Reason for Event
To Support New Creators
for the Future of Hat Culture
For over 40 years, KAI has supported "cutting" and "crafting" in the apparel industry and craft studios.
The KAI Hat & Head-piece Competition was launched after an encounter with Nobuki Hizume, one of the world's leading hat and head-piece designers, who reminded us that "scissors underpin creation".
In addition, KAI and Mr. Hizume collaborated to create Ō, a range of products that redefines sewing scissors, with the goal of creating the world's best scissors which are essential for hat making.
However, the number of people aspiring to become hat designers is decreasing every year, and so is the number of people involved in the hat industry in Japan.
Hats are an essential fashion item.
Wearing a hat can give you confidence and help you find a new you.
We believe that hats are culture that enriches our daily lives.
The Hat & Head-piece Competition will be held again this year to redefine hat culture and support new creators to bring the best hats to everyone and to discover talented creators who will be active not only in Japan but also all over the world, creating the hat culture of the future.
2025 Design Theme
When you take a step out of your own world.
You are giddy with expectation, nervous and worried; it feels like something is going to happen.
New challenges always broaden your potential.
There is only one rule in this contest.
That what you make is something that can be worn on the head.
Hat designers who are working on new pieces,
students who are making hats or headpieces for the first time,
creators from different fields.
Differing values and ways of thinking. Japan and overseas. Clothing and other fields.
We look forward to seeing pieces that go beyond borders into different realms.
Archive
See past winners from the contest list below.
Judging Criteria
The KAI Hat & Head-piece Competition will be judged
on the five criteria shown below.
Does the work add a new perspective to the hat? Is it original?
Is the theme incorporated into the concept and clearly expressed?
Does the artist have the techniques to express the design in the work? Does the creator have a high level of skill in hat making?
Is the concept expressed in the work? Is the design expressed exactly in the work (or even better)?
Is the work wearable as a hat, and is it made from the perspective of the wearer?
Contest Schedule
Production costs of 20,000 yen will be paid to those who succeed in the first round and go on to the second round.
*The contest schedule is subject to change without prior notice.
Pre-entry
The KAI Hat & Head-piece Competition is now accepting pre-entries.
Those who register will receive contest information from the secretariat.
Three pre-entry participants will be selected at random to receive a gift of a pair of thread-cutting scissors.
If you do not receive an email, please set your e-mail to receive emails from kai-group.com.
Last year's interview video
Entry Overview
■Theme
Beyond Borders
■Entry Period
11:00 Wednesday 23rd April – 23:59 Monday 21st July 2025
■Work Conditions
If you progress past the first round, it must be possible to produce your piece and have it arrive by Friday 17th October.
- *The submitted works must be unpublished original works.
- *Production costs of 20,000 yen will be paid for each selected work.
■Judging Criteria
- Design
- Theme/Concept
- Techniques
- Structure/Expressiveness
- Functionality
- *The number of judges may be increased.
- *Only successful entrants will be notified by e-mail of their selection after a strict judging process.
- *We cannot respond to any inquiries regarding the judging results.
■Eligibility
Entrants who can submit their actual work to the KAI project team in Japan in the case that it wins the Excellence Award. There are no restrictions on nationality or place of residence (in Japan or overseas).
- *Entrants can also apply as a team. If a team of entrants is selected for an Excellence Award or the Grand Prize, the prize will be presented to one representative of the team.
- *Minors must obtain the consent of a parent or guardian in advance.
- *However, entrants from the organizer, its affiliated corporations, and their respective officers, employees, contractors and agents are not eligible.
■How to Enter
Please apply using the entry form.
- *We can only accept the specified entry form.
- *Make sure the attached image is in colour.
- *Entrants are responsible for all internet communication charges and other expenses incurred when entering.
- Check the terms of entry regarding the copyright of the submitted work.
- Photos and videos of submitted design proposals, actual works, related events and training in Paris may be published in printed materials, on the internet, social media and/or TV programs. Moreover, members of the press may film and conduct interviews throughout the contest.
- The actual submitted work will not be returned.
- Personal information will be strictly managed and will not be used for any purpose other than the operation of this contest. Additionally, we will not provide entrants’ personal information to third parties without their consent, except when providing it to a subcontractor to the extent necessary for outsourcing the relevant administrative work.
- Unless unavoidable, do not change the registered e-mail address until August 18. If you need to change the email address, contact the contest secretariat. The award may be invalidated if the winner cannot be contacted due to the contact e-mail address being unreachable or other such reasons, or if a reply to the email notifying the entrant about the award is not received by the specified deadline.
- This contest may be changed or cancelled without notice due to unavoidable circumstances.
- Other terms and conditions apply to this contest. Make sure to check the terms of entry when applying.
When entering the "KAI Hat & Head-piece Competition 2025" ("this contest"), it is necessary to agree to the following terms of entry ("this agreement").
- Please be sure to read these terms and conditions before entering this contest. By entering this contest, you are deemed to have agreed to these terms.
