The JASC is pleased to announce our 6th Annual Nengajo New Year’s Card Design Contest for all ages!

2026 is the Year of the Horse ( 午年 – uma toshi) from the Zodiac animal calendar, or eta. Curious about the origins of the Zodiac animal calendar? Watch the Donguri Kai students sharing the traditional origin story on JASC’s YouTube Channel here.

Donguri Kai students have enjoyed learning to make a Nengajo, or New Year’s Card, every year. We invite anyone to discover the joy of making a New Year’s Greeting Card in our annual contest.

History of Nengajo

There are many traditions for the season of Oshōgatsu, or New Year’s, in Japan and the Japanese American Community. Along with the thorough cleaning of your house (ōsōji) and preparing traditional foods for the first three days of the year (osechi ryōri), writing New Year’s greeting cards, or nengajo, to family and friends is a special holiday activity.

Sending nengajo is similar to holiday greetings in the Americas and Europe. Senders make time to send their gratitude and appreciation for help and kindness in the past year in an effort to continue strong relationships in the new year.

Nengajo are designed with special themes for the New Year including the eta, or Zodiac animal, of the coming year. Other traditional themes include kites, eggplants, the sun rising over Mt. Fuji, and a kadomatsu (decorative arrangements of pine, bamboo, and sometimes plum blossoms) as auspicious symbols for the next year.

Winners of the 2026 New Years Card Contest

The results are in! We were absolutely blown away by the creativity shown in this year’s New Year Card Contest.

After much deliberation, our judges have selected the top designs across our Teen, Kids, and Adult categories.

A huge thank you to everyone who participated and helped us ring in the Year of the Horse with such style!

New Year Card Contest Prizes