YARIGAI wins the Miyako de IT Sponsor Award
Recognizing a project that considers purpose and human value in the generative-AI era.
Summary: Miyako de IT sponsored Impact Kyoto Hackathon 2026 and awarded team YARIGAI its Sponsor Award. The award included free invitations to Miyako de IT events for one year.
Why YARIGAI received the award
YARIGAI addressed “yarigai”—a sense of purpose or meaningful work—and the human value that can be overlooked as generative AI changes how work is done. Miyako de IT supported the project because it did not frame technology only as efficiency. It asked what people continue to value and how technology can be introduced without losing that question.
A community-based award
The prize was a one-year invitation to attend Miyako de IT events without charge. The intention is to give the team a continuing place to meet engineers, exchange ideas, test assumptions, and remain connected beyond the demo day. A hackathon is not only a moment to choose a winner; it can be an entry point to a longer relationship.
Criteria behind the Sponsor Award
Miyako de IT looked for projects that made a social question concrete, used technology as a means rather than an end, and left room for people to keep testing their idea with others after the event.
| Criterion | What we looked for |
|---|---|
| Automate | A clear understanding of work AI can support |
| Assist | A design that keeps human judgement visible |
| Protect | Attention to purpose, dignity, and social impact |
| Continue | A next setting in which the team can learn and test |
Practical lessons for a community-led hackathon
Clarify why the event exists, keep the theme focused, help participants start quickly, include technical support in the event design, state rights and costs in advance, and create awards that have meaning within the community.
Continuing implementation conversations
Miyako de IT will keep supporting people who bring social questions and practical technology together in Kyoto. Upcoming events and participation details are available through our connpass page. See the hackathon guide, Miyako de IT events, and our community approach.
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Source data
The figures cited in this article are based on primary data in the Miyako de IT annual statistics report. It publishes yearly event counts, venue distribution, and event-format data.
Written by
Miyako de IT Editorial Team