INTERNATIONAL AI CREATOR AWARD 2026
Press release
AICU Inc. and AICU Japan K.K., under the patronage of the Digital Content Association of Japan (DCAJ), are holding the International AI Creator Award 2026 — an international open call in ten fields and seven languages that finds and honours the people who create with generative AI, whoever they work for.
The award evaluates talent in a frame that is independent of capital and of who benefits. The people who see the work decide it, and they say why.
Three things are open right now.
| 1. Entries | Open now. First-round entries close on 24 September 2026 (late entries continue after that). USD 10 per work. Enter |
|---|---|
| 2. Partners | Bronze, Silver and Gold. Applications close on 5 October 2026. Public institutions and supporting companies are free in exchange for a logo placement, if committed by that date. See the plans |
| 3. Award Supporter | USD 10. Your name appears in the credits, and you hold a vote in the final round — cast with your comment and critique attached. Become a supporter · Those who already have |
Paste the URL of your work — YouTube, X, or an AICU work certificate — and the entry form drafts itself. In a measured run, 12 of the 18 required questions were filled automatically: the field, title, summary, public date, representative, contact and both key images. What is left for a person is what only a person can answer, including the consents, which are never ticked automatically.
Work that passes receives a work certificate at cert.aicu.ai. When, by whom and what was published stays in a form anyone can check afterwards. The certificate belongs to the author, not to an employer or a school, and survives a change of job or of company.
The public vote is free and open to anyone, from 26 October to 15 November 2026. Each person votes once in every one of the ten fields — ten votes in all — so every field is judged by the same body of people. In the final round, votes count only with a comment and a critique attached, and those critiques are published together with the result.
| Name | International AI Creator Award 2026 |
|---|---|
| Who can enter | Anyone who creates with generative AI — individuals, teams inside companies, university labs, startups. Self-nomination and nomination by others are both open. |
| Eligible work | Work with a public date between 1 January 2025 and 31 December 2026, reachable by a third party without a login (X, YouTube, the web, and so on). |
| Fields | Ten. One work is judged in every field it belongs to — no re-entry. |
| Languages | Seven: Japanese, English, Korean, Chinese, French, Spanish, Portuguese. |
| Review fee | USD 10 per work, paid at submission. The public vote is free for everyone. |
| Partners | Supported by: Digital Content Association of Japan (DCAJ) · Technology partner: OpenAI · Technology partner: ElevenLabs Grants · In cooperation with: AI Film Festival Japan 2026 · Media partner: Windows Forest · Supported by: Digital Hollywood University |
| Ceremony | 20 November 2026, during INTER BEE IGNITION × DCEXPO at Makuhari Messe. |
| 2026-09-11 | Entries open |
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| 2026-09-24 | First-round entries close (late entries continue) |
| 2026-10-05 | Partner applications close |
| 2026-10-16–2026-10-26 | Preliminary review and nominee announcements |
| 2026-10-26 | Public vote opens |
| 2026-11-15 | Public vote closes |
| 2026-11-18–2026-11-20 | Ceremony and reception |
We are at booth A-7/A-8 of the Generative AI Expo Vol.6, on the fifth floor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Trade Center, Hamamatsucho Hall. Bring the URL of your work and you can enter on the spot; a venue-only code waives the review fee. About 3,000 visitors are expected. General admission is free with registration through TECH PLAY.
Generative AI has made creation open to everyone. What is still missing is an international place where genuinely good work is recognised on its merits and carries the maker to the next step. This award is not a one-off prize race, a tool promotion, or a corporate ranking. It is where companies, individuals and the people who love creative AI meet, sharpen each other, and where a creator can prove what they can do and find peers around the world.
Akihiko Shirai, Ph.D. — CEO, AICU Inc. / Representative Director, AICU Japan K.K.
We are looking for partners who want to back the next generation of creators. Bronze partners and above can recommend work directly. Details and the current openings: https://aicu.ai/award/2026/partner/
International AI Creator Award Office, AICU Japan K.K. award@aicu.ai · https://aicu.ai/award/