Who can vote, and how many votes?
Voting is finally open. First things first — who can vote?
Anyone. It's free, and you don't need to buy anything. Just sign in with an AICU account when you open the ballot. Entrants can vote too, and it's fine to vote for your own work.
How many votes does each person get?
One per field — ten fields, so ten votes. Here's the whole picture:
- Choose one BEST work in each of the ten fields, and you can confirm your ballot.
- Once confirmed, your ballot can't be changed.
- The short note you add when confirming may be picked up and featured, for the sake of the award's future.
- You can mark a BEST only while voting is open. You can line up candidates even before it opens.
- Unlike comments, who voted for which work is never made public. Only the totals are shown.
I like number 5, eh? Cheers go out with your name on them, and votes go in quietly. Nice clean line between the two!
Not just your own field
So it's not enough to pick in the field where your own work is?
Right. You choose in all ten, so you'll end up looking at fields you don't usually explore. And if you entered several works in the same field, you'll pick your own personal best from among them.
So even people who sent in loads of works get their moment to say, “This one is my best!” Choosing is just as thrilling as making, eh?
emo is not a vote
On each work you can leave a public comment and send emo, like the heart. Is an emo the same as a vote?
No. An emo is a sign that a work moved you — it isn't a vote. But works you send emo to appear as candidates in that field on your ballot. Sending emo to works that catch your eye makes choosing much easier later.
So, first stroll through the gallery and emo whatever makes your heart jump, eh?
Does the public vote decide the winners?
The public vote decides who gets on stage — the finalists. Then, during the ceremony period from 18 to 20 November, the final judges and individual supporters cast the final votes, each with a written critique.
Everyone feels emo differently, so send it once, ten times or a hundred times — however many feels right to you. But taps don't simply add up: the more you tap, the gentler each extra one counts. So emo from lots of different people counts for more. And if you tap too fast, a breaker trips and you'll have to wait a while. Not infinite, eh?
Haven’t entered yet?
What about people who haven't entered yet?
Round 3 is open until 26 October (AoE) — that's 21:00 on 27 October in Japan time. Late entries have an entry fee per work; please check the amount and the steps on the entry page. Recommended entries through partner organisations are a separate track.
See you at Makuhari on 20 November
Can you only watch the ceremony at the venue?
The ceremony on 20 November takes place on the INTER BEE IGNITION stage at Makuhari Messe, and it's streamed live on YouTube too. You can watch the finalists take the stage from anywhere.
And there's a networking reception that evening, right?
Yes, from 19:00. It's mainly for invited guests — winners, final judges and our partners — but a limited number of tickets are available for creators and the public too. It's an evening to sit at the same table as the people behind the works you've been watching on screen. The ticket comes with AICU Magazine Vol.30.
Imagine telling a creator to their face, “I picked your work as my BEST!” You might even find a partner for your next project, eh?
Viewers and makers — from today, you're all the stars. Open your ballot and go find ten works across ten fields that deserve a title page, eh!
Key dates
- 26 October 2026: public vote (first round of judging) opens / Round 3 entries close (AoE; 21:00 on 27 October, Japan time)
- 15 November 2026: public vote closes (AoE)
- 18–20 November 2026: final judging (votes with written critiques by the final judges and individual supporters)
- 20 November 2026: awards ceremony (INTER BEE IGNITION stage, Makuhari Messe; streamed on YouTube Live: https://j.aicu.ai/A26YT) / networking reception from 19:00 (tickets: https://j.aicu.ai/A26Net)
Primary sources
- Ballot: https://award.aicu.ai/2026/jury/vote/
- How judging works: https://aicu.ai/award/2026/jury/description/
- Entry gallery: https://aicu.ai/award/2026/gallery/
- Regulations: https://aicu.ai/award/2026/regulations/
- Round 3 announcement (17 October 2026): https://aicu.ai/award/news/20261017/
- Entry dashboard: https://award.aicu.ai/2026/dashboard/
Characters: AiCuty (aicuai/AiCuty). Marsha Arancia original design: Matcha Orange (@MATCHA_ORANGE_) / World Kawaii! AI Character Audition, Zasuko Award (c.aicu.jp/2606). “Title page” (tobira) is Marsha’s catchphrase — the frontispiece that gives a book its face.