Thumbnails change the fate of an article. The 'Thumbnail Championship 2026' has begun

February 16, 2026.
A new event has started on Harumaga.

Its name is—
“Thumbnail Championship 2026”

This is not just a simple project.
For those who continue to write articles on note, it is an event that faces the essence of “whether or not you will be read.”

A thumbnail is an “entrance,” and it is also “fate.”

The value of an article is determined by its content.
That is certain.

But that content—
if it isn't clicked, it is the same as not existing.

Countless articles flow through the timeline.
Among them, the first 0.5 seconds determine whether or not you are read.

What determines that is
the thumbnail (eye-catch).

This “Thumbnail Championship 2026” is truly a project to polish that “power of the entrance.”

Event Overview

Hosted by Harumaga, this event is a campaign where you post articles with thumbnails and compete for their appeal.

You are free to use any tool.

• Canva

• AI-generated images

• Handmade images

• Photographs

Any method is fine.
What is important is to express the worldview of the article through the thumbnail.

How to participate is simple (4 steps)

1. Write a new article with a thumbnail
2. Include the hashtags
　#HarumagaMate
　#ThumbnailChampionship2026

3. Post the campaign article link
4. Add it to the collaborative magazine 'Harumaga'

*Each person can enter up to 3 articles

Total prize money is 5,000 yen. But that's not the real value

- Thumbnail King: 1,000 yen (1 person)
- Excellence Award: 500 yen (4 people)
- Kirari Award: 200 yen (10 people)

Of course, the tip rewards are also attractive.

But the true value of this event is—

Being able to hone the 'art of getting read' in practice.

This is not just a design contest.

It is a place to hone the skills needed to survive
on the battlefield that is note.

The meaning of this event to me

I have been
writing articles until now.

Thankfully,
some articles have even appeared at the top of search results.

But behind that, I was always thinking.

Why are some articles read while others are not?

I am convinced that one of the answers
is the 'thumbnail'.

This is a challenge

This event is
not just participation.

It is a challenge to take
your articles to the next stage.

It's not just the power to write.
The power to convey.
The power to reach.

An opportunity to polish all of that.

Thumbnails change the future of an article

No matter how valuable the words are,
if they aren't found, they won't reach anyone.

That is why I am taking on this event.

To change the fate of an article, starting with the thumbnail.

And—
to prove that even an unknown individual
can live in a world where their work is read.

Thumbnail Championship 2026 Overview

#HarumagaMate
#ThumbnailChampionship2026
#note
#Thumbnail
#Eyecatch
#Communication
#AIUtilization
#kazuhide_journey
#136day