Japanese Literary Awards

Literary Awards

Browse award recipients, categories, and yearly award lists

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373 literary awards

Noma Children's Literature Newcomer Award

Established
1963
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Noma Cultural Foundation
Selection Method
Open call
Category
Children's Literature, Fairy Tales, and Picture Books
Target
Newcomer
Children's literature

A newcomer literary award targeting children's literature, operated from 1963 to 1998.

Fukuda Kiyoto Award

Established
2006
Frequency
Annual
Organizer
Japan Juvenile Writers Association
Category
Children's Literature, Fairy Tales, and Picture Books
Target
Professional
Children's literature

An award named for children's literature scholar Kiyoto Fukuda, honoring juvenile fiction, nonfiction for children, and educational books.

Muku Hatoju Children's Literature Award

Established
1991
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Kagoshima City
Selection Method
Open call
Category
Children's Literature, Fairy Tales, and Picture Books
Target
Newcomer
Children's literature

A literary award for children's literature established by Kagoshima City to commemorate the 100th anniversary of its incorporation as a city.

Prize: Publication and recognition of the winning work

Robo no Ishi Literary Award

Established
1979
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Ishikawa Cultural Foundation
Category
Children's Literature, Fairy Tales, and Picture Books
Target
Professional
Literary Award

A literary award established by the Ishikawa Cultural Foundation.

Robo no Ishi Youth Literary Award

Established
1986
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Ishikawa Cultural Foundation
Category
Children's Literature, Fairy Tales, and Picture Books
Target
Professional
Children's literature

A literary award commemorating the achievements of Yamamoto Yuzo and honoring outstanding works for young children.

Ogawa Mimei Literary Award

Established
1991
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Ogawa Mimei Literary Award Committee / Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture
Selection Method
Open call
Category
Children's Literature, Fairy Tales, and Picture Books
Target
Open
Application Deadline
around October
Announcement Period
around March
Children's literature

A publicly-recruited children's literature award held in Japan

Prize: The grand prize winner receives 1 million yen in prize money and a commemorative gift "Complete Works of Ogawa Mimei Fairy Tales", and the work will be published as a book by Gakken. The excellent award winner receives 200,000 yen in prize money.

Nissan Children's Storybook and Picture Book Grand Prix

Established
1984
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
IICLO (International Institute of Children's Literature, Osaka)
Selection Method
Open call
Category
Children's Literature, Fairy Tales, and Picture Books
Target
Newcomer
Application Deadline
around October
Announcement Period
around March
Children's literaturePicture books

Public literary award for newcomers without professional debut experience in children's stories and picture books.

Prize: Grand Prize

Asahi Student Newspaper Children's Literature Award

Established
2010
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Asahi Student Newspaper
Selection Method
Open call
Category
Children's Literature, Fairy Tales, and Picture Books
Target
Open
Children's Literature

A children's literature award sponsored by Asahi Student Newspaper.

Prize: Certificate and 500,000 yen prize

Andersen Märchen Grand Award

Established
1983
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Andersen Group
Selection Method
Open call
Category
Children's Literature, Fairy Tales, and Picture Books
Target
Newcomer
Application Deadline
around December
Announcement Period
around April
Fairy TalesMärchenNewcomer Award

Open call newcomer award for fairy tales (Märchen). Held annually since 1983.

Prize: Grand Prize, Excellent Prize, and Children's Grand Prize winning works are published as books in the "Andersen's Märchen Bunko" series

Children's Literature Fantasy Grand Award

Established
1995
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Picture Book and Children's Literature Research Center, Specified Nonprofit Corporation (Otaru City, Hokkaido)
Selection Method
Open call
Category
Children's Literature, Fairy Tales, and Picture Books
Target
Newcomer
Children's LiteratureFantasy Literature

Open call award for unpublished fantasy literature works targeted at children.

Kodansha Children's Literature Newcomer Award

Established
1959
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Kodansha
Selection Method
Open call
Category
Children's Literature, Fairy Tales, and Picture Books
Target
Newcomer
Application Deadline
around March
Announcement Period
around September
Children's literature

A newcomer literary award sponsored by Kodansha targeting unpublished children's literature for children.

Prize: Certificate and commemorative gift

Chuden Children's Literature Award

Established
1998
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Public Interest Incorporated Foundation Chuden Education Promotion Foundation
Selection Method
Open call
Category
Children's Literature, Fairy Tales, and Picture Books
Target
Open
Application Deadline
around September
Announcement Period
around February
Children's literature

A literary award to encourage the creation of children's literature and discover outstanding writers.

Prize: Publication of the grand prize-winning work

Novel Children's Literature Newcomer Award

Established
2002
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Japan Society of Children's Literature (General Incorporated Association), Komine Shoten
Selection Method
Open call
Category
Children's Literature, Fairy Tales, and Picture Books
Target
Newcomer
Application Deadline
around September
Announcement Period
around May–June
Children's literatureNovel

A newcomer literary award soliciting original unpublished long-form children's literature works targeting students from middle elementary school grades to junior high school.

Prize: The winning work is published by Komine Shoten as a single-volume book.

