At the award ceremony; Akasaki is pictured in the center.

Sakura no Aoi Sora, the winner of the seventh competition

The International Environmental Picture Book Competition, begun in 2003, aims to teach and inspire future generations about the value of nature and provide an opportunity to discuss the environment with family and friends. Entries are collected and outstanding entries given awards. The ANA Group holds the competition yearly, with support from the Environment Ministry and the National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan.

The reviewing committee, headed by author C.W. Nicol, selects the grand prize and other outstanding works, with the results listed on ANA's website, ANA Sky Web.

In 2009, the Seventh International Environmental Picture Book Competition attracted 366 submissions from Japan and seven other countries, with Kazuo Akasaki, a resident of Kumamoto Prefecture, the first-prize winner with an entry titled Sakura's Blue Sky. The winning entry was published in an edition of 50,000 as a bilingual book, in Japanese and English, and handed out to passengers mainly on ANA Group flights, and by request at various branches or airports.