07/06/2026
𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 "𝗪𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗿𝗶" 𝘁𝗼 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿: 𝗝𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝗮𝗺𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗼 𝗧𝗿𝗶𝘂𝗺𝗽𝗵𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝟭𝟬𝘁𝗵 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗞𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗔𝗿𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁
Creativity and culture took center stage today as the results of the 10th Philippine Digital Kana Art Competition were officially announced!
In a heartwarming celebration of art and language, Jan Airis Adie Samosino secured a spectacular 2nd place finish in the highly competitive Junior Category. Making the victory even more historic, Sitero Francisco Memorial National High School was the only public school to break into the winners' circle in the junior division, standing tall alongside the country's top young artists.
Hosted by the Ateneo de Manila University Japanese Studies Program (JSP), this year’s milestone 10th edition challenged young digital artists across the country to bring Japanese Hiragana characters to life. Back in April 2026, contestants submitted original artworks featuring creative mnemonics for the characters わ (wa), を (wo), or ん (n).
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗽
The competition was fierce this year, making Samosino-san's victory all the more impressive:
-18 initial entries were submitted nationwide in the Junior Category.
-Only the Top 10 advanced as semi-finalists.
-From there, an elite panel narrowed it down to the Top 3 winners.
The entries were meticulously evaluated by a distinguished panel of judges, consisting of Filipino and Japanese language and art professors from various top universities and language centers.
𝗔 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 "𝗪𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗿𝗶"
Samosino-san captured the judges' hearts and imaginations with a brilliant entry titled "Wodori"—a clever and visually stunning play on the character を (wo).
The big moment unfolded earlier today, June 7, 2026, during a lively awarding ceremony broadcast via Facebook Live on the official JSP Kana page. The livestream was warmly hosted by Junilo S. Espiritu, the President of the Association of Filipino Nihongo Teachers (AFINITE), who kept the energy high and the audience cheering from behind their screens.
Aside from well-deserved bragging rights and a beautiful addition to their art portfolio, Samosino-san and the fellow top winners will be receiving their well-earned cash prizes via GCash.
Congratulations to Jan Samosino and all the talented young artists who bridged culture and creativity through digital art!
おめでとうございます (Omedetou gozaimasu)!