The festival’s slogan, “Wa – Harmony in Diversity,” reflects the spirit we want to share: a celebration that brings people together to experience and enjoy the beauty of Japanese culture. With the Japan Festival 2026, we hope to build on the momentum of recent years and further strengthen the ties between Japan and the Netherlands.

In line with this theme, we are once again organising an illustration contest this year. The winning artwork will be used as the key visual for the 2026 edition.

Submission details

Title	Illustration Contest
Theme	和 –Wa– Harmony in Diversity
Entry start date	Thursday 18th December 2025, 10:00 (CET)
Deadline	Sunday 1st February 2026, 18:00 (CET)
How to enter	Please send in your artwork inspired by this year’s theme “和 –Wa– Harmony in Diversity”. Please send your illustration along with the title, your (artist)name and a message to info@japanfestival.nl as a JPG/JPEG file. Only one illustration will be selected by the board of Japan Festival after careful discussion and deliberation. The selected artwork will be used on our website and social media accounts and at the event site as this year’s key visual.
File size	w 6000 x h 6000 pixel, min. 300dpi
File type	JPG/JPEG

Please note:

The participant who submitted an image that was subsequently selected as the winning image by Japan Festival Foundation is the winner. By submitting the image the participant gives his/her consent that the image:

– can be used for free by the Japan Festival;

– can be used for free on the Japan Festival website and social media accounts;

– may be resized to any format by reducing or cropping it without further notice;

– remains the property of the winning participant

The name of the maker will be announced along with the image. If the participant wishes to remain anonymous or use an artist name, this must be stated at the submission.

The name of the winning participant will be announced on various social media accounts after the deadline. Please note that only the winning participant will be notified by email of the results.

Participants are responsible for any entries that infringe on the copyrights of third parties. Entrants are responsible for any damages resulting from infringement of third party copyrights. Each participant indemnifies the Japan Festival Foundation for any claims made by third parties against the Japan Festival Foundation with respect to the submitted image.

This notice is a translation from the Dutch text. In case of inconsistencies, the Dutch version shall prevail.