Showcase your art on OCTOPUS at the University of Osaka!

The D3 Center of The University of Osaka will launch the operation of OCTOPUS（Osaka university Compute & sTOrage Platform Urging open Science） —a next-generation computing and storage infrastructure— in September 2025. This platform will be available to researchers, graduate students, and undergraduate students at universities, research institutes, and companies across Japan.
　To celebrate the launch of OCTOPUS, we are calling for proposals for an artwork that will serve as the new iconic “face” of OCTOPUS.
　The winning artwork will be printed on the front of the server racks (1940 mm x 3500 mm) located in the IT Core Building— our data center—and will also be featured widely on our website, publicity materials, and more.



Deadline

Submission deadline: 12:00 PM (Noon), Friday, July 18, 2025 (JST)
Submissions must be received by this time.
 

Awards

【Grand Prize (1 entry)】VISA Gift Card worth ¥300,000 and Certificate of Award
【Excellence Award (2 entries)】VISA Gift Card worth ¥70,000 and Certificate of Award
【Special Jury Award (Several entries)】VISA Gift Card worth ¥30,000 and Certificate of Award
 

Theme

「Designs that represent OCTOPUS」

Inspired by the following keywords:

    「Open Science」
    「Large-scale Research Data」
    「Artificial Intelligence (AI) 」
    「Scientific Computing and Simulation」
    「Octopus」

 



(Reference: Sample Image) Illustration design of the previous "OCTOPUS" system
The new design will be applied to the illustration area of the previous OCTOPUS system.


"OCTOPUS" Computing Rack Group (Design Placement Area)
Top View

"OCTOPUS" Illustration Design
Sample Design Placement Image

 

Submission Materials

【Design Artwork】

    Size: Vertical 194 mm x Horizontal 350 mm (1/10 scale of actual racks)
    File Format: .jpeg, .pdf, or .ai
    Color Mode: CMYK
    Resolution: 1000 dpi or higher

    Note: Submissions using generative AI or traced from AI-generated images are strictly prohibited.

【Concept Description】

    Approx. 1 A4 page describing the design concept

 

How to Participate

Please submit your entry via email to the address listed below.

Note: Only one entry per person is accepted.
 

Eligibility

Open to all (no restrictions)
Note: Individuals involved in the organization of this contest, as well as those who have previously received the Grand Prize in a rack design contest held by this center, are not eligible for award selection.
 

Entry Fee

Free of charge
 

Jury

The jury will consist of members from The University of Osaka D3 Center and representatives from our co-hosting, sponsoring, and supporting companies.
 

Result Announcement

Winners will be notified by late July 2025.
Results will also be published on the campaign website.
 

Copyright

The ownership and copyright (including the rights specified in Articles 27 and 28 of the Japanese Copyright Act) of submitted and winning works shall belong to The University of Osaka D3 Center.
 

Organizer

D3 Center, The University of Osaka
 

Sponsors

    NEC Corporation
     

Supporters

    CyberSketch Co., Ltd.
     

Co-Sponsors

    Intel Corporation
    NVIDIA Corporation
    Red Hat, Inc.
    DataDirect Networks Japan, Inc.
    SCSK Corporation
    Macnica, Inc.

 

Submission and Inquiry

Submission and Inquiry E-mail:system@cmc.osaka-u.ac.jp
5-1 Mihogaoka, Ibaraki, Osaka 567-0047, Japan

    D3 Center, The University of Osaka
    Information and Communications Technology Services Infrastructure Division
    To: "Next-Generation Computing and Storage Infrastructure OCTOPUS Rack Design Contest"
    Note1: If your data exceeds 10 GB, we recommend using external file storage services such as filestorage or GigaFile.
    Note2: If submitting in .ai format, please ensure all fonts are converted to outlines.