- The organizer of this contest is KAI Corporation ("organizer").
Entry Period
- Entries for this contest will open at 11:00 on Wednesday, April 23, 2025 and will end at 23:59 on Monday, July 21, 2025 (“entry period”). Only entries received during this entry period will be valid. All time periods are displayed in Japan Standard Time (JST).
Eligibility
- Entrants are limited to those who can submit their actual work to the KAI project team in Japan ("eligible entrants") in the case that it wins the Excellence Award. There are no restrictions on nationality or place of residence (Japan or overseas). If you are a minor, please obtain consent from your parent or guardian in advance. Note that entries from the organizer and its affiliates, and their respective officers, employees, contractors, and agents ("contest parties") are not eligible.
How to Enter
- The entry method for this contest is shown below.
Please apply using the entry form.
Points to Note when Entering
- *You can submit multiple works.
- *Please note that we cannot accept entries that do not use the specified entry form.
- *The entry data should be in either JPG, PNG, or PDF format, and the file size should be less than 100 MB.
- *Please make sure the attached image is in color.
- *Please fill in the required information in either Japanese or English.
- *The contents of the entry and the name of the entrant may be used in KAI's own media and advertising media, etc. When KAI uses this information, the content of the entry, including text, may be processed or modified to the extent that the overall image is not corrupted.
- *When submitting your work from abroad, you are responsible for any customs charges incurred for the transport of your work, so please pay in advance. Please pay a delivery fee of JPY3,000, regardless of whether the delivery is in Japan or from overseas.
Permission to Use Entry Content and Approval of Non-claim of Personal Rights
- If the entrant owns the copyright of the entry content used in this contest, the entrant shall grant to the organizer a relicensing right to use the content for any purpose in any medium, for an unlimited period of time and without royalty fees, in any place in the world, regardless of whether or not the use is related to any campaigns, advertisements, and marketing conducted by the organizer or any other affiliates bearing the name KAI, including but not limited to posting the entry content on the organizer’s website, social media, such as Facebook, Instagram, X and/or YouTube (“social media”) for the purpose of the promotion of similar future promotions and/or contents. However, the copyright of the content of the entry belongs to the author.
- The entrant shall agree that, in the event that the contest organizer uses the entry in any way, the entrant will not claim any rights of identity or naming of the author/implementer, the right to not have his/her name misrepresented, and similar rights, including those that may arise in the future regardless of location ("personal rights").
- Once an entry has been submitted, it cannot be withdrawn or modified.
- Content that infringes on the rights of third parties (copyrights, portrait rights, etc.) cannot be used. For example, if the design proposal includes a third party's copyrighted work (works of art, movies, photographs, etc.) or portrait, etc., it is required to obtain prior approval from the third party. If any dispute occurs between the entrant, the organizer, or a third party regarding the content of the entry, the entrant shall attempt to resolve the dispute at their own responsibility and expense. The organizer will not get involved in any way and does not take any responsibility.
- The organizer reserves the right to disqualify any entry if it reasonably believes that the entry falls under any of the prohibited items stipulated in these terms and conditions or related laws, or is inappropriate for any other reason. In that case, no discussion will take place, and the decision will be made at the organizer's sole discretion.
- The organizer reserves the right to request identification to verify the name, age, and address of entrants. In addition, the organizer reserves the right to confirm the legitimacy and validity of entries, and to disqualify entrants who are determined to have entered false information.
- The organizer is not responsible for lost, late, or incorrect entries.
Determination of Winners
- Out of the entrants who fully meet the requirements, we will first decide the works that will receive the Excellence Award through judging the documents.
Comprehensive decisions will be made by the judges and the KAI project team.
The winners of the Excellence Award will be presented with KAI's sewing scissors and will make a hat. From among them, two works will be selected for further awards, one the Grand Prize and the other, the Judges’ Special Award, by the judging panel and the KAI project team.
- *The actual submitted work will not be returned.
Prizes
- The prizes are as follows.
Excellence Award: KAI’s 7280 Fabric Shears 280MM and production costs of up to 20,000 yen will be paid
Grand prize: Fashion design training, KAI’s Sewing scissors Ō 6-piece set and media interviews
Judges’ Special Award: 50,000 yen prize money
- *For fashion design training, the destination and details of the program will be decided based on the global situation and other circumstances at the time of implementation of the training.
Receipt of Prizes
- Winners must comply with all prize terms and conditions as a condition of receiving their prize.
- At the time of awarding the prize, we may check that the winner who has expressed their intention to accept the prize to the organizer is the entrant themself. Regardless of the reason, if the entrant cannot verify their identity, their win may be invalidated, and we may not be able to provide the prize.
- Prizes must be used under the stated conditions and no compensation will be paid if the winner is unable to use the prize under the stated conditions. Prizes cannot be redeemed for cash nor exchanged for other goods or services.
