About us
Since our establishment in 2017, we have pursued international activities across a wide range of artistic fields, including music, composition, digital art, fine art, lyric writing and creative expression through language.
Our aim is to create opportunities for composers, musicians, artists, lyricists and creators to present their work across national and regional boundaries.
Through international competitions, online open calls, interviews, educational initiatives and digital platforms, we continue to connect creators and audiences around the world.
Our international activities
Ise-Shima Art Company’s competitions have received entries from many regions, including Asia, Europe, North and South America, and Oceania.
In recent years, the international competitions we organise have received more than 500 entries a year in total. We are expanding our activities to provide international opportunities for composers, musicians, artists, lyricists and creators around the world to present their work.
We provide an international platform for creators worldwide, as well as those in Japan.
Musicians, composers, artists, researchers and educators with international backgrounds also contribute to our activities. We value respect for different cultures and forms of expression, and strive to create opportunities for a diverse range of works to be appreciated and assessed.
How we run our competitions
Ise-Shima Art Company organises international composition competitions, popular music composition contests, lyric writing contests and competitions in other artistic fields.
For each competition, we publish the rules before applicants enter, clearly setting out the deadline, entry fees, prizes, entry procedure, judging process and expected date of the results announcement.
The results of past competitions are available on our official website.
Payment of an entry fee does not guarantee a prize, selection, publication or a feature. Entries are judged in accordance with the published rules of each competition.
We aim to give applicants clear, transparent information and to run our competitions as a trusted setting for international arts activities.
Judging and artistic approach
Sumio Kobayashi is the principal judge for our composition competitions.
Sumio Kobayashi is a composer, artist and linguist, and an Associate Professor in the Department of Music at Nihon University College of Art. His work spans contemporary music, digital art, fine art and linguistic research.
As a composer, he has received recognition at composition competitions and music festivals in Japan and abroad, including the Music Competition of Japan and the Toru Takemitsu Composition Award, a Special Prize at the Isang Yun Prize, and first prizes at the international composition competition of European Capital of Culture Wrocław 2016 and the Busan MARU International Composition Competition.
He has also received the Newcomer Award of the Mie Prefecture Cultural Awards. His practice extends beyond composition to encompass art, research and education.
In judging the competitions we organise, we place importance on originality, creativity and artistic direction, as well as technical accomplishment. Ise-Shima Art Company’s competitions value engagement with work by creators from diverse backgrounds, regardless of nationality or age.
Trust and transparency
Ise-Shima Art Company is a company officially registered in Japan.
The rules, entry fees, deadlines, prizes, entry procedures, judging processes and expected dates of results announcements are published on our official website before applicants enter.
The results of past competitions are also available on our official website.
Applicants can contact us through our official email address.
Payment of an entry fee does not guarantee a prize, selection, publication or a feature. All entries are judged in accordance with the rules of each competition.
We aim to provide applicants with information that is as clear and transparent as possible, and to offer an international arts platform where they can enter with confidence.
Ise-Shima Art Company’s competitions place importance on fair judging, so that assessments are not influenced by an applicant’s personal connections with the organisers, introductions, affiliations, background, nationality or age.
Judging focuses on the quality, originality, creativity and expressive strength of the submitted work itself, rather than the applicant’s title or reputation.
We believe competitions should offer an opportunity for works to be fairly assessed on their own merits, rather than depend on personal connections or credentials.
We therefore judge each competition in accordance with its published rules and aim to manage it as fairly and transparently as possible for applicants.
Our purpose
Our purpose is to give composers, musicians, artists, lyricists and creators around the world opportunities to present their work and have it assessed across national boundaries.
In particular, we want to provide an accessible place to apply and reach an audience for young creators who hope to work internationally and for those seeking new opportunities to present their work.
Ise-Shima Art Company will continue to expand opportunities for international artistic exchange across music, art, language and digital expression.
Competition organisers: our team
Organiser: Ise-Shima Events Executive Committee
Operator: Ise-Shima Art Company, Inc.
Hajime Kimura
Chair of the Competition Executive Committee
Chair of the Events Management Committee
Valeria Makshakova
Manager
Irina Yamate
Manager
Mariko Obata (Associate Professor, Mie University)
Adviser
MOK Honggyun
Adviser
Operator and competition entries
Ise-Shima Art Company, a Japanese stock company, is the contracting party for competition entries accepted through this website, the recipient of entry fees and the business operator handling personal information. Information about the organising committee is distinct from the corporate information of the stock company.
Privacy Policy and General Conditions for Competition Entries
Documents concerning the organising committee
The following text concerns the organising committee and is not the articles of incorporation of Ise-Shima Art Company, the Japanese stock company.
Constitution of the Ise-Shima Arts Events Organising Committee
Chapter 1 — General Provisions
【Name】
Article 1. The organisation shall be named Ise-Shima Art Company, and its name in English shall be “Ise-Shima Art Company”.
【Principal office】
Article 2. The organisation shall have its principal office in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo.
Chapter 2 — Purposes and Activities
(Purpose)
Article 3. The purpose of the organisation is to conduct arts-related activities for art enthusiasts and people residing in Mie Prefecture, while maintaining an international outlook, and thereby contribute to the promotion of artistic activities, primarily within Mie Prefecture.
(Types of specified non-profit activities)
Article 4. To achieve the purpose set out in the preceding article, this legal entity shall carry out the following types of specified non-profit activities.
(1) Organising arts-related events
(2) Activities promoting international exchange through the arts
(3) Supporting the activities of artists with ties to Mie Prefecture
(Activities)
Article 5. To achieve the purpose set out in Article 3, this legal entity shall carry out the following activities.
