Mynavi Show & Drama Awards 2026 Award Ceremony

The Show Drama Award Executive Committee, operated by Progress Co., Ltd. (Location: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Toshiya Nagata), held the awards ceremony for the "Mynavi Show Drama Award 2026," Japan's largest contest for vertical short dramas, which will be held on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, with the special sponsorship of Mynavi Corporation (Location: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director, President and Executive Officer: Shunsuke Awai).

This year's "Mynavi Show Drama Awards 2026" received a total of 4,328 entries: 2,819 on TikTok and 1,509 on Instagram. Furthermore, the total number of views for the submitted works exceeded 12 billion, with approximately 6.4 million views on TikTok and approximately 5.9 million views on Instagram.
The awards ceremony was emceed by freelance announcer Mori Kasumi, and featured guest appearances by actors Hata Mei and Yamashita Koki, and commentator Shinada Hideo, with Kobayashi Sachiko making a surprise appearance. In addition to the announcement of the final results and the presentation of awards, the ceremony included a talk session on the theme of "Short Dramas x AI," where discussions revolved around whether "AI can expand the possibilities for creators" amidst the dramatic changes in the video production environment brought about by AI, drawing attention to the future potential of the short drama market.

■Talk session with guests

When asked about the theme of "If you were to create a short drama with each episode lasting one minute," Mori suggested, "With a short drama, we could create an impossible world (by utilizing AI). I'd like to create a short drama about living in the water or something like that." When asked about her own role, she joked, "A mermaid... a fish? Is that okay? I don't think it'll become a news headline saying, 'Kasumi Mori becomes a fish,'" to which Hata responded, "Let's make her a mermaid princess!" Mori agreed, "I'll make her a mermaid princess!" and added, "I used to do swimming, so I can swim."
On the other hand, Hata expressed her excitement for the camerawork unique to short dramas, saying, "With a smartphone camera, it seems like we can get groundbreaking angles and camerawork, so even though I'm not the type to move around a lot, I'd like to do some action." Yamashita said, "I don't have much experience with part-time jobs, so I'd like to try working at a convenience store," and showed interest in a slice-of-life drama featuring conversations with regular customers.
Ms. Kobayashi began by saying, "How about a delusional old lady?" and revealed her concept, saying, "It's like 'The housekeeper saw it!' but instead, 'The delusional old lady saw it!'" which lightened the mood of the audience. When asked about her recommended spots in her hometown of Niigata, Ms. Kobayashi playfully replied, "Niigata is the longest and narrowest prefecture in Japan, and it faces the Sea of ​​Japan, so we have seafood, mountain delicacies, Kobayashi delicacies... not very interesting, sorry (laughs)." She continued, "The sunsets are really beautiful. There's a spot where couples can have a good conversation with the sunset in the background," and also touched upon the deliciousness of rice, sake, and sushi.
Also, in connection with the short drama, when asked about something that made her laugh recently in her private life, Hata smiled and said, "Earlier in the dressing room, the topic of Hiking Walking came up, and I couldn't help but chuckle." When asked about the moment when she relaxes at home and looks at her smartphone, Yamashita immediately replied, "In the bathroom," and confessed, "It's small and a little dark, and that's when I surprisingly find myself constantly looking at my phone." Furthermore, she shared an anecdote about going to the bathroom during a break before a movie and sitting there for about 30 minutes, to which Kobayashi retorted, "Were you late (for the screening)?"
Mori was also asked, "What do you keep in mind when posting vertical content such as TikTok?" To this, she explained, "It's often said that the first three seconds are important, just like in the world of show drama, so I try to incorporate eye-catching movements and change the camera work within those three seconds." Kobayashi agreed, saying, "That's so true! In enka music, whether a song becomes a hit or not depends on the first one or two lines," and they both spoke about the importance of "capturing the audience from the beginning" across genres.

