Anniversary Logo Selected and Awarded
In 2025, Ochanomizu University celebrates its 150th anniversary. In order to effectively advertise its journey of 150 years alongside its legacy and ongoing mission of educating women who create new value, the university reached out not only to its current and former undergraduates, graduates, faculty members and staff, but also to its pupils and students of all times from the affiliated institutions, for an idea of the design of its anniversary logo. Entries were accepted from December 2021 to the end of March 2022, and numbers of beautiful and amazing works were submitted. After much deliberation by the Sesquicentennial Executive Committee, the winners of the Grand Award and Awards for Excellence were announced as below.
Grand Award:
YAMAMOTO Chisato
Awards for Excellence:
OKAZAKI Kanae
KAWAZU Aiko
SAKAMOTO Natsumi
TANBA Satomi
(Wishes to remain anonymous)
Grand Award Design
Note: The winning entries of the Awards for Excellence are not available for public.
After the announcement of the winners, an award ceremony was held on July 8, 2022 at Hisao & Hiroko TAKI PLAZA.
At the beginning of the ceremony, Professor KATO Misako, Chair of the Sesquicentennial Execution Committee, shared the reason why the institution announced the opening of entries for the new logo and explained the process of the deliberation. Professor SASAKI Yasuko, President of Ochanomizu University, presented the award certificates to the winners, and Professor KATO gifted the prize money to the winner of the grand award. Original gifts of the university were also offered to all winners.
Later on, President SASAKI delivered her remarks and expressed her gratitude towards the winners and all contributors for their hard work. She then promised that all faculty members and staff will unite on this historic occasion to become the pinnacle of women's education as the student's finger indicates in the logo.
The ceremony was closed with heartwarming speeches of joy from each of the award winners.
Comments by YAMAMOTO Chisato, Winner of the Grand Award
'When I received the notice that my entry had won the grand award, I was surprised and filled with joy. Not being able to pursue the life of a university student as I had dreamed of due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I learned to cherish the time I spend on making things I like for myself. This logo was one of them. I tried over and over again to figure out how to express my thoughts and feelings towards the university; how I dreamt to attend this university, the excitement I felt when I stood in front of the Main Gate for the first time, the amazement towards the University's century and a half of history and the fact that I was a part of it, and my wishes for the future. It was hard work, but it was also so enjoyable that time flew by. I am extremely honored to be joining this special occasion. The joy of winning this award has boosted my confidence and will inspire me in my onward journey. Thank you very much.'
The winners of the Awards for Excellence also shared their stories, such as how they managed to make time for creating their designs while studying and looking after their children, and the efforts they made to picture the university's atmosphere into their work (sometimes with the help from old photographs). One alumna expressed how amazed she was of the changes in the university since her graduation, including the new building of Hisao & Hiroko TAKI PLAZA and the plans for the Faculty of Transdisciplinary Engineering. Many participants commented on how they would like to treasure their connections with the university and how much they are looking forward to celebrating the 150th anniversary together.
From the left: President SASAKI, Ms. YAMOTO, Professor KATO
Ochanomizu University will use the Grand Award design as the anniversary logo in advertisements related to the celebrations.
We congratulate the Grand Award winner, Ms. YAMAMOTO, and all winners of the Awards for Excellence, and express our sincere gratitude to the many others who submitted their entries.
In the runup to 2025, we hope you too will join us in celebrating the 150th anniversary of Ochanomizu University.
Front row: President SASAKI, Professor KATO, the award winners
Back row: Faculty members of the university and its affiliated schools