Since 1995 we have supported this contest, begun by the Maruoka-cho Cultural Foundation in Fukui Prefecture. We support this event mainly for the following two reasons. First, the contest features the spirit common to our message: Passing important values from people to people. Second, Maruoka-cho is where Masatomo Sumitomo, our founder, was born.
The award ceremony for the 27th "A Brief Message from the Heart" Letter Contest, scheduled for April 26, 2020, was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Instead of the usual ceremony, award-winning letters are presented in video clips at the website indicated below.
Maruoka Cultural Foundation: 27th "A Brief Message from the Heart" Letter Contest Award Ceremony video clips (in Japanese)
An event to announce winners of the 27th "A Brief Message from the Heart" Letter Contest was held at the Takamuku Community Center in Sakai City, Fukui Prefecture, on January 24, 2020. In this annual contest sponsored by Sumitomo Group Public Affairs Committee, contestants compete by writing memorable short letters on a given theme.
The 2019 competition’s theme was "Season," and of 32,106 entries from Japan and abroad, 145 letters were chosen as winners (5 Grand Prizes, 10 Excellence Awards, 20 Sumitomo Awards, etc.). Five students from the Maruoka-Minami Junior High School of Sakai City read the award-winning letters expressing the full range of sentiments associated with the theme.
The cumulative entries to "A Brief Message from the Heart" Letter Contest," including those to its predecessor held 10 times from 1993 onward, exceeded one million (1,005,226 letters) on April 19, 2009.
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