Moving on to the decisions of this year's Judging Committee, very few works were selected on a unanimous basis, in contrast to last year, when nominations included such enormous hits as Evangelion and Princess Mononoke. Winning works were finally chosen following considerable debate on the various entries their achievement to the works and individuals receiving awards this year.

Leaving the reasons for granting each award for later, I would like to mention one thing all of the winners had in common, which is that they were fairly bursting with a spirit of challenge. Many projects today, perhaps due to the ongoing economic slump, follow a basic formula for success. In contrast to the calculated nature of these works, the winning entries in this year's Animation Kobe awards were characterized by subject matters, ideas and techniq ues that have never been seen before, and I believe it is this boldness in challenging conventions that have won these works such widespread acclaim among audiences and users.

It goes without saying, of course, that such daring endeavors could never succeed at the individual level; individual talents require the back-up and support of a vigorous industry as a whole. On behalf of the Award Panel, I would like to express my earnest hope that these awards will offer some hint or glimpse of the possibilities that can help generate such vitality in the animation industry.