The awards ceremony for the CREATIVE HACK AWARD 2014, an event sponsored by WIRED magazine to uncover the next generation of creators, took place on the 26th. This year's awards, based on the theme "CONNECT: Discover and Alter Connections," called for submissions in four categories: graphics, movies, 3D products, and ideas. A total of 364 works were submitted over the three months leading up to September 30th, and the Grand Prize winner was selected by a panel of eight judges, including Seiichi Saito of Rhizomatiks. The criteria for the selection were based primarily on the qualities and fields of expertise expected of Japanese creators of the future, and the works that demonstrated a business mindset and communication skills. The Grand Prize-winning work, "Morphing Cube," was created by graduate student Junichi Yamaoka. It recreates the process of drawing using 3D computer graphics in the real world by controlling the deformation of a rubber band with a motor. The shape can be freely changed to include cubes, trapezoids, rectangular prisms, and flat surfaces, and by linking with Kinect, it can even move in sync with human movements.
The runner-up was "Watashi to Watashi" by vocational school student Atsumi Nagata. This book-style work features a novel on the right page and a picture book on the left. The story unfolds as words from the novel are intertwined. The novel tells the story of an adult who wants to return to childhood, while the picture book tells the story of a child who wants to become an adult. The unique twist is that the protagonists of the two stories intersect within the story.
Other award winners in the Graphics category were "Kenbu," which stitches together 200 GIF illustrations; "NINCHRO FIGHT with HUMAN BEATBOX," which uses 3D hologram technology to create a fighting game-style performance battle; and "Voice: Connecting Thoughts and Shapes," which creates an object by enclosing ripples of audio data in a circular shape, in the 3D Products category. The Best Idea Award went to "Noh Connects Japanese Culture!", which proposed a production that uses projection mapping and transparent screens to rediscover the joy of Noh.
In addition, due to the overwhelming popularity of the presentations by applicants, a new Best Presentation Award was quickly added to this year's judging. The first winner was office worker Tsuchiya Yasuhiro, who won for his submission "INTERNET SHRINE" in the movie category.
