[Closed] BabyTech Award Japan 2019 Call for Entries page

Update May 15, 2019: Applications are no longer being accepted.
UPDATED MAY 8, 2019: REVISED PDF DESCRIBING THE AWARDS CEREMONY ON DAY 1 AND STAGE EVENTS ON DAY 2 OF THE AWARDS; UPDATED JUDGES.
Update April 24, 2019: The day of the week for the awards ceremony was incorrectly corrected.
UPDATED APRIL 16, 2019: SOME CORRECTIONS WERE MADE TO THE EVENT OUTLINE AND ENTRY GUIDELINES DOCUMENT PDF AND THE APPLICATION GUIDELINES ON THIS PAGE.
UPDATED APRIL 12, 2019: PDF OF THE EVENT OUTLINE AND ENTRY GUIDELINES DOCUMENT AND PDF OF THE APPLICATION FORM ARE NOW AVAILABLE. CORRECTED WORDING, ETC.

Japan's first awards for baby tech products will be held

Baby tech refers to products and services that use IoT and ICT technologies to make childcare safer, more secure and more efficient, and has been expanding in Europe and the USA in recent years.
In Japan, too, the use of baby tech has begun, based on its usefulness for child and employee management and health management at childcare facilities, and this is an area that is likely to attract increasing interest in the future.

Papa Smile Inc., the operator of Japan's only baby tech media "BabyTech.jp", will hold "BabyTech Award Japan 2019", the first event in Japan to award domestic baby tech products and services. We will aim to raise awareness of this field, expand the market, and increase the number of new players entering the market.

This award is to introduce the market of baby tech and to showcase the best products!

WE ARE HOLDING THIS EVENT TO RAISE AWARENESS OF BABYTECH AMONG ALL PEOPLE INVOLVED IN CHILDCARE, INCLUDING ORGANIZATIONS AND COMPANIES THAT DEVELOP AND PROVIDE ICT SERVICES AND PRODUCTS FOR CHILDCARE, PARENTS WHO USE THESE SERVICES, CHILDCARE PROVIDERS, AND CHILDCARE BUSINESSES.

We hope that the widespread use of BabyTech will reduce the mental and physical burdens of those who watch over children, further ensure safety and security through the use of people and systems, and create an environment where more care can be given to children, so that they can grow up in a better environment.

Targeted products and services are free of charge for any product whose users are not only children (newborns, infants, toddlers (preschoolers)) and their parents, but also pre-pregnant, pregnant and post-pregnant women, their partners and families.

Entry Method

FAX/mail/email: Please download the following event outline, entry guideline documents, and application form, and apply in the manner described in the documents.

DOWNLOAD THE EVENT OUTLINE AND ENTRY REQUIREMENTS DOCUMENT (PDF:18MB)

DOWNLOAD THE ENTRY APPLICATION FORM (PDF:61KB)

Web site: Please check the following requirements and apply by clicking the application button at the bottom of the page.

Exhibition Outline

Entries accepted: 15 March - 14 May 2019, 24:00
Selection panel and decision on winners: late May 2019
Announcement of winners: 28 May 2019 (Tuesday)
Award ceremony and presentation of winners: 7 June 2019 (Friday) at a special venue in the Childcare Expo 2019 http://www.hoikuhaku.com/

Judging Section

Six divisions and the main applicable products and services of each division

'Feeding and eating'... feeding and feeding records, smart feeding bottles, etc.
Learning and play... learning toys, smart plush toys, smart building blocks, etc.
Safety... SIDS measures, hazard monitoring systems, location-based information, dispatch of sitters, etc.
Pregnancy... smart basal thermometers, body rhythm records, smart mother-child notebooks, etc.
Health management... health condition records, hydration, excretion management, dispatch of paediatricians, care for sick children, etc.
Facility management systems... personnel management systems for childcare workers, communication systems between facilities and parents, etc.

Products and services to be reviewed

The survey covered prospective mothers, pregnant and nursing mothers, postpartum mothers, newborns (0-28 days old), infants (less than 1 year old), toddlers (preschool age), parents and relatives of infants and toddlers, caregivers of institutional groups, and facility operators.

a. Equipment and devices that operate stand-alone or work in conjunction with smartphones, PCs and other devices.
b.Various applications for smartphones, PCs, etc.
c. Services using ICT technologies, such as websites.

