Calling for submissions for the 6th Ikimon Coloring Contest!
Sep. 22, 2025
Ikimon means “living organisms” in the Japanese Kansai dialect.
The bodies of living organisms are very complex, and at the same time, very beautiful. This is why we decided to make a coloring page featuring living organisms!
The theme this time is "The Egg Cell".
Submission period
until September 30, 2025
How to color your work
Create your work using one of the following two methods.
- 1.Download the Ikimon coloring page "The Egg Cell" from the link below, and color as you like. You can use a digital or traditional method to color the picture. You can also use any coloring material (colored pencils, crayons, paints, etc.) of your choice.
- 2.On the Ikimon Coloring website, you can color in the picture online from your browser, and then save and post it directly to X (formerly Twitter) after completion. (You will require a X account to post it to X.)
How to enter the contest
Submit your work using one of the following two methods.
- 1.Via X (Formerly Twitter)
Post the image file of the colored picture with the hashtag #IkimonColoringEggCell. To be considered for the Children’s category, please include the age of the individual who colored the work in the X message or let the secretariat know by direct message (DM).. - 2.Via E-mail
Send a photo or image file of the colored picture as an attachment to an e-mail with the subject line, “Ikimon coloring contest”, and also include the nickname (pen name) of the entrant. To be considered for the Children’s category, please include the age of the individual who colored the work in the body of the e-mail.
Announcement of winning submissions
All submitted entries will be displayed in the East Area during the RIKEN Open House in Kobe on Saturday, October 4, 2025 where the first round of judging will be conducted by general visitors.
After that, a second round of judging will be carried out by a panel including researchers. The final award-winning works will be determined based on the combined results of both rounds.
The winning entries for the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Prizes, the Judges’ Special Prize, and the Kids’ Prize (for works submitted by children aged 12 and under) will be announced on this website in late November 2025.
Winners will receive a commemorative gift. (They will also be contacted individually after the announcement.)
Regarding submissions
Entries should be submitted as jpg or png format images.
The copyrights of the submitted works image data will belong to RIKEN.
Images of submitted works may be posted on our website or on our social media accounts.
The nickname/account name of the winning submissions will also be shown on the website.
Winners will be notified by direct message (DM) for submissions made by X, or by e-mail for submissions made by e-mail. For those who submit via X, please follow @BDR_RIKEN, or enable your account to “receive messages from anyone.” For those who submit via e-mail, please ensure that you can receive e-mails from “@ml.riken.jp”
Please note that we cannot send the prize to the winner if we do not receive a response to the notification from the winner.
The recipient of the Children’s Category Prize will be selected from the submitted works of those 12 years and under. To be considered for the Children’s category, please include the age of the individual who colored the work in the X message or the e-mail.
The following submissions will be disqualified
- Submission of works other than the Ikimon Coloring Page “The Egg Cell”
- Submission of works that have altered the Ikimon Coloring Page “The Egg Cell"
- Images or photos that include full name or other privacy-related information
- Works containing content that is offensive to public order and morals
- Works that infringes on the copyright of others
The organizers also reserve the right to disqualify a submission.
We will not respond to any inquiries regarding the selection process.