Requirements

Call for Entries

The Toyama Glass Art Museum has opened submissions for the Toyama International Glass Exhibition 2027. This exhibition is an international, open-submission triennial that showcases outstanding works of contemporary glass art from around the world that contribute to the advancement of glass art. We look forward to your submissions of works that are rich in creativity and open up new horizons in artistic expression.

Organizers

The Executive Committee of the Toyama International Glass Exhibition
Toyama City
Toyama Glass Art Museum

Requirements

  1. Works must be primarily composed of glass.
  2. No limitations are placed on genre or function of submitted works.
  3. Only works created since 2024 are eligible.
  4. Works that have already been submitted to other competitions will not be accepted.
  5. Number of works: Each applicant (individual or group) may submit up to two works.
  6. Submitting AI-generated works, without modification, as the applicant’s own is not permitted.
  7. The applicant must own the works submitted and the copyright to them.
  8. Works may not infringe on any third party rights, including intellectual property rights (copyrights, etc). The applicant must acquire permission from the intellectual property right holder(s) to use a logo, symbol, work of art, film, photograph, video, program, music, etc., in the work in question prior to submission. If a third party should claim infringement of the right and/or compensation, addressing it is the sole responsibility of the applicant. The organizers of this exhibition will not be liable.
  9. Size: The total width, depth and height of each work must not exceed 240 centimeters.
  10. For an installation, the floor area occupied by the work (including special fixtures, equipment, etc.) must be less than 9㎡. The height should be less than 3.3 meters.
  11. Weight: Total weight must be less than 100 kilograms (220 pounds).
  12. If the installation of the work requires special fixtures or equipment (lighting, projector, monitor, transformer, etc.), they must be already attached to or included in the work.
  13. Video works are limited to those in which glass plays the major role or performance pieces using glass. The length of the video must be no longer than five minutes.
  14. The work must not include animals, plants, fire or dangerous materials that have a risk of soiling or damaging the museum’s facilities or causing harm to others.
  15. Violations of public order and morals are not permitted.

Applicant Eligibility

Open to all, regardless of nationality, age, or any other factors.

Application Fee

None

To Submit an Entry

Apply from the official Toyama International Glass Exhibition website (https://toyama-glass.jp/english/) (“the website,” hereinafter). Proceed to the entry form, enter the required information, and submit the following materials:
For each work, please attach three digital images (JPEG format) and a concept drawing of the display (PDF format) of how it would be exhibited.
When submitting a video work, a video of the work must be provided in addition to the items above.

■Images(required)
The photographs of each work being submitted must be taken from different angles, and one of each set of three must show the work as a whole. The photographs must, moreover, be of the actual work being submitted.
The images must be in JPEG format, 2MB–10 MB, 300–350 dpi, about 2000 x 3000 pixels, and the long side should be about 20 cm.

*If your work is selected for the exhibition, mainly the first image you submitted, of the three images you submitted of it, will be used in the catalogue and related activities including press relations. When you save the digital image, please make sure that its orientation, the up-down and left-right directions, are correct. The Executive Committee of the Toyama International Glass Exhibition (the “Executive Committee” hereinafter) will not be held responsible if the work is shown incorrectly because it was saved with the incorrect orientation.
*For a video work, please attach images correctly representing the contents of the video. If the work is selected, only those images will be printed in the catalogue.

■Concept drawing of the display(required)
If other than the submitted work appears in the image, please clearly identify the submitted work in the image so that how it would be displayed is clear.
The concept drawing for the display must be in PDF format and be up to four pages in A4 or A3 format, 2MB or less, in a file with the .pdf extension. Do not compress the file or use security settings.


■Explanatory images
(required when submitting a video work)

Please upload your work on YouTube (video sharing site, www.youtube.com) with for “unlisted” use as the privacy setting, and please state that YouTube URL on the application form. Please make the video viewable and data-obtainable until Saturday, July 31, 2027.
For the volume of the data to be uploaded, please follow the restrictions on YouTube. The data format, however, must be mp4.

Application Period

Call for Applications Begins: 
Wednesday, July 1, 2026
Application Deadline:     
Wednesday, November 11, 2026

*As the deadline approaches, it may become difficult to access our website due to increased applicant traffic. Please submit your entry as early as possible.
Only applications received by the Secretariat Office of the Executive Committee (“the office” hereinafter) by 11:59 p.m. JST on the application deadline will be accepted.

Prizes Total value of supplementary prizes: JPY 5,200,000

Total value of
supplementary prizes: JPY 5,200,000

Grand PrizeJPY 3,000,000 (1 work)

Gold PrizeJPY 1,000,000 (1 work)

Silver PrizeJPY 300,000 (2 works)

Jury PrizeJPY 100,000 (6 works)

*Works receiving the Grand Prize or Gold Prize shall be donated to the Toyama Glass Art
Museum. Thus, the acceptance of each of these prizes will be confirmed upon the artist’s submitting the donation form after the second judging.
*The prize will be paid net of tax.

Judging Panel

Tami LANDIS Curator of Postwar and Contemporary Glass, Corning Museum of Glass (United States of America)
Uta KLOTZ Editor-in-chief, NEUES GLAS – NEW GLASS: art & architecture (Federal Republic Germany)
Aimee FRODSHAM Director of Canberra Glassworks (Australia)
Cho HYEYOUNG Independent curator; Honorary Chairperson, The Korea Association of Art and Design (Republic of Korea)
WASHIDA Meruro Director of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa; Associate Professor at Tokyo University of the Arts (Japan)
TSUCHIDA Ruriko Director of Toyama Glass Art Museum (Japan)

Judging

■First Judging
The first judging, the document screening, will be carried out on Wednesday January 20, 2027, to select fifty works for the exhibition.

■Second Judging
The jury will carry out the judging based on actual works in April, 2027, selecting the ten prizewinning works.

Announcement of results

■Results of the first judging:
The results of the first judging (works selected for the exhibition) will be announced on the website, and the artists whose works are selected will be informed.

■Results of the second judging:
The results of the second judging will be announced on the website in mid May, 2027, and the artists whose works have won prizes will be informed. Information about these results will be provided to the news media and to major art museums in Japan, to design and craft arts related groups, journals specializing in glass overseas, and a variety of other media.

Exhibition

Period: Saturday, July 10 – Monday, October 11, 2027
Venue: Toyama Glass Art Museum, Floor 2-3, Exhibition Rooms 1-3
Exhibited works: Selected works.

*All the selected works will be included in the exhibition catalogue.
*The opening ceremony, award ceremony, and private view will be held prior to the opening of the exhibition, on Friday, July 9, 2027.

Sending the Exhibition Agreement

Those who are selected in the first judging will be sent, with the notification of that result, “Request for Exhibition” and “Exhibition Agreement” forms. Recipients are requested to fill in the required information on the “Exhibition Agreement” form and send it back to the office by Sunday, February 28, 2027.

Shipment of Works

  • Those who consent to have their works exhibited should please send the selected works to the address stated in the “Request for Exhibition” form by Friday, March 26, 2027.
  • Please pack selected works in a durable storage box or case sturdy enough to protect the work from damage during shipping.
  • The cost of shipping and insuring works shall be paid by the applicant.
  • If works are damaged during shipping, the office shall inform the applicant upon opening the box or case. The issue shall be handled and settled by the applicants and the artworks carrier used.
  • Only works that have been shipped and received by the stated date will be considered in the second judging.
  • Works that differ from the digital images previously submitted, works that are damaged on arrival at the judging venue, and works that do not meet the requirements specified in the application rules will be disqualified and will not proceed to the second judging.

The following applies only to overseas applicants:

  • Customs must be cleared for all works submitted from outside Japan on the understanding that they will be returned after the exhibition ends.
  • If the work involves animals and/or plants, please consult the secretariat beforehand. If such work is submitted without prior notice, it will be disqualified.
  • Do not use wooden packing materials other than plywood.
  • Customs clearance for works shipped from overseas may take time. Please consider the time required so that your work will arrive by the due date.
  • The cost of shipping and insurance for the work from the applicant’s closest international airport to an international airport in Japan (TBD) shall be paid by the applicant.
  • Expenses for customs clearance at an international airport in Japan (TBD) and transportation costs within Japan shall be paid by the Executive Committee.
  • Please correctly complete the INVOICE. Omitted information may result in the work’s not clearing customs.

