Provided by: Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition
ABOUT
High School Students' Dream Award in Osaka/Kansai Expo
The "High School Students' Dream Award in Osaka/Kansai Expo"
is a contest in which high school students, who will be responsible for the future,
combine solving social problems with their own dreams and formulating
business ideas to make them come true.
The aim is to provide high school students with an opportunity to think about
their own way of life and their relationship with society,
and to encourage them to have dreams.
High school students can formulate business ideas
to solve social problems and enter their business ideas into
the "High School Students' Dream Award in Osaka/Kansai Expo".
We can Issue "High School Students' Dream Award
in Osaka/Kansai Expo Entry Certificate".
（scheduled for late June）
POINTS
The charm and characteristics of the
High School Students' Dream Award in Osaka/Kansai Expo
By applying, you will have the opportunity to think about your career path.
By learning about social issues and the SDGs, high school students will have the opportunity to think about their relationship with society and their own career paths.
Receive guidance from top professionals
The finalists who advance to the High School Students' Dream Award in Osaka/Kansai Expo will receive preliminary training such as business model guidance and presentation guidance from professional instructors, helping them create wonderful presentations and supporting them in making their dreams come true.
Give a presentation from the big stage of the Osaka/Kansai Expo.
The finalists who advance to the High School Students' Dream Award in Osaka/Kansai Expo will be able to announce their dreams to a large audience from the EXPO Hall "Shine Hut"（Konohana Ward, Osaka City）at the Osaka/Kansai Expo.
A chance to have support by over 60 top companies
We are providing an opportunity for the more than 60 top companies that sponsor and support the High School Students' Dream Award in Osaka/Kansai Expo to learn about their dreams and receive their support.
You can work hard with high school students from all over the country
We provide opportunities to meet and learn with high school students who have wonderful dreams of solving social problems.
All high school students who enter will be issued an entry certificate
We issue a "High School Students' Dream Award in Osaka/Kansai Expo Entry Certificate" that can be used for comprehensive selection（formerly AO entrance exam）to all high school students who have entered, and support them in pursuing their desired career path.
We present domestic and international training travel vouchers
The Grand Prix and Semi-Grand Prix winners will receive travel vouchers for domestic and international training related to their dreams. *Grand prize: 200,000 yen worth of training travel tickets, Second Grand Prize: 100,000 yen worth of training travel tickets
Outline
Tournament overview
■Title：High School Students' Dream Award in Osaka/Kansai Expo
■Organizer：Minnano yume wo kanaeru kai（Public Interest Incorporated Foundation）
■Co-sponsor：Social Business Dream Partners General Incorporated Association
■Date：Monday, 11/08/2025
■Venue：Japan International Exposition（Osaka/Kansai Expo）EXPO Hall “Shine Hut”
■Finalists：10 people（tentative）
■Judging committee：
・Miki Watanabe（Representative Director of Minnano yume wo kanaeru kai（Public Interest Incorporated Foundation）/Chairman and President of Watami Co., Ltd.）
Other adjustments in progress
■Award support：
・Grand prize：200,000 yen worth of domestic and international training travel tickets related to the announced business model
・Semi-Grand Prize：100,000 yen worth of domestic and international training travel tickets related to the announced business model
CONDITIONS
Target audience/selection criteria
Application requirements
●High school and technical college students nationwide
①Empathy
sociality
●Things that get everyone excited and can empathize with them
●It should improve society
●Contributing to the realization of SDGs
②Business
potential
●It must be an excellent business model
③Presentation
performance
●The performance must be appealing
※Points will be deducted for overtime
The SDGs were adopted by the United Nations as sustainable goals that more than 150 countries around the world, with diverse cultures and situations, can collectively strive for as human beings.
SDGs are not just goals that countries, governments, and companies should be aware of, but are issues that are closely related to each of us.
Minnano yume wo kanaeru kai is a public interest incorporated foundation that contributes to the achievement of all 17 goals of the SDGs by discovering, nurturing, and supporting social entrepreneurs, with the aim of creating a society filled with dreams and filled with gratitude.
SCHEDULE
Overall schedule
Applicants who pass the first and second screenings
will be contacted via email with information about the next selection process.
If you do not receive the email,
please check your spam folder and then contact the office by phone.
Sunday, 15/12/2024
Entry start
Sunday, 01/06/2025
Entry deadline
Friday, 06/06/2025
Announcement of the results of the first selection and start of reception for the second selection（presentation video）
Wednesday, 26/06/2025
Second selection deadline
Monday, 30/06/2025
Announcement of second-round results and determination of finalists
From Friday, 11/07/2025
Follow-up period for finalists
Monday, 11/08/2025
On the day of the event!
