On Tuesday, March 14th, the first SDG Good Practice Awards Ceremony was held in the Discovery Hall of the Global Square, with representatives of the four winning student groups in attendance.

The University's SDGs Good Practice is a new system launched this year to honor and subsidize initiatives with a high degree of contribution (Type A) and ideas with high feasibility (Type B) toward the achievement of the SDGs. Winning groups will receive a certificate and a supplementary prize. In addition, groups awarded Type B "highly feasible ideas that contribute to the achievement of the SDGs" received a grant.

At the awards ceremony, following the presentation of certificates and commemorative gifts, student representatives from each of the winning groups delivered remarks. Finally, Vice President Ryohei Tanaka, Director of the SDGs Promotion Center, praised the students' proposals for accurately grasping social issues and working to solve them.

The titles of the winning ideas are as follows.
Type A Grand Prize: Reducing Marine Debris through the Sale of Earth-Friendly Items
Type A Excellence Award: FUKU NO KIMOCHI Project
Type A Effort Award: Presentation on trash pickup activities using "Pilika"
Type B Grand Prize: First Generation Support at Soka University

The following comments were received from the winners.

• It has been one year since we started this activity. Thanks to all of you who have supported us, we are happy to have been selected for the commemorative first SDGs Good Practice. We will continue to work on the SDGs, starting with things that are close to our hearts. (Type A Grand Prize)
• We are delighted to receive the Grand Prize. I felt that this project was selected and that the voices of First Generation students were listened to. We will continue our efforts to realize a comfortable campus for all students. (Type B Grand Prize)