Yesterday marked the final judging session and awards ceremony for the National Elementary and Junior High School Programming Competition, now in its sixth year.

Out of 205 entries, 12 works advanced to the final judging round. As I mentioned in a previous post, the truth is that there were so many high-quality entries that we had to narrow them down to just 12 with a heavy heart, so simply making it to the final judging round is something to be very proud of.

The Grand Prize was awarded to Asahi Kasami (a sixth-grader) for his entry, “FSP_MonsterBattle.”

His philosophy is to create everything from scratch—the characters, the stages, and the items. What really caught everyone’s attention at the judging panel was the staging of a brief explosion scene. I could really sense Mr. Kasami’s creative spirit in the way he crafted his work with such meticulous attention to detail.

They were highly praised for their ability to master the latest technology and bring their work to a level of completion ready for immediate release.

He says that becoming a game developer has changed the way he views the games he used to play. It's amazing that he was able to have that kind of experience while still in elementary school.

The runner-up prize went to Momoko Takahashi (a third-grade elementary school student) for her entry, “The World in a Photo.”

I can't go anywhere because of COVID-19. But I have these photos. I want to go there!

And that is how this work came to be.

"A world to capture in a photo." That sweet voice lingers in my ears.

A world of imagination helps lift my gloomy mood. She shared the wonderful world inside her head with us. By the way, she said the places she’d like to visit are “the mountains, Mount Fuji, a friend’s house, a palace under the sea, and a big explosion.”

He was highly praised for creating an unprecedented new worldview titled “The World Within a Photograph.”

The Excellence Award in the Middle School Division went to Yoto Nozaki (a second-year middle school student) for “RUBIC CUBE MASTER.”

A program that can solve a Rubik's Cube using a sequence of moves that's close to the shortest possible. It's said to have developed an algorithm that can complete a process that used to take two hours in just one second. The developer reportedly took on this challenge because they wanted to try something "no one had ever done before." The visuals are great, too. Just watching the colors of the Rubik's Cube align one by one is incredibly satisfying.

Please go ahead and come up with as many algorithms as possible to solve the world's unsolved problems!

The Excellence Award in the Upper Elementary School Division went to Sosuke Konagai (4th grader) for his entry, “Reality Series 5.xx: Station Passenger Flow Simulator.” The Reality Series is back.Two years ago, Satosuke Konagai developed a simulator for the Shibuya Scramble Crossing and won the Grand Prix. I was thrilled to learn that he had continued observing “pedestrian flow” for another two years.

Mr. Konagai says, “The flow of people is beautiful.”

This work is a simulator that precisely recreates the flow of passengers getting on and off at Shinjuku Station, which has the highest passenger volume in the world. It is the latest installment in his “Reality” series, which explores the interplay between human flow and reality.

“By simulating pedestrian flow, we can apply the results to a wide range of areas, such as safety, disaster prevention, the design of buildings and stations, pedestrian flow rules, and measures to combat infectious diseases,” he says. On the other hand, when asked about his motivation for creating things for others, he seemed unsure of the intent behind the question and replied, “It’s a work I created because I’ve always wanted to make it. I made what I wanted.”

It’s precisely because it’s something I love that I can delve deeply into it and continue exploring it for a long time. But as a result of pursuing what I want to create, it has become something that helps many people and serves a purpose. Isn’t that ideal!

At the end of your presentation, you mentioned simulation research that won a Nobel Prize. I really hope you win a Nobel Prize someday. You have the curiosity and technical skills to make that a reality!

The Excellence Award in the Lower Elementary School Division went to Kotaro Misawa (first-grader) for “Cyber City YOKOHAMA.”

Due to the pandemic, the number of classes was reduced, and events in Yokohama were canceled. This project was created in an effort to address both of these issues. First-graders can travel through a virtual Yokohama while solving first-grade math problems. By using the camera feature, they can even experience the feeling of actually being in Yokohama. First-graders from across the country created this educational resource—which also serves as a promotional tool for Yokohama—for first-graders nationwide.When asked, “Why are you creating this for others?” they replied, “Because we want lots of people to use what we’ve made. To do that, we have to make something fun.” They’re first-graders. By the way, when they improved the game based on feedback from their parents who tried it out, they ended up creating even more bugs… Poor things…

Seeing his implementation and presentation skills—which are hard to believe for a first-grader—people can’t help but ask, “How old were you when you started programming?” Apparently, “at age 4”… He also mentioned that he learned by looking at other people’s source code… What an amazing first-grader.

The Special Award went to “Adventures Around COVID-19” by Koichiro Yamamoto (a fifth-grader).

This is an RPG game set in “a world where the coronavirus has mutated and can now take over humans and other living creatures. The story follows the protagonist’s father, who contracts the coronavirus, and his journey to deliver the ingredients for a cure to his mother (a doctor).” The developers said they wanted to create a game that would allow anyone to easily learn about coronavirus infections while having fun.

In her judging comments, Chomado-san said, “It was clear that you enjoyed creating this. I was thrilled by its unique world.” It was indeed a work that truly conveyed the creator’s excitement.

Not only did he create the story himself, but he also made the pixel art and music from scratch. He said the most enjoyable part was “bringing the characters I created to life and adding music to them,” and that programming took up about half of the total production time. Programming is truly a way to bring the world you envision to life!

The six works that received Honorable Mentions were all of such high quality that any one of them could easily have won the Grand Prize.