PRECAUTIONS
Precautions
●The business plan must not violate public order
and morals and be appropriate based on socially accepted principles
FLOW
Flow up to selection
Entry
Please apply using the entry form.
First selection（document screening）
Documents will be reviewed based on what you have filled out in the entry form. For entries that pass the initial screening, the "applicant name," "business name," and "business summary" may be made public.
Secondary selection（presentation video screening）
The second selection will be based on a 5-minute presentation video. Each member of the selection committee will vote for the dream they want to support, and select the 10 people who will proceed to the final selection.
Finalist pre-training
The finalists will receive an individual review by the director of the Minnano yume wo kanaeru kai, as well as presentation guidance for the final selection.
Final Judgment
The final screening (presentation）will be held on August 11, 2025（Monday）, and will be open to the public. However, it is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that intellectual property rights, special know-how, and confidential matters are taken care of in advance, including legal protection. Please.
ENTRY
Entry
Application deadline: Until Sunday, 01/06/2025
Please enter using the form linked below.
※We do not accept applications by email or post.
VOICE
Voices of past participants
Kanade Takabatake (High school student's dream AWARD 5 National Tournament Grand Prix)
By having top professionals managers look at my ideas, I was able to improve it from a perspective that I had not noticed before. Also, by interacting with the finalists, it is a unique opportunity to face social issues in fields that I was not interested in, and to receive opinions on my ideas.
Shutaro Shinkai（High School Students' Dream AWARD 5 National Tournament Semi-Grand Prix）
I met so many amazing people at the awards, and it made me realize that I have to work even harder. Individual guidance really gave me a lot of inspiration, and I tried changing my way of thinking a little, and I realized that there are still many things I can do.The actual presentation was just fun. The five minutes passed in an instant as I realized that I could reach so many people with my story. I will do my best to make use of this experience and be successful in the future!
Shion Hosaka（High School Students' Dream AWARD 4 National Tournament Grand Prix）
Unlike other business contests, the Yume Award also evaluates the relationship between a business model and one's "dream" or "thing that one is passionate about." The ideas of the finalists were not just CSVs, but were projects filled with the perspectives and dreams unique to high school students. At the Dream Award, I learned the importance of contributing to society through ``what I love and am good at.'' For me, the Dream Award is more than a business contest, it is a place where each person can explore what they like.
Tomoya Sonoda（High School Students' Dream AWARD 4 National Tournament Semi-Grand Prix）
The results of my three years of high school research were highly evaluated, which gave me confidence. Through presenting on stage, which I would not have been able to do on my own, I once again realized the importance of connections with people. In addition, by receiving comments from people who are active in various fields, including Chief Judge Watanabe, I was able to take another step toward realizing "my dream."
Nanami Suzuki（High school student's dream AWARD national tournament finalist）
I was able to receive advice from the judges who are professional managers about perspectives and ways of thinking that I had not noticed before, and I was able to learn things that I would not normally learn in school classes. I'm really glad that I was able to participate in an event where I could share the dreams I had envisioned with someone else and get their opinions, rather than trying to complete them myself.
Hikaru Ozaki（High School Students' Dream AWARD 2 National Tournament Grand Prix）
I came up with a business plan while taking a social business learning program and looking for things I could do in the community. The office staff took seriously the business plans that the high school students had come up with, and as we brushed up on them together, I became clear about the dreams I wanted to make come true.
Taiichi Hirata（High School Students' Dream AWARD 2 National Tournament Semi-Grand Prix）
This was a business model that I had been researching repeatedly since I was a first year high school student, so I won the semi-final prize this time, and my three years of hard work paid off. My achievements in the AWARD 2, a dream for all high school students, were evaluated in the university's AO entrance exam, and I was able to get into the university of my choice!
Sumire Yamaji（High School Students' Dream AWARD 3 National Tournament Grand Prix）
In order to make our business plan a reality, the secretariat, dedicated teachers, and judges provided full support, and even addressed our concerns in a courteous manner. In the finalist pre-training, talented people from other prefectures gathered together, so it was a valuable experience and motivated me as well.
PAST EVENTS
Past events
SPONSOR
Sponsored/Co-hosted
【Sponsored】
Minnano yume wo kanaeru kai
（Public Interest Incorporated Foundation）
【Co-hosted】
Social Business Dream Partners
（General Incorporated Association）
NEWS
What's new
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