WOMAN AI AWARD 2026 Announces Winners for All 7 Categories and the Public Vote Award

The General Incorporated Association Women AI Initiative Japan (Location: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Chisato Kunimoto, hereinafter WAIJ) held the awards ceremony for the "WOMAN AI AWARD 2026," which honors women who have expanded their options by challenging themselves with AI as "role models," on July 6, 2026 (Mon.) in Tokyo. We are pleased to announce the winners for the seven categories and the Public Vote Award. This award recognized 14 recipients who have forged their own paths with AI and embodied "updating their perspective."

Special Website: https://women-ai-initiative.jp/woman-ai-award2026

About the WOMAN AI AWARD 2026

This award recognizes women who have expanded their options by challenging themselves with AI as "role models" and widely disseminates the stories behind their transformations. The aim is to create opportunities to "learn and engage with AI" through the presence of role models, thereby broadening societal recognition of AI utilization.

This year's award received 191 applications (including self-nominations and external nominations) from 23 prefectures nationwide and overseas, with participants ranging in age from 15 to 69.

Based on the three criteria of "empathy, originality, and transformativeness," finalists were selected through a primary and secondary screening by seven judges. From these 30 finalists, winners for each category were chosen through a final screening, along with one recipient who received the most votes in the public vote held on our owned media (Period: June 22 - July 4).

List of Winners

The winners for each category are as follows (in Japanese syllabary order within categories, titles omitted).

【Company Innovator Award: Individuals who have driven AI transformation within companies and organizations】

・ Mami Adachi | "I want to eliminate the choice between career and childcare." An HR professional's challenge to redesign recruitment operations with AI as the premise.

https://women-ai-initiative.jp/media/posts/adachi_award

・ Kaori Ishimaru | "Turning constraints into growth." Continuing to challenge with AI after entrepreneurship, selling a company, and battling breast cancer, creating a sustainable system.

https://women-ai-initiative.jp/media/posts/ishimaru_award

【Community Award: Individuals who have taught AI, expanded their network, and promoted a culture of AI utilization】

・ Maki Nagase | "I was the only woman in the room." Founded the AI development community "Women's Base."

https://women-ai-initiative.jp/media/posts/nagase_award

・ Yoshie Fujimoto | "Bridging the gap between the field and technology." From a non-IT background to implementing AI company-wide, and fostering internal and external communities.

https://women-ai-initiative.jp/media/posts/fujimoto_award

【Social Impact Award: Individuals creating change in social issue areas such as public services, education, and NPOs】

・ Nanase Kobayashi | "Towards a society where support reaches regardless of where one lives or the time." Tackling regional disparities in mental healthcare with AI.

https://women-ai-initiative.jp/media/posts/kobayashi_award

・ Mayuko Koyama | "AI filled the gap in my lack of experience." Transforming schools with paper prompt communication, reducing overtime by 50%.

https://women-ai-initiative.jp/media/posts/koyama_award

・ Ai Yoshitani | "From unemployed freeter to 1000 engineers." Leading an IT x welfare group and making the AI development platform open source.

https://women-ai-initiative.jp/media/posts/yoshitani_award

【Next Generation Award: Young leaders in their teens and twenties who serve as next-generation role models】

・ Akane Watanabe | "It's okay to say you like what you like." From fan activities to generative AI engineer. The catalyst that allowed me to become the protagonist of my own life.

https://women-ai-initiative.jp/media/posts/watanabe_award

【Founder Award: Individuals who have launched and managed their own businesses centered around AI】

・ Arisa Sawada | "Democratizing HR for regional SMEs." Creating HR tools usable even without experts. A non-engineer developed a PoC in two weeks, implementing consultant knowledge into AI.

https://women-ai-initiative.jp/media/posts/sawada_arisa_award

【Life Innovator Award: Individuals who have transformed the domain of "daily life" with AI】

