Call for Applications: 5th Healthy Aging Prize for Asian Innovation Seeks Creative Innovations

The Healthy Aging Prize for Asian Innovation (HAPI) is now accepting applications for the 2026 prize.

This award programme was established in 2020 by the Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE) and the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), under the auspices of the Government of Japan’s Asia Health and Wellbeing Initiative (AHWIN).

Now in its fifth round, HAPI is an international award that recognises and amplifies initiatives from ASEAN+3 countries (Japan, China, and the Republic of Korea) that contribute to the achievement of healthy longevity and the improvement of care for older adults in the region. This year, the awards will be given in three new categories: (1) Care & Wellbeing, (2) Social Engagement; and (3) Supportive Environments.

This prize recognises innovative programmes, services, products, policies, and other initiatives that address the wide array of challenges facing ageing populations. HAPI seeks to highlight the creative work of local governments, civic groups, businesses, educational and research institutions, and others whose initiatives offer good practices that can be adapted and introduced in other Asian countries.

Since its inception, HAPI has recognised 35 winners from 10 countries and regions across Asia Pacific. Prize winners have presented their work at international meetings and forums, been featured in major media outlets such as NHK (Japan), Nation TV (Thailand), and The Economist, and had their case studies featured in reports by international organisations such as the World Bank and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).

About the Healthy Aging Prize for Asian Innovation (HAPI)

Application period	2 February–15 May 2026 Please fill out the short application form by 15 May 2026. The selection committee will invite promising applicants to submit a more detailed application for consideration. From these applicants, up to 10 finalists will be selected and interviewed.
Eligibility criteria:	Applications must relate to innovative policies, programmes, services, or products that address the challenges of ageing societies, help extend healthy and meaningful lives, or improve the provision of care for older adults. Applicants must be based in an ASEAN member country, China, (including Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and Taiwan), Japan, or the Republic of Korea. In addition to English and Japanese, applicants have the option of submitting their applications in their country’s national language. Eligible applicants include non-profit organisations, research institutions, local governments, private businesses, and public-private partnerships.
Areas of interest:	Applications should fall under one of the three following categories: (1) Care & Wellbeing: Innovations that support caregivers, as well as health and welfare service providers, to improve the physical and mental health and wellbeing of older people. (2) Social Engagement: Innovations that promote the active engagement of older people in their communities and foster intergenerational connections. (3) Supportive Environments: Innovations that make homes, neighbourhoods, and transportation more accessible and age-friendly.
About the prize	Winners are selected by an International Advisory Committee comprising esteemed experts from seven Southeast and Northeast Asian nations. One Grand Prize will be awarded in each category, along with additional prizes. The Grand Prize winners will receive a trophy. All winners will receive a commemorative certificate, and their innovations will be featured prominently on the AHWIN website (www.ahwin.org). The Grand Prize winner in each category will be invited to attend an award ceremony and participate in a study tour and related events. Travel and accommodation costs will be covered for one representative of each awardee organisation.

Further information on the award and application process is available at www.ahwin.org/award or by contacting the secretariat at hapi@jcie.org.

About the Organisers

Founded in 1970, the Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE) is a non-profit and non-partisan international affairs organisation dedicated to strengthening Japan’s role in international networks of policy dialogue and co-operation. Together with its US-based partner organisation JCIE/USA, JCIE undertakes a wide range of programmes of policy research, international dialogue, and exchange related to the themes of globalisation, governance, and civil society. Since the late 1990s, it has been promoting policy studies and dialogues focused on human security issues, and since the early 2000s, JCIE has been a leader in policy research and dialogue in the global health sector.

The Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) is an international organisation based in Jakarta. Since its founding in 2008, it has supported the regional economic integration process amongst ASEAN member countries through its research. As the leading economic think tank in the region and the Sherpa institution for the East Asia and ASEAN Summit processes, ERIA’s research and policy recommendations have significantly influenced regional policymaking.

For further information, or to arrange follow-up interviews, please contact Ms Momoko Abe of the award secretariat at mabe@jcie.or.jp.