The museum information website "IM [Internet Museum]" (hereinafter referred to as "IM"), operated by Tanseisha, will begin voting for the "Museum Character Award 2026" from 12:00 on Tuesday, July 21st.
[Museum Character Award URL] https://www.museum.or.jp/museum-chara
The Museum Character Awards will introduce museum mascots submitted by museums, science museums, zoos, aquariums, and other institutions across Japan in IM. An online popularity vote will determine the most popular museum mascot in Japan that year. Through unique characters that reflect the characteristics of each museum, we aim to stimulate interest in the museum itself and create an opportunity for more people to visit museums.
The voting deadline for 2026 is Thursday, September 3rd at 12:00 PM. Please find your favorite museum character from the entries and cast your vote. Let's support these unique characters and liven up museums all over Japan!
*Please check the Museum Character Awards webpage (https://www.museum.or.jp/museum-chara) for voting methods and other details.
Last year's results
In 2025, out of 68 characters entered from museums across Japan and a total of 137,516 votes, "Kanazawa Yukarin" (Kanazawa Zoo, Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture) won the Grand Prix with 24,084 votes. The IM editorial team personally visited the museum of the winning character and presented the certificate and plaque at the awards ceremony. In addition, a report of the awards ceremony was published in IM as a "Grand Prix Special Feature."
Museum Character Award 2025 Grand Prix Commemoration
"A visit to Yokohama Municipal Kanazawa Zoo" (Inside 'IM')
Comment from Mikio Furukawa, Editor-in-Chief of IM [Internet Museum]
"An encounter with a character leads to an encounter with a museum."
Last year, Kanazawa Yukarin from Yokohama Municipal Kanazawa Zoo won the Grand Prix on her ninth attempt. This was the first time a zoo character had received this award. It was very memorable to see the long-standing support from everyone and the staff finally come to fruition. Museum characters are packed with the charm of the facility and region, as well as the passion of the staff. One of the charms of this project is that the characters can spark interest in "what kind of museum is it?" and encourage people to actually visit. This year, unique characters from all over the country have gathered. While enjoying the voting process, please also take a look at the museums behind your favorite character. Your vote might lead to a new encounter.
What is IM [Internet Museum]?
This is one of Japan's largest museum information websites, introducing approximately 8,000 museums across the country, with the concept of "Life with Museum."
In addition to information about museum facilities, special exhibitions, events, and more, the site offers a wide range of content, including original reporting, curator recruitment information, and exhibition ticket giveaways, making it popular with museum fans all over the country.
https://www.museum.or.jp/
Please note that this may be subject to change without prior notice.