Application Guidelines
1.Project Overview
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is actively disclosing data held by Tokyo Metropolitan Government and municipalities in Tokyo. By collaborating with civic tech organizations and private companies to create new services, we are working to enhance the convenience for Tokyo residents. To accelerate this initiative, the "Governor's Cup Open Data Hackathon," a competition where developers unite to solve administrative issues, propose data visualization analysis, and present ideas to address challenges. All this is done utilizing the open data listed on the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Open Data Catalog site (including open data held by Tokyo Metropolitan Government and municipalities in Tokyo).
(Note) Hackathon: A development event where engineers and planners bring their respective skills and ideas together to develop applications or other solutions in a short period, competing to produce the best results.
2.Applicants
Individuals or groups aiming to develop services, visualizations (visual analysis), or propose ideas using the open data listed on the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Open Data Catalog site.
*Individual applications are also welcome.
3.Application Requirements
Considering or planning to propose services, visualizations (visual analysis), or ideas that contribute to solving administrative issues faced by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (in addition to free proposals, suggestions for the specified administrative issues are also possible).
Planning to utilize the open data listed on the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Open Data Catalog site.
The Student Award is for teams composed entirely of high school students, technical college students, vocational school students, and undergraduate university students (excluding graduate students) (*One advisor of any occupation or age is permitted to participate as an advisor).
The following are excluded
(1) Organized crime groups (organized crime groups as defined in Article 2, Paragraph 2 of the Tokyo Metropolitan Ordinance for Elimination of Organized Crime Groups (Tokyo Metropolitan Ordinance No. 54 of 2011, hereinafter referred to as the "Ordinance"))
(2) Corporations whose representatives, officers, employees, other workers, or members include individuals who fall under the category of organized crime groups members, etc. (referring to organized crime groups, organized crime groups members as defined in Article 2, Paragraph 3 of the Ordinance, and organized crime groups associates as defined in Paragraph 4 of the same Article)
(3) Those engaged in businesses related to adult entertainment as defined in Article 2 of the "Act on Control and Improvement of Amusement Business, etc.," gambling businesses, betting, and other business types deemed inappropriate as support recipients according to social conventions
(4) Those engaged in business types deemed inappropriate as recipients of public funding support, such as multi-level marketing, negative option (unordered goods sales), hypnotic sales methods, fortune-telling scams, and similar practices
4.Application period
June 6th (Friday) to July 25th (Friday), 2025
5.Recruitment Categories
Anyone, whether individuals or groups, can participate in any of the following categories. You will choose a category when submitting your work.
Service Development
Where participants compete in service development utilizing open data
Visualization
Where participants compete in the visualization (visual analysis) of open data
*There are no restrictions on the tools used for visual analysis.
Idea Proposal
Where participants compete in proposing for solving issues using open data
*Anyone interested in utilizing open data can participate, even if they lack app development or other technical skills.
6.Program Overview
Overview
In addition to the Governor's Cup (Grand Prize) and the Audience Award, a total of ten awards are established, including three category awards and five special jury awards which include the newly established Student Award.
All teams advancing to the Final Stage will receive an open badge and Tokyo Points*.
For the teams advancing to the Final Stage in the service development category, we will provide support for service implementation until the end of the fiscal year (such as technical advice and workshops). Additionally, in collaboration with GovTechTokyo, we will prepare the support desk which can advice e.g. technical verification aiming to install in administrative organizations also for services which has already implemented.
*Condition: Must be a member of the team at the time of Final Stage participation. 500 Tokyo Points awarded per person (maximum of 10 people per team). App installation is required to receive Tokyo Points. Additionally, if multiple teams that a person belongs to advance to the Final Stage, Tokyo Points will be awarded for only one team.
Program Schedule (Tentative)
Ideathon
Team building and consider the development of prototypes, visualized works in the Visualization category, and ideas in the Idea Proposal category.Hackathon
Team building and create prototypes of digital services utilizing open data published on the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Open Data Catalog site.First Stage
Participants will record presentations of the prototypes created during the hackathon—either online or in person—requiring approximately 30 minutes to complete a 2-minute recorded presentation within a five-day window. 24 teams (18 from the Service Development category, 3 from the Visualization category, and 3 from the Idea Proposal category) will be selected based on video evaluations of presentations.Final Stage (Final Judging) & Award Ceremony
A presentation competition will be held among the 24 selected teams from the First Stage, and the judging will determine the the Grand Prize and other prizes.The Grand Prize winner will receive the Governor's Cup award.Service Implementation Support
For the 18 projects that advance to the Final Stage, we will implement a support program aimed at releasing them by the end of the fiscal year. This program includes bi-weekly mentoring sessions, business matching support for proof-of-concept experiments, and other implementation assistance. Additionally, in collaboration with GovTechTokyo, we will prepare the support desk which can advice e.g. technical verification aiming to install in administrative organizations also for services which has already implemented.Demo Day (Presentation of Results)
Introduce the services as a presentation of the results of this project.
