumers, it serves as a reliable buying guide to discover high-quality, innovative products. For manufacturers, winning the award boosts product credibility and brand visibility, often leading to increased sales and international recognition.
The award's unique blend of professional and consumer perspectives ensures that winning products are not only well-designed but also genuinely useful and beloved by everyday users. This makes the Japanese Stationery Store Award a key indicator of current and emerging trends in the stationery world.
Final Thoughts
The Japanese Stationery Store Awards 2025 have once again highlighted the ingenuity and dedication of Japanese stationery makers. From the Pilot KIRE-NA Highlighter’s precision to the playful innovation of King Jim’s Ice Stamp, these winners showcase the best in design, function, and creativity.
Whether you are a student, professional, artist, or stationery collector, the 2025 winners offer inspiration and practical tools that elevate the everyday writing and organizing experience. Keep an eye on these products—they represent the cutting edge of stationery innovation and are sure to delight users worldwide.
Stay tuned for more updates and detailed reviews of these award-winning products as they become available globally.