Announcement of Winners
- Winners of the Excellence Award will be notified by email by the contest secretariat by Thursday, July 31, 2025. Please follow the instructions in the message to receive your prize.
- We cannot respond to any inquiries regarding the selection results.
Re-selection
- The organizer reserves the right to void and re-select the winner if the winner fails to meet the terms and conditions of this promotion, or if the winner abandons or refuses to claim the prize.
Limitation of Liability
- In the event of any act, omission, event or circumstance beyond the organizer's reasonable control that renders the organizer's compliance with these terms and conditions impossible, the organizer shall be released from liability for any failure or delay in the performance of its obligations and shall at the same time (subject to applicable law) have the power to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the contest.
- The contest parties shall not be held liable whatsoever for any loss, damage, expense, fee or personal injury ("damages") arising from the promotion of this contest or the use of prizes, unless otherwise specified by law. The above damages include, but not limited to, direct, indirect, and consequential damages. In addition, such damages shall include damages that cannot reasonably be expected to occur as a matter of course due to the natural course of events, and the same shall apply even if the contest parties have anticipated such damages.
- The organizer may collect the personal information of entrants for the purpose of staging this contest. Eligible entrants consent to the organizer's use of personal information provided in connection with this contest for the purpose of conducting this contest and providing prizes. In addition, within the scope of achieving the purpose, the handling of the acquired personal information may be outsourced to an external company. Without limiting the generality of the aforementioned items, personal information of eligible entrants provided in connection with this contest will be handled in accordance with the organizer's privacy policy (https://www.kai-group.com/global/en/privacypolicy/).
- These terms and conditions and their interpretation, performance or enforceable performance shall be governed by Japanese law.
- Tokyo District Court shall be the court of first instance for disputes or claims arising out of or related to this contest.
Inquiries about this Contest
KAI Hat & Head-piece Competition PR secretariat (within Antil Inc.)
e-mail：kaihat@vectorinc.co.jp
- *It may take up to 3 business days for us to reply (we cannot reply on weekends and public holidays).
- *Please note that we cannot respond to inquiries not related to promotions.
Award Benefits
KAI Hat & Head-piece Competition
Grand Prize
One Grand Prize will be selected. The winner will receive an extra prize worth a total of 1,500,000 yen, which includes participation in a fashion and design training course (select from Paris or Japan) and a pair of top-of-the-range sewing scissors called Ō developed in collaboration with Mr. Hizume. In addition, the winner will be interviewed by the media.
Fashion and Design Training Course
MR. HIZUME’S ATELIER
ATELIER-MUSEE DU CHAPEAU
SANDRINE BOURG
Mademoiselle Chapeaux
The Ō sewing scissors brand
Interviewed by the media
KAI Hat & Head-piece Competition
Judges’ Special Award
In addition to the prize received by Excellence Award winners,
the winner of the Judges’ Special Award will receive a supplementary prize of 50,000 yen.
KAI Hat & Head-piece Competition
Excellence Award
Winners will receive a certificate and a pair of KAI sewing scissors.
KAI Hat & Head-piece Competition
Selected
Those selected will receive a certificate.
About KAI Sewing Scissors
What are sewing scissors?
Also known as cutting scissors, these scissors are suitable for cutting thick fabric and cloth.
They are used not only by general households, but also by professionals who handle cloth and fabric.
About the Ō sewing scissors brand
These are sewing scissors jointly developed with Nobuki Hizume, the world's leading hat and head-piece designer, with the aim of achieving the world's best cutting performance.
KAI, which has been making scissors used in the apparel industry and craft studios for more than 40 years, has achieved a sharpness that meets Mr. Hizume's high standards after more than eight years of development.
The product is a set of six pairs of sewing scissors in a case made of chestnut wood from Gifu Prefecture, Japan.
KAI 7000 SERIES Product Features
- Made with molybdenum vanadium stainless steel that has excellent sharpness and durability.
- Fine, smooth sharpness achieved by a proprietary blade attachment.
- Has a special screw that does not easily come loose.
- Has a handle shape that does not cause fatigue even when used for a long time.
- Made with a soft elastomer resin that is gentle on hands and does not slip easily.
The scissors were selected for the 2005 IF Design Award (Germany) for their excellent practicality and design.
About the sponsor: The Japan Hat Association
The Japan Hat Association was established in 1969 in preparation for participation in the 1970 World Exposition in Osaka,
Japan by integrating hat-related organizations from all over the country.
After that, it started working as a national organization in cooperation with the relevant authorities. Most recently, the Association held the Hat Weeks 2023 Photo Contest on social media to promote the culture of enjoying hats.
Inquiries about the contest
KAI Hat & Head-piece Competition secretariat
- *It may take up to three business days for us to reply (we cannot reply on weekends and public holidays).
- *We cannot respond to inquiries not related to promotions.
- Event Outline
- Award Benefits
- Judging Results
- KAI Sewing Scissors
- Archive
