February 6, 2025
At the WIRED CREATIVE HACK AWARD 2024, students from the laboratory of Associate Professor Shohei Matsukawa of the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies received several awards. Tatsuya Takabe (a first-year master's student in the Graduate School of Media and Governance) won the Grand Prix; Yuki Mizuno (a fourth-year student in the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies) and Hajime Noda (an alumnus of the Graduate School of Media and Governance) won the Special Prize; and Riku Kihira (a first-year master's student in the Graduate School of Media and Governance) won the Young Creator's Award.
The WIRED CREATIVE HACK AWARD was launched in 2013 by "WIRED" Japan, with sponsorship from Sony Group and Wacom, to propel the "next generation of talent"—those who believe in the potential of creativity while being conscious of the current issues in Japan's creative scene—to the next stage. This year marks its 12th edition. Under the theme "Hack Preconceptions!," the award poses the simple yet profound question of "what, why, and how you hacked."
At the final judging session on Wednesday, December 18, fifteen finalists, selected from 181 total entries after the first and second screening rounds, gave final presentations and participated in a Q&A session. Following the final judging, they were awarded the Grand Prix, Special Prize, and Young Creator's Award.
Winning Works
[Grand Prix] Digging Wells and Enjoying a Well Cluster
Tatsuya Takabe
[Special Prize] Chimera Glulam & WOOD NFT
Hajime Noda, Yuki Mizuno
[Young Creator's Award] Sand Printing
Riku Kihira
Comment from Tatsuya Takabe
We proposed well clusters as an alternative water infrastructure to the public water supply, installed three wells on the SFC campus, and published the method as "A Complete Guide to Well Digging" to enable anyone to easily build their own well infrastructure. I am extremely happy to have received the Grand Prix. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Professor Matsukawa, who spent a great deal of time discussing this project with me, to everyone in the laboratory, to the judges of the award, and to the operational staff who supported us. I will continue to devote myself to my work.
Comment from Yuki Mizuno
I am greatly honored to receive the Special Prize at the CREATIVE HACK AWARD 2024. In this work, we proposed a new form of timber supply chain by utilizing log ends, which are generally considered unused material, and employing robotic arms and blockchain technology. I see this award as the first step toward social implementation, and I will continue to strive for further progress. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Professor Matsukawa for his guidance and to everyone in the forestry industry who provided us with materials.
Comment from Riku Kihira
I am very pleased to have received an award at the CREATIVE HACK AWARD 2024. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to Professor Matsukawa for his guidance on this project, to everyone in the laboratory, and to all those involved.
Source: General Affairs Section, Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC) Office