■ List of Award-Winning Works (Titles omitted)

Grand Prize: I don't know the answer
https://www.tiktok.com/@seikaiwakaranai/video/7605877419815341332

Mynavi Newcomer Award: Agu.official | Hair Salon
https://www.tiktok.com/@aguofficial/video/7571385096947649810

Instagram Likes Award: Yuuki Tadatsu
https://www.instagram.com/reels/DQ6Q0_0E1du/

TikTok Likes Award: We are shy every day.
https://www.tiktok.com/@maihani.4/video/7577188081443425554

Show Travel Award: Mentai Film
https://www.tiktok.com/@mentai_44/video/7580599750966152468

Material Short Drama PR Award: Binbinbeen
https://www.instagram.com/reels/DUSqjwBCUGX/

Best Performer Award: Yuri Bakoshi (Negative-chan)
https://www.tiktok.com/@negative_chan/video/7596142174694133013

Best Actor Award: Hiroaki Kawatsura (#EmoharuDrama)
https://www.tiktok.com/@emo_haru/video/7608877430744288528

Best Performer Award: Tadatsu Watanabe
https://www.tiktok.com/@tadanabe/video/7568788643205156103

Creator Award (Planning Category): I'm curious about that table.
https://www.instagram.com/reels/DUnKBk5ExKm/

Creator Award (Planning and Production Category): NHK Drama
https://www.tiktok.com/@n_school_drama/video/7587718015177870613

Creator Award (Director/Screenwriter Category): Patterned Shirt Man Returns 🧠
https://www.tiktok.com/@garashirtman/video/7611807906408729876

Creator Award (Video/Audio Editing Category presented by Mitomo): Bee Studio
https://www.tiktok.com/@bee.studio_official/video/7611106388420480274

Solo Performance Award: Daijiro [Actor]
https://www.tiktok.com/@daijiro.suzuki1026/video/7569155373626625287

■What is the Showdora Award?
In this era where anyone can enjoy creating and sharing videos, unknown talents are generating exciting content with innovative ideas that professional creators might not even think of, entertaining a wide audience with short videos.
Actor, director, producer. They may not yet be called by those titles. They will likely acquire the skills to create television dramas and films in the future. We want to create a place where these raw talents can shine as they are, where they can meet the next generation of stars and together build the future of entertainment.
Simply add hashtags to your TikTok and Instagram posts. Your everyday enjoyment of creating videos can be the first step towards achieving your dream of becoming a top creator.

Official website:https://www.showdrama24.com/
Official TikTok: @showdrama_24
Official SNS: X account @showdrama_24
Instagram account @showdrama_24
NOTE Account https://note.com/showdrama_24
Official YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@SHOWDRAMA_24

■ Impressions of the award ceremony

This was my first time attending the Mynavi Short Drama Awards ceremony. Many wonderful creators gathered, and listening to the award winners' comments, I was once again struck by the difficulty and depth of expression in short drama. Behind those few seconds or minutes lies hours, or even days, of preparation, and within that condensed message is a powerful culmination of their passion for their work. Every word conveyed their intense dedication to their creativity.
The winning entry, "Seikai ga Wakaranai" (I Can't Know the Right Answer), was a sharp satire of modern society where people rely on AI for everything and stop thinking for themselves. Despite its understated scene transitions, the core message of the work struck me directly, prompting deep reflection as someone living in this era. I was greatly inspired by the creators who continue to produce works that resonate with people's hearts in line with the changing times. It was a day that made me even more excited to see how the short drama genre will evolve in the future.
Satsuki Sakakura, 4rd year student at Tokyo Metropolitan University

I watched many short dramas at the Show Drama Awards. Many of the works used the technique of showing the most impressive scene in the first few seconds to grab the viewer's attention before starting the main story. I saw ingenious ways to capture attention within the limited time unique to short videos, and I felt the depth of the direction. I was also very impressed by how well the story and emotions were conveyed despite the short length. I think that short dramas will become even more familiar in the future, not just as a derivative of terrestrial television dramas, but as a new form of visual culture in itself.
Yurie Watanabe, second-year student at Josai International University

When we think of dramas, we usually imagine a story unfolding over an hour each week, but short dramas convey stories and appeal in short segments of about a minute, making them easy to enjoy during commutes or breaks. Many of these works incorporate ingenious techniques precisely because of their short format, paying attention to every detail of the camera angles and noticing many clever touches I hadn't noticed before. Participating in the Short Drama Awards has made me feel like my perspective on short dramas will change from now on.
Reina Inomoto, 1st year student at Kyoto University of the Arts

Student Newspaper Online, May 27, 2026 Interviewees: Ayatsuki Sakakura (4th year, Tokyo Metropolitan University), Reina Inomoto (1st year, Kyoto University of the Arts), Yurie Watanabe (3rd year, Josai International University)