・ Mari Miyazaki | "A household isn't run by one person's sheer effort." Practiced "housework x AI" for 1000 days and published "AI x Housework."

https://women-ai-initiative.jp/media/posts/miyazaki_award

・ Sachiko Wada | "Eliminating housework worldwide." Transforming household knowledge into infrastructure for the AI era.

https://women-ai-initiative.jp/media/posts/wada_award

【Re-Start Award: Individuals who have restarted their careers after encountering AI】

・ Tomoka Sawada | "Am I just going to retire like this?" Transforming the workplace with AI. After 20 years as a temporary employee, she increased AI utilization by fourfold for an organization of 700 people starting in her late 40s. https://women-ai-initiative.jp/media/posts/sawada_tomoka_award

・ Mitsuteru Honda | "Physical limitations were the gateway to AI." A 69-year-old tour guide established Japan's first and only specialized AI training program.

https://women-ai-initiative.jp/media/posts/honda_award

【Public Vote Award: The individual who received the most votes in the public vote on our owned media】

・ Shiho Kuzuya | "Time to make one more dish." Connecting 24 general affairs staff, shifting from "getting tasks done" to "designing work" with AI.

https://women-ai-initiative.jp/media/posts/kuzuya_award

The stories of the award winners and finalists' challenges are available on the WAIJ owned media (https://women-ai-initiative.jp/media/category/AWARD).

Representative Director's Comment

For this inaugural "WOMAN AI AWARD 2026," we had a truly diverse group of women participate, ranging in age from 15 to 69, from Hokkaido to Okinawa, with approximately 90% not being engineers. What we want to celebrate here is not just their achievements, but also the "small courage" that made them think, "Maybe I can do it too."

Each award winner has rewritten their own perspective from "I can't do this" to "I've done it."

There are those who say AI will take away jobs. However, what everyone here has shown us is the complete opposite.

Starting with this "update of perspective," we will continue to expand this towards an update of the very way we work in this country, together with all of you.

Awards Ceremony Overview

・ Name: WOMAN AI AWARD 2026

・ Date & Time: July 6, 2026 (Mon.) Doors open 13:00 / Ceremony starts 13:30 - Ends 15:35

・ Venue: In Tokyo

・ Format: Offline (In-person)

・ Content: Opening remarks, Introduction of judges and awardees, Awards ceremony, Panel discussion, Photo session, Networking

・ Organizer: General Incorporated Association Women AI Initiative Japan

・ Sponsor: CORE Inc.

・ Supporters: General Incorporated Association for the Promotion of Generative AI Utilization (GUGA), General Incorporated Association Japan Deep Learning Association (JDLA)

<Judges (in Japanese syllabary order)>

Yuriko Asahina | Former CIO, Persol Tempstaff Co., Ltd.

Haruko Kawashima | Representative Director, Woman's Leadership Institute Inc.

Muneaki Goto | Representative Director, General Incorporated Association Japan Reskilling Initiative

Momoko Shirakawa | Visiting Professor, Showa Women's University; Specially Appointed Professor, iU; Journalist, Author

Sachiko Hanyu | Representative Director, Hanyu Pro Inc. / Author, Media Producer / Chair, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's "Datsu-One-ope & Kyōiku Project"

Ayumi Fujimoto | Representative Director, General Incorporated Association Startup Ecosystem Association / Representative Director, FoundersNation Inc.

Chikako Yada | Former Special Advisor to the Prime Minister (Wages and Employment) / Representative Director, Public-Private Partnership DX Women's Advancement Consortium

General Incorporated Association Women AI Initiative Japan Overview

Name: General Incorporated Association Women AI Initiative Japan

Location: JMF Building Shibuya 03 5F, 2-11-1 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Date Established: May 14, 2025 Representative Director: Chisato Kunimoto Website: https://women-ai-initiative.jp/

Contact Information

General Incorporated Association Women AI Initiative Japan Secretariat

Email: [email protected]