NEWS

The public screening for the ANDO Momofuku Honor Prize and Award took place in December 2025. These awards were established through a generous endowment by the late Dr. Momofuku Ando, founder of Nissin Foods Holding Co., Ltd. and recipient of an honorary doctorate from Ritsumeikan University. These awards are administered with the cooperation of Nissin each semester. The Award is given to fifth-semester students and the Honor Prize is awarded to students graduating in March, 2026. The purpose of these awards is to provide support and encouragement to students who have excelled academically, possess outstanding character, have displayed strong leadership which has contributed to achievements in a variety of activities, and are expected to become future leaders of the Asia-Pacific region. Recipients of the Award will receive 500,000 yen. The recipient of the Honor Prize will receive 1,000,000 yen and have the honor of representing the graduating class in an address at the Degree Conferral Ceremony.

“The ANDO Momofuku Honor Prize /Award”

In the public screening, each finalist who passed the rigorous initial screening made a video presentation on the theme of " Share real-life examples of your efforts in both your academic achievements and extracurricular activities that you engaged in while a student at APU”. Explain how you will leverage your takeaways from those efforts in the future in order to contribute to society.” Presentations were then followed by a Q&A session with the judges in both English and Japanese.

Mr. SUZUKI Satoru, manager of the General Affairs Division at NISSIN FOOD HOLDINGS sent his comments and words of encouragement to the finalists of the Honor Prize screening as an observer.

There were four finalists for the Award and the Honor Prize each. Congratulations to the following two recipients!

Honor Prize

TAKAMURA RIN (College of Asia Pacific Studies 4th year, Japan)

Takamura has a clear goal of contributing to the creation of a security framework that does not rely on nuclear weapons and has steadily worked toward this goal. Through an exchange program at the University of Warsaw and writing a graduation thesis, she has deepened her academic knowledge in the field of security studies. With a strong desire to return to APU as a faculty member in the future and pass on what she has learned to the next generation, her passion for research and her well‑planned approach have been highly evaluated. Moving forward, she is expected to continue applying her knowledge to society and to play an active role as a leader contributing to peacebuilding.

Award

DUBEY VAISHNAVI (College of International Management 3rd year, India)

Vaishnavi has been actively engaged in various initiatives while deepening her studies at APU, all in pursuit of her dream of becoming a social entrepreneur. She has actively engaged in initiatives such as distributing sanitary products and provided hygiene education at schools in India and has also worked to install sanitary product stations in AP House. Her drive to act on her future vision, along with the leadership skills she has developed through her learning, has been highly evaluated. Moving forward, she is expected to continue drawing on her academic and extracurricular experiences to make a positive impact as a leader who brings meaningful change to society.

SAIF SHERIF ALY MOSTAFA MOHAMED (College of International Management 3rd year, Egypt)

Saif has a strong desire to improve the image of Africa and the Arab world, along with a clear vision of creating social impact through his own initiatives. He has demonstrated leadership as the overall RA leader and has further strengthened his knowledge in the field of marketing, steadily preparing himself for his future goals. His dedication and proactive efforts have been highly evaluated. Moving forward, he is expected to continue using his passion as a leader who transforms his aspirations into tangible achievements.