Award Structure

One grand prize winner and two finalists will be selected in each category.

Development after receiving the award

Use of the BabyTech Award Japan 2019 award mark
Presentation of certificates and trophies
Press release announcement and media introduction of the award-winning products
Award ceremony at the Childcare Expo 2019
Presentation of award winners at the Childcare Expo 2019
Exhibition and demonstration of award-winning products and services at the Childcare Expo 2019
Coverage of each award-winning product on Babytech.jp
Jury for the BabyTech DIY Hackathon to be held later in the autumn (to be coordinated)
Introduction of award-winning products at the Babytech.jp exhibition at CES2020 (to be coordinated).

examiner

Judging panel member
　Mr Masataka Kikuchi (Chairman of Kikuchi Gakuen School Corporation, Shizuoka Daiichi Television)
　Mr Makoto Ukai (Producer, Marketing Division, Asahi Shimbun)
　Maiko Hikosaka (Founder of the Childcare Tech Committee, Karada Note Co.)
　Ken Taka Yumoto (CTO, Papa Smile Co., Ltd., Editor-in-Chief of babytech.jp)

Chairman of the Jury
　Tetsuya Nagata President, Papasmile Inc.

Judging criteria

1. problem statement and solution
2. novelty, originality
3. functionality and ease of use
4. future potential

examination fee

free

Judging and Presentation Schedule

1) Sequentially from 20 March: acceptance email sent.
The BabyTechAwardJapan2019 Secretariat will send you an email accepting your application.

By mid-April: additional jury members, etc. to be announced.
The jury members, etc., who are currently being coordinated, will be announced on this page by mid-April.

3) 28 May: official announcement of BabyTech Award Japan 2019 award-winning products
The award-winning products will be officially announced via the Babytech.jp website, the Papa Smile website, news releases, social networking accounts and media partners.

On June 7, an award ceremony will be held on a special stage at the Childcare Expo 2019, and a demonstration event of products and services by award-winning companies will be held in a seminar room at the same venue.

Application Rules

For device equipment

Regardless of the launch date, the product must be in marketable condition as a product in Japan as of 1 June 2019, and the name and product can be announced in the announcement of the award on 24 May 2019. (Corrected 16 Apr)
*Products that are not yet on the market at the time of application can still be entered if they meet the above requirements.
*If the device is a test unit under development, it may not be considered unless the same performance as the actual product can be confirmed.
Imported products must be localised for the Japanese market by the importer's Japanese subsidiary or by a company or organisation that has concluded a sole agency, sole distributor or licence agreement with the importer. Imported products without a sole agency or sole distributor agreement are not eligible.

For application services

Regardless of the release date, as of 1 June 2019, the application or service has been released (e.g. published on the web, published in an application store, etc.) for use by customers in Japan, and the name and service can be made public in the award-winning service announcement on 28 May 2019. The name and service can be made public in the announcement of the award-winning service on 28 May 2019. (Corrected 16 Apr)
*Even beta versions are eligible as long as they have been released for use by customers.
*Applications and services that have not yet been released or announced at the time of application can be submitted as a work-in-progress version if they meet the above requirements. (Corrected 16 Apr)
*If the application is unreleased or unpublished at the time of application, it may not be considered unless the performance and content can be confirmed to be equivalent to the application or service for which the version under development has been released. However, functions have been removed for a reason, etc. (Corrected 16 Apr)

Rules for Applicants

Applicants must be the business entity (developer/manufacturer, owner or operating entity) or a company or organisation commissioned by the business entity to which the application is submitted. In the case of commissioned companies and organisations, the consent of the business entity is mandatory.
Applications from individuals, organisations, municipalities, schools, kindergartens, nurseries, medical institutions, research institutions, etc. are also eligible.

entry

FAX/mail/email: Please download the following event outline, entry guideline documents, and application form, and apply in the manner described in the documents.

Download the BabyTech Award 2019 event outline and entry requirements document (PDF:18MB)

Download the BabyTech Award 2019 Entry Application Form (PDF:61KB)

Website: please apply using the application button below.

Apply for the BabyTech Award 2019