- Takahiro Miyazawa’s ‘Face UFO’ Wins Awards for Experimentation, Game Design, and Presentation
- 8 finalists out of 151 entries compete… ‘Legacy Code’ wins two awards: Technology and Art.
The Japan Computer Entertainment Suppliers Association (CESA, President Haruhiro Tsujimoto) announced the winners of the indie game pitching competition ‘SENSE OF WONDER NIGHT 2026 (SOWN2026),’ held as an official program of Tokyo Game Show 2026 (TGS2026).
Out of a total of 151 entries, 8 finalists were selected to take the stage to introduce their games and proceed with the judging. As a result, the Audience Award Grand Prix, which is decided by audience voting, was won by ‘Face UFO’ by Japanese developer Takahiro Miyazawa.
‘Face UFO’ Wins 4 Awards
The Audience Award Semi-Grand Prix was awarded to ‘Unknot!’ by the Chinese development team PFJ. In addition, SOWN2026 presented awards across five categories, including Best Technology, Best Art, Best Experimentation, Best Game Design, and Best Presentation.
The winner of the Audience Award Grand Prix was given $3,000 in prize money, and the winners of the other categories were each awarded $500.
In particular, ‘Face UFO’ swept a total of four categories, including the Audience Award Grand Prix, Best Experimentation, Best Game Design, and Best Presentation. ‘Legacy Code’ by the Japanese development team Room 127 won both the Best Technology and Best Art awards.
Winner of ‘Sense of Wonder Night 2026’
| sector | Award-winning work |
|---|---|
| Audience Award Grand Prix | Face UFO – Takahiro Miyazawa (Japan) |
| Audience Award Semi-Grand Prix | Unknot! – PFJ (China) |
| Best Technology Award | Legacy Code – Room 127 (Japan) |
| Best Art Award | Legacy Code – Room 127 (Japan) |
| Best experimental performance | Face UFO – Takahiro Miyazawa (Japan) |
| Best Game Design Award | Face UFO – Takahiro Miyazawa (Japan) |
| Best Presentation Award | Face UFO – Takahiro Miyazawa (Japan) |
Pocky Awards, 3 Works Selected
The ‘Pocky Award,’ selected by content creator Pocky, who is serving as the official indie game ambassador for TGS 2026, was also announced.
The Poki Award is an award that selects works that creators want to play themselves from among the 151 entries in the ‘SELECTED INDIE 80’ and SOWN categories, from the perspective of creators who produce gameplay videos.
This year, three works were selected: ‘Stuck Together’ by Hugecalf Studios from the UK, ‘Teach My Little Sister How to Drive’ by Easy Fox from Korea, and ‘Become’ by Czech developer Valentin Wirth.
In particular, the inclusion of a work by the Korean developer Easy Fox is expected to attract attention from the domestic indie game industry. Gameplay videos of the three selected titles will be released later on Poki’s YouTube channel.
The 19th ‘Sense of Wonder Night’
Now in its 19th year, ‘Sense of Wonder Night (SOWN)’ is a pitching competition that discovers original game ideas that evoke a sense of wonder—a surprise that changes the way we look at the world.
SOWN2026 accepted applications for entries to ‘SELECTED INDIE 80,’ a program that provides indie game booths and free exhibition space to developers. Subsequently, a judging panel selected eight finalists out of a total of 151 submissions, and the finalists presented the ideas and features of their games in person at the event.
The entire process of SOWN2026, from the announcement to the reveal of winners and the awards ceremony, can be rewatched through the official TGS2026 program.