"You Will Shape the World 10 Years from Now: Building a City Free of Global Warming," created by Junji Kato (a third-grade elementary student), is a game designed to encourage elementary school students to think about global warming. It features a city similar to SimCity, and by interacting with city-building options such as “Power Generation,” “Agriculture and Manufacturing,”“Homes & Buildings,” “Parks & Public Spaces,” and “Roads & Vehicles,” the game’s metrics—such as CO2, methane, and electricity—change. Players can eliminate the causes of greenhouse gases and build their city while considering residents’ feelings, using solar and wind power generation as well as hydrogen-powered vehicles.The inclusion of a “Happiness” rating is a unique feature. The developers explained that they believed it’s important to strike a balance between environmental issues and the happiness of each individual. The game’s stages are divided into two parts not only to raise awareness of environmental issues among many people but also to encourage them to think about “solutions.” It’s truly impressive that they’ve even thought through mechanisms to prompt players to take action.

"The Tortoise and the Hare" by Shota Sato (4th grader).

"Computer is a Teacher" (CIAT Project): This project aims to reduce teachers' workload by having a computer act as a substitute teacher. Specifically, we developed an application that automatically measures the duration and number of jumps during jump rope exercises and provides advice on improving form using ML2Scratch.

Apparently, it was difficult to teach the AI the correct posture. Every time they changed the training method, they had to start the AI’s training from scratch, and by the time they were done, it had jumped rope a total of 1,000 times and had become quite good at it.

It seems they plan to expand the CIAT project to include soccer and calligraphy in the future, so please be sure to coordinate with the GIGA School Initiative.

"COVID Simulator" by Michiya Kuchida (5th grader).

The students gathered information from TV, newspapers, and schools to develop a program that simulates the spread of the coronavirus. The program replicates scenarios such as people self-isolating when a state of emergency is declared and individuals who have acquired immunity losing that immunity after a certain period of time.

The motivation behind this development was the thought that there might be something I could do to prevent infection, and that if we could spread that knowledge and start looking out for one another, we might be able to prevent COVID-19.

When I asked them what they thought about the COVID-19 measures adults are taking, they said, “I don’t think the current measures will be effective against the Omicron variant.” Please feel free to keep sharing your science-based suggestions with the adults!

"Disaster Preparedness Search" by Rina Nakajima (4th grader).

This disaster preparedness map was created based on the concept of “convenient and easy-to-understand disaster preparedness experiences.” It’s an app that lets you experience disaster preparedness firsthand in your neighborhood using an AR camera.

I heard that the icons and illustrations are also original creations, and I was surprised at how polished they are—they’re ready to use as is.

I was also impressed by their perseverance in repeatedly conducting user tests and refining the product.

Conceptual skills, design skills, technical skills, and presentation skills. It was a work of exceptional quality in every respect.

"Robot School Akihabara," presented by the team assignment coordinators (teams of four, consisting of 4th through 6th graders).

This team advanced from the "Kino-kun ICT Programming Contest" in Wakayama Prefecture. They also submitted the only hardware project in this competition.

In the classrooms of the future, robots might even help out with the duties of the test distributor! They’ve brought that vision to life. Will a robot teacher grade the tests? Will a robot teacher hand out the answer sheets?

I live with a robot myself, and perhaps the day when we can go to school with robots isn’t far off.

They divided up the tasks among the team members and worked together, which reportedly strengthened the team’s bond.

"Reflection" by Yuta Tani (a third-year middle school student).

A puzzle game where you guide light to a light bulb by manipulating various mechanisms, such as mirrors, warps, and checkpoints.

With so many games already out there, the very act of coming up with a new game idea like this is amazing. If I went about my daily life with the mindset of looking for inspiration to create games, would even something as simple as “light” look different to me?

This is Mr. Tani’s third video game project. He says he wants to try his hand at an action game next.

In his closing remarks, Mr. Endo, a member of the organizing committee, explained, “This programming competition promotes programming as a form of expression.” This is reflected in the results of this year’s judging.

I feel that works created by artists who truly enjoyed themselves and were filled with excitement while expressing themselves were highly regarded.

The observation that “their ability to express themselves is remarkable—they’ve learned to put their thoughts into words through the act of creating” also ties into the significance of “learning by doing.”

In her overall comments, Head Judge Tomu Kawada noted, “I appreciated their willingness to address questions directly. In programming, if you try to cut corners, the code won’t work. It’s impressive that they’ve internalized that as a core principle.” Programming truly fosters a wide range of skills, doesn’t it?

The head judge’s comment, “I was surprised by how high the level was. I stopped treating them like kids,” is the highest praise!

I found myself nodding in agreement with almost everything in Executive Committee Chair Inami’s closing remarks.

"Hacking and cooking are similar. Programming and cooking are closely related."

Even when using the same ingredients, the taste varies depending on who makes them. It differs by country, region, and household. I want to try it myself, and I want others to enjoy it. When you have that feeling, even an ordinary rice ball tastes delicious.

We’ve put together a collection of original works filled with warmth. The future looks bright.

"It's all of you who will shape the future."

That's right! It's all of you who will imagine and create the future! And that future is bright!

Once again this year, I was greatly inspired by all of you—with your strong curiosity, high aspirations, and the ability to turn your ideas into reality through implementation and execution! Thank you so much for participating and taking on this challenge.

To all the judges and members of the organizing committee: Thank you for your hard work and for everything you’ve done.

We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has supported this event.

I’m looking forward to meeting lots of children full of hope again next year (*^^*)