(ATR) An open competition for the design of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games logos concluded Dec. 8 with 14,599 entries received.
The conclusion of the competition comes just over three months since the previous emblems were scrapped following allegations of plagiarism as Kenjiro Sano’s design closely resembled the logo of a Belgian theater.
During the two-week acceptance period between Nov. 24 and Dec. 7, Tokyo 2020 received 12,900 individual entries and 1,699 group entries.
The official Tokyo 2020 Emblems will be announced in the spring of 2016 and the winning entry will receive an invitation to attend the opening ceremonies of both the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
"We were delighted to receive such a huge number of applications and that so many people actively took part in the competition," said Ryohei Miyata, chairperson of the 19-member Tokyo 2020 Emblems selection committee.
"I firmly believe the great passion shown by all applicants will serve to further drive the success of the Tokyo 2020 Games," Miyata said.
"It will be an extremely difficult task to select a single winning entry from among so many, but we will ensure that our selection process is fair, transparent and meets with general approval."
Applicants were asked to come up with "highly original or distinctive" designs inspired by keywords such as 'the power of sport,' 'inclusivity' and 'recovery reconstruction,' a reference to the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
Demonstrating the popularity of the contest, the document detailing application guidelines was downloaded more than 70,000 times from the Tokyo 2020 website.
The competition was open to all, regardless of previous experience or formal qualifications. Teams entering the competition were allowed up to ten members and included non-residents of Japan. Individual competitors needed proof of Japanese residency and were at least 18-years-old.
The Tokyo 2020 Executive Board will need to sign off on the winning designs following the selection committee announcement next spring.
Written by Brian Pinelli
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