*Please note that if the use of wooden packing materials other than plywood or of animal and/or plant materials may mean that item shipped will, under quarantine measures, be destroyed.

Return of Works

For return of works submitted from within Japan, the executive committee will consign them to an artworks carrier and will pay the cost of shipping and insurance.

The following applies only to overseas exhibitors

  • Please specify the same address from which the work was shipped and to which it will be returned.
  • For return of works to overseas exhibitors, the executive committee shall pay the expenses for customs clearance, shipping, and insurance to return each work to a designated international airport within each exhibitor’s country.
  • For returned works, the exhibitor must pay the cost of customs clearance into his/her own country and shipping from the international airport to his/her designated destination.
  • If the entrant refuses to bear the cost of customs clearance and/or transportation from the international airport to his/her house, or if the work cannot be returned due to an epidemic or other circumstances, the work will be discarded.
  • Works will be returned approximately two months after the exhibition ends.

Management of Works

  • The executive committee will insure all exhibited works for the duration of the event, from acceptance to return. The works will be treated with utmost care when unpacked and installed for the exhibition by an artworks carrier designated by the executive committee. The executive committee does not, however, assume liability for compensation to exhibitors if unexpected occurrences result in damage or loss of any artworks. Exclusive rights to use the prize-winning and selected works will belong to the organizer until the end of the exhibition.
  • To ensure correct insurance coverage, please specify the value of your work (with the maximum value, in Japanese yen, of ¥1,000,0000).
  • The copyrights on the works belong solely to the entrants.
  • However, use of the intellectual property rights with respect to each work is stipulated as follows:
    • When the executive committee conducts public relations activities and exhibitions, it is permitted to use the intellectual property rights of the works in question.
    • The executive committee is also able to use without charge the images of the works (or portraits) submitted by the entrants for the exhibition catalogue, postcards, posters, flyers, website, posts on social media, etc. In addition, the organizers reauthorize third parties, including the mass media, to use the images in various media. Other information such as winners’ names and titles of works will be used on websites and social media, in art magazines, etc.
    • There will be no time limit for the duration of use of such materials.
    • As for the prize-winning and selected works, the executive committee is allowed to take photographs and use them as above.
    • At the exhibition, general visitors are allowed to take photographs of the exhibition and the exhibited works and post them on the Internet, including their blogs and social media. (Based on the organizers’ judgement, restrictions on photography may be applied.)
    • If a work is found to infringe on a third party’s intellectual property rights or copyrights, its entry to the exhibition or winning of a prize will be cancelled.

Handling of Personal Information

Personal information provided by applicants shall be used for purposes related to this exhibition (e.g., communications needed for operations, announcements of judging results, shipping of documents, communicating information about the exhibition, statistical work, return of works, information about the next exhibition, and so on) or for research activities carried out by the museum.

Schedule

Date Content
Wednesday, July 1, 2026 Call for Applications begins
Wednesday, November 11, 2026 Application deadline
Early December, 2026 – Early January, 2027 First-round screening
Wednesday, January 20, 2027 First Judging (based on images submitted)
Late January, 2027 Report of results of First Judging
(works selected for the exhibition)
Sunday, February 28, 2027 Deadline for submitting the Exhibition Agreement
Friday, March 26, 2027 Deadline for shipping works
April, 2027 Second Judging (based on actual works)
April, 2027 Review Meeting
Mid May, 2027 Announcement of Results of the Final Judging
Friday, July 9, 2027 Opening Ceremony, Award Ceremony, and Private View
Saturday, July 10 –
Monday, October 11, 2027
Toyama International Glass Exhibition 2027
Mid October on, 2027 Return of works


*Please note that all dates and times are based on Japan Standard Time (Greenwich Mean Time +09:00).
Please strictly observe the schedule.

Others

Any disputes arising in connection with this exhibition shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Toyama District Court as the court of first instance.

Additional Rules

Any matters not stipulated herein shall be decided by the organizer as the need arises.

Inquiries

Please submit all inquiries via the contact form on our website. Inquiries may be up to 200 characters in Japanese or 400 words in English. Our reply may take one to two weeks, depending on the content of your inquiry. Your understanding is appreciated. We shall not answer inquiries regarding the outcomes of the judging, the reasoning, or other aspects of the award processes.