The Tokyo 2020 Olympics Organizing Committee will launch a public design contest for the official Games mascot on Aug. 1 and offer cash prizes as high as ¥1 million, officials said Monday.
The winner will receive ¥1 million and the finalists ¥100,000. The winner will be announced next March.
The organizers said the competition is open to both foreign and Japanese residents of Japan and that the mascot should reflect Japan's cultural heritage.