*First Stage, Final Stage and Demo Day will be open to the public.
7.Judges' Criteria
Judges' Criteria
The judging criteria for the First Stage and Final Stage are as follows
Service Development Category
The open data is listed on the Tokyo Metropolitan Open Data Catalog site being used effectively in the proposed service.
Based on an accurate understanding of administrative issues.
Technically challenging and recognized for its specificity.
The feasibility of service implementation is high (e.g., the business entity responsible for the service is clearly defined)
Excellent continuity of services and mechanisms that lead to new experiences for service users.
Visualization Category
The proposal effectively uses the open data listed on the Tokyo Metropolitan Open Data Catalog site.
Based on an accurate understanding of administrative issues.
Is the proposal one that has a high level of technical difficulty in data visualization and is recognized for its uniqueness.
An excellent visualization and analysis method by bringing new perspectives to solving administrative issues and providing new experiences for service users.
Idea Proposal Category
The open data listed on the Tokyo Metropolitan Open Data Catalog site is used effectively in the proposal.
Has a strong understanding of administrative issues.
The open data is effectively utilized, and the proposed ideas are unique and excellent.
Examination process
First Stage
The evaluation will be conducted based on the recorded presentation videos and other submitted materials, with the judging committee evaluation according to the evaluation criteria.Final Stage
The entries will be evaluated by the judges and the audience will also be able to vote.
8.Awards
Governor's Cup (Grand Prize)
Audience Award (General Audience Award)
Category Awards
Service Development Category Award
Visualization Category Award
Idea Proposal Category Award
Judges' Special Awards
Administrative Problem Solving Award
Business Award
Technology Award
Service Design Award
Student Award [New]
Open badges and 500 Tokyo Points (per person, maximum of 10 people per team) will be awarded to all teams advancing to the Final Stage
9.Recruitment Process
Governor's Cup Open Data Hackathon Application Form
Notification of results
We will notify the results via email by Thursday, July 31, 2025.
10.Notes
Please apply only after agreeing to all of the following terms.
Must meet all the application requirements specified in "3. Application Requirements" of the recruitment guidelines.
Please note that the following cases will be excluded from the review process
・ Your application is incomplete.
・ You provide false information in the application form or you make a false report to the secretariat.The application information, including personal information provided during the application process, will be used and shared by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the organizing office for the purpose of implementing or publicizing this project and to the extent necessary for this project. Additionally, except as explicitly specified in the application guidelines, the application information will not be provided to third parties other than the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the organizing office without prior approval. (The team name and number of members will be disclosed.)
Inquiries regarding the progress or results of the evaluation will not be answered.
Please note that if the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the organizing office determine that participation in this project is inappropriate, you may be asked to withdraw midway through the project.
Regarding awards such as the Governor's Cup, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the organizing office do not guarantee any performance or quality of the winning works.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government will not endorse, publish, or distribute services completed through the hackathon as official services.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the organizing office bear no responsibility for any damages arising from the submission of works. The intellectual property rights of the submitted works belong to the applicants. If deemed necessary by the applicants, they must handle any rights processing procedures at their own responsibility. The organizers and the organizing office bear no responsibility for any issues that arise concerning intellectual property rights.
The ownership of photographs, videos, records, and other materials taken during the event belongs to the organizer and may be published on internet sites, SNS, printed materials, and other materials. Participants must agree to filming and publication before participating in this event.
Submitted prototypes and ideas may be featured on the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's website and other platforms. Additionally, they may be included in reports and promotional materials by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government may conduct a questionnaire survey about the service provision status, etc., even after the project ends.
There is the possibility that the Tokyo Metropolitan Government will refuse your participation if it determines that support by the government is inappropriate (e.g., a service idea that is undesirable according to social convention).
Participation in this program and winning awards such as the Governor's Cup do not entail any financial support from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
Participation in this program is free of charge.
* However, participants are responsible for their own expenses, such as transportation costs to the event location and communication costs for online participation.Participation from overseas is possible. However, in the same way as 13. above, participants need to bear all expenses related to participation.