(1) Activities relating to specified non-profit activities
① Organising arts festivals, concerts, exhibitions and similar events
② Providing opportunities to learn about the arts, including workshops and lectures
③ Supporting the activities of artists with ties to Mie Prefecture
④ Organising international arts competitions
⑤ Operating an arts theme park
⑥ Selling works of art
【Method of public notice】
Article 6. Public notices of the organisation shall be posted in a place readily visible to the public at its principal office or on its website.
Chapter 2 — Members
【Admission】
Article 7. Persons who support the organisation’s purposes and join it shall be members.
Article 8. To become a member, a person shall apply using the form prescribed by the organisation and obtain the approval of the representative director.
【Payment of expenses and other charges】
Article 9. Members shall be obliged to pay the expenses necessary to achieve the organisation’s purposes.
Article 10. Members shall pay the admission fee and membership dues separately determined by the general meeting of members.
【Withdrawal】
Article 11. A member may withdraw at any time, provided that the member gives the organisation at least one month’s advance notice.
【Expulsion】
Article 12. If there are legitimate grounds for expulsion, such as a member damaging the organisation’s reputation, acting contrary to its purposes or breaching the obligations of membership, that member may be expelled by a resolution of the general meeting of members as provided for in Article 49, paragraph 2 of the Act on General Associations and General Foundations (hereinafter referred to as the “General Organisations Act”).
【Loss of membership】
Article 13. A member shall lose membership upon falling under any of the following conditions.
⑴ Withdrawal from membership.
⑵ Becoming subject to adult guardianship or curatorship.
⑶ Death, a judicial declaration of disappearance, or dissolution.
⑷ Failure to pay membership dues for two years or more.
⑸ Expulsion.
⑹ Consent of all members.
Chapter 3 — General Meetings of Members
【Holding of meetings】
Article 14. The ordinary general meeting of members shall be held within three months after the end of each financial year, and extraordinary general meetings shall be held as necessary. Taking account of circumstances and infectious diseases, general meetings shall primarily be conducted in writing.
【Convening of meetings】
Article 15. The representative director may convene a general meeting of members on the basis of a decision by a majority of the directors.
【Adoption of resolutions】
Article 16. Except as otherwise provided by laws and regulations, resolutions of the general meeting of members shall be adopted by a majority of the voting rights of the members present, with members holding a majority of the voting rights of all members in attendance.
【Voting rights】
Article 17. Each member shall have one vote.
【Chair】
Article 18. The representative director shall chair the general meeting of members. If the representative director is unable to act, a chair shall be elected at that general meeting.
【Minutes】
Article 19. Minutes of the proceedings of the general meeting of members shall be prepared in accordance with laws and regulations.
Chapter 4 — Officers
【Officers】
Article 20. The organisation shall have the following officers.
1. Directors: at least one and no more than three.
2. One of the directors shall serve as representative director.
【Appointment】
Article 21. Directors shall be elected from among the members by resolution of the general meeting of members. Where necessary, however, persons who are not members may also be elected.
1. The representative director shall be elected by the directors from among themselves.
2. In relation to any individual officer, no more than one person who is that officer’s spouse or relative within the third degree of kinship may be included among the officers. Nor may that officer, together with their spouse and relatives within the third degree of kinship, constitute more than one third of the total number of officers.
【Term of office】
Article 22. A director’s term of office shall end at the conclusion of the ordinary general meeting of members for the last financial year ending within two years after the director’s election.
1. A director elected to replace a director who leaves office before the end of their term shall serve for the remainder of the predecessor’s term.
【Duties and powers】
Article 23. Directors shall perform their duties in accordance with laws and regulations and this Constitution.
1. The representative director shall represent the organisation and oversee its activities.
【Removal from office】
Article 24. A director may be removed from office by resolution of the general meeting of members.
【Remuneration and other benefits】
Article 25. Directors’ remuneration, bonuses and other financial benefits received from the organisation in consideration of the performance of their duties shall be determined by resolution of the general meeting of members.
Chapter 5 — Accounts
【Financial year】
Article 26. The organisation shall have one financial year annually, running from 1 April to 31 March of the following year.
【Activity plan and income and expenditure budget】
Article 27. The representative director shall prepare the organisation’s activity plan and income and expenditure budget by the day before the start of each financial year and obtain approval at the general meeting of members held nearest to that date. The same procedure shall apply to any amendments.
【Non-distribution of surpluses】
Article 28. The organisation shall not distribute any surplus.
【Disposal of remaining assets】
Article 29. Any assets remaining when the organisation is liquidated upon dissolution or otherwise shall, by resolution of the general meeting of members (the council of councillors), be donated to the national government, a local public entity, a public interest association, a public interest foundation or an organisation listed in Article 5, item 17 of the Public Interest Certification Act.
【Membership dues】
Article 30. Annual membership dues shall be 10,000 yen per unit, and members shall pay for at least one unit.
Chapter 6 — Supplementary Provisions
【First financial year】
Article 30. The organisation’s first financial year shall run from the date of its establishment to 31 March 2019 (Heisei 31).
【Applicable laws and regulations】
Article 31. All matters not provided for in this Constitution shall be governed by the General Organisations Act and other applicable laws and regulations.
Contact
Email: info at iseshimaart.com
Enquiries in Japanese are handled only through the email address above. Please contact us by email rather than by telephone.
Phone: (050) 5809-5243 — Japan (+81)
Address: 609 Miyamasuzaka Building, 2-19-15 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo