New Year’s Card Contest 2022 – Winners Announcement
New Year’s Card Contest 2022 – Announcement of Nominees
Starting November 27, 2021, Shoyu Online invited submissions for the “New Year’s Card Contest,” with the theme of “Expressing Your Feelings by Hand.”
Although this was our first attempt at holding a contest related to New Year’s cards, we received about 200 entries that conveyed the warmth of handwritten expression.
We hope that by enjoying many handwritten New Year’s cards, calligraphy activities will become even more active.
We sincerely thank you for participating in the New Year’s Card Contest.
From among the submissions to this contest, we are pleased to announce the nominated New Year’s card works.
Grand Prize [1 Winner]
Excellence Award [3 Winners]
Originality Award [3 Winners]
Unique Award [6 Winners]
Grand Prize
Mr./Ms. zag04659
The Grand Prize of the Shoyu Online New Year’s Card Contest 2022 has been awarded to Mr./Ms. zag04659.
[Work Title]
Oracle Bone Script - Tiger
[Reason for Award]
Magnificent Seal Script with Perfect Form!
The seal script “Tiger,” with its powerful yet delicate and sharp strokes, overflows with dynamism, as if it might leap off the paper at any moment.
Outstanding Balance of White Space and Overall Composition
The central “Tiger” and the smaller characters on either side are placed in perfect harmony, resulting in a beautifully balanced composition. This work, which skillfully combines cursive, seal, and clerical scripts, can only be described in one word: “Outstanding.” The deliberate use of dry brush strokes adds to the elegance, making the finish truly impressive.
A Work That Captivates the Viewer
Receiving such a New Year’s card would make one admire it over and over again due to its sheer beauty. The frame design is decorated with colors that perfectly complement the piece, and the seal is stamped in an exquisite position, demonstrating the artist’s keen eye for the overall balance.
Excellence Award
The Excellence Award has been given to:
- Mr./Ms. yuzuk_gram
- Mr./Ms. onlyone_art
- Mr./Ms. tougetsu_syo
for their works.
Excellence Award: Mr./Ms. yuzuk_gram
[Work Title]
New Year’s Greeting
[Reason for Award]
A Simple, Beautifully Refined Work
The use of black and white space on the paper is expressed with remarkable skill. From the balance and placement of the characters beneath “Tiger” to the final seal, every detail has been carefully considered, resulting in an impressively polished work.
Excellence Award: Mr./Ms. onlyone_art
[Work Title]
Bringing Good Fortune: Treasure Ship with Tiger and Seven Lucky Gods
[Reason for Award]
A Work That Seems to Bring Happiness Through This New Year’s Card
The vivid colors of the Seven Lucky Gods evoke a heartwarming feeling. The harmony between the Seven Gods and the calligraphy is expressed naturally, and the powerful “Tiger” in the center gives the entire piece a strong and balanced presence.
Excellence Award: Mr./Ms. tougetsu_syo
[Work Title]
Tiger
[Reason for Award]
A Light Ink Work on Japanese Paper Beautifully Expressed
The placement and dry-brush expression of the “Tiger” written in light ink are remarkably beautiful. The brushwork is skillfully executed, making this a truly deserving award-winning piece.
Original Award
The winners of the Original Award are
- Mr./Ms. saien.a_shodo
- Mr./Ms. sho.kaori1125
- Mr./Ms. kakiyaquzan
for their works.
Original Award: Mr./Ms. saien.a_shodo
[Work Title]
Tiger 2022
[Reason for Award]
Magnificent Balance of Two-Tone Colors, Illustration, and Characters
The harmony between the vividly realistic ink painting of the tiger and the characters is outstanding! By using a two-tone color scheme, both the characters and the illustration stand out more, resulting in a truly captivating work.
Original Award: sho.kaori1125
[Work Title]
Dance of the Tiger
[Reason for Award]
A Work Overflowing with Originality and Dynamic Expression
The expression of calligraphy using cardboard was well balanced with the colors. By giving the calligraphy a three-dimensional effect that cannot be fully conveyed through brush strokes alone, the piece became an exceptionally beautiful work.
Original Award: kakiyaquzan
[Work Title]
Inspired by “Tiger Painting” by Master Painter Kazumasa Nakagawa
[Reason for Award]
A Truly Simple and Gentle Work
Every aspect—from the overall composition, the use of blank space, to the placement of the seal—is exceptionally well done. Although the tiger usually evokes a strong image, in this artwork it feels simple, gentle, and calming to the heart.
Unique Award
The winners of the Unique Award are
- riso_rilaku
- 77_ohayo
- itsukoping
- michikokara.rosui
- kamataseika
- horinouchi0225
Congratulations to these works.
Unique Award: riso_rilaku
[Work Title]
Traditional to Preserve
[Reason for Award]
Refined Calligraphy and Tiger
In a word—absolutely cool. The refined depiction of the tiger and the calligraphy of “tiger” are an exceptional match. As an overall composition, including the placement of the seal, the work is flawless.
Unique Award: 77_ohayo
[Work Title]
Tiger’s Hide-and-Seek
[Reason for Award]
A Work with Powerful Impact Hidden in Simplicity
The strong and well-balanced characters of “Celebrating Spring” are enhanced with a single floral accent, tightening the overall composition and making the work even more captivating.
Unique Award: itsukoping
[Work Title]
My Wish for 2022
[Reason for Award]
A Work That Brings a Warm Feeling
The osechi dishes crafted from clay were so realistic they made me want to reach out and taste them. As for the poem, it was truly a wonderful wish. From composition, use of space, to brush strokes—every element was excellent. It gave the impression that the artist has studied kana very well.
Unique Award: michikokara.rosui
[Work Title]
Untitled
[Reason for Award]
Beautiful Pearl Colors
The boat drawn with delicate brush strokes and the pearl-colored circles were absolutely beautiful! Moreover, the words with a touch of kana-style expression matched the overall composition perfectly.
Unique Award: kamataseika
[Work Title]
Yūshin (Majestic Spirit)
[Reason for Award]
The dignified tiger drawing brings the whole piece together
The combination of flowers and the tiger created a remarkable three-dimensional effect, and the flowing calligraphy of "迎寿" (Welcoming Longevity) harmonized beautifully with the entire composition, resulting in an outstanding work.
Unique Award: horinouchi0225
[Work Title]
New Year’s Greeting: “Together Until Our Backs Are Bent”
[Reason for Award]
The gentle calligraphy style evoked a sense of calmness
The composition of calligraphy and illustration made excellent use of the space. The writing style showed great balance and rhythm, with well-placed pauses throughout.
Because the theme required creativity including both text and imagery, a wide variety of works were submitted.
That concludes the introduction of the 13 winners of the 2022 New Year’s Card Contest.
Although this was our first time holding a contest with the theme of New Year’s cards, nearly 200 people participated, and we sincerely thank you.
The freedom of expression made it challenging in many ways, but it also revealed that there is still much room to enjoy and explore within the world of calligraphy.
Through projects like this, we hope to contribute to the further development of calligraphy.
At Shoyu Online, we will continue to provide content under the theme of “writing” so that everyone can enjoy calligraphy even more.
We hope you will join us again in our next interactive content project.