Junior Adventure Novel Grand Award

Established
2001
Frequency
Once a year (biennial from the 16th edition)
Organizer
Creative Group Prominence, Iwasaki Shoten
Selection Method
Open call
Category
Children's Literature, Fairy Tales, and Picture Books
Target
Newcomer
Application Deadline
around June
Announcement Period
around December
Adventure novelsFantasySFMysteryHorrorNonsense

An open submission novel award targeting upper elementary school students and above, brimming with adventurous spirit for juniors.

Prize: Grand Prize: Certificate and 200,000 yen prize money. Publication by Iwasaki Shoten.

Fukushima Masami Memorial SF Fairy Tale Award

Established
1983
Frequency
Biennial
Organizer
Prominence writers' group and Iwasaki Shoten
Selection Method
Open call
Category
Children's Literature, Fairy Tales, and Picture Books
Target
Newcomer
Application Deadline
around September
Announcement Period
around April
SFFairy tale

A newcomer award named for Masami Fukushima, seeking children's SF and speculative stories including fantasy, adventure, mystery, and horror.

Prize: Certificate, 200,000 yen prize money, and publishing rights from Iwasaki Shoten

Oguma Hideo Award

Established
1968
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Oguma Hideo Award Citizens' Executive Committee, Asahikawa City
Selection Method
Open call
Category
Poetry and Contemporary Poetry
Target
Open
Application Deadline
around January
Announcement Period
around April
PoetryLiterature

Poetry literary award honoring poet Oguma Hideo from Hokkaido

Prize: Poet's Chair (made by Kunio Itatsu)

Ono Tozaburo Award

Established
1999
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
General Incorporated Association Osaka Literature Association (Ono Tozaburo Award Executive Committee) · Asahi Shimbun
Selection Method
Open call
Category
Poetry and Contemporary Poetry
Target
Open
Application Deadline
around July
Announcement Period
around September
Poetry collectionPoetry criticism book

A literary award given to outstanding poetry collections or poetry criticism books.

Contemporary Poet Award

Established
1983
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Association of Contemporary Poets of Japan
Selection Method
Recommendation
Category
Poetry and Contemporary Poetry
Target
Professional
Announcement Period
around March
Poetry

A literary award targeting contemporary poetry collections in Japan.

Contemporary Poetry Hanatsubaki Award

Established
1983
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Shiseido
Selection Method
Open call
Category
Poetry and Contemporary Poetry
Target
Professional
Literary awardPoetry collectionContemporary poetry

A literary award sponsored by Shiseido as part of its mecenas activities, targeting collections of contemporary poetry.

Prize: 1 outstanding poetry collection

Contemporary Poetry Notebook Award

Established
1960
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Shichōsha
Selection Method
Open call
Category
Poetry and Contemporary Poetry
Target
Newcomer
Announcement Period
around April–May
Contemporary poetryNewcomer award

A newcomer award that recognizes the most outstanding newcomer featured in the magazine Contemporary Poetry Notebook.

Prize: Publication of the winning work in the Contemporary Poetry Notebook magazine

Poetry and Thought Newcomer Award

Established
1980
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Doyobi Bijutsusha Publishing Sales
Selection Method
Open call
Category
Poetry and Contemporary Poetry
Target
Newcomer
Application Deadline
around August
Announcement Period
around December
Poetry

Open call award for new poets held in the Poetry and Thought magazine

Prize: Right to free publication of a 96-page A5 hardcover single poetry collection

Takami Jun Award

Established
1971
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Public Interest Incorporated Foundation Takami Jun Literature Promotion Association
Category
Poetry and Contemporary Poetry
Target
Professional
Announcement Period
around January
Poetry

A literary award presented annually to outstanding poets

Tomita Saika Award

Established
1990
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Ashiya City and Ashiya City Board of Education (with support from the Tomita Saika Commemoration Society, and endorsement from Hyogo Prefecture, Hyogo Prefecture Board of Education, and Kobe Shimbun)
Selection Method
Open call
Category
Poetry and Contemporary Poetry
Target
Professional
Application Deadline
around July
Announcement Period
around October–November
Contemporary poetryPoetry collection

A literary award for poetry collections, established in 1990 to commemorate the centennial of poet Tomita Saika's birth and the 50th anniversary of Ashiya City. Winners receive a certificate and 300,000 yen.

Prize: Main prize (certificate) and subsidiary prize (300,000 yen)

Nakahara Chuya Award

Established
1996
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Yamaguchi City
Selection Method
Open call / Recommendation
Category
Poetry and Contemporary Poetry
Target
Professional
Application Deadline
around December
Announcement Period
around February–April
Contemporary poetry

A literary award for collections of contemporary poetry, established to honor the legacy of Chuya Nakahara, a poet born in Yamaguchi City.

Prize: Main prize: bronze bust of Nakahara Chuya's head sculpted by Hiroatsu Takada (from the 11th edition), English translation publication of the winning work (until the 10th edition)

Hagiwara Sakutaro Award

Established
1993
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Maebashi City, Hagiwara Sakutaro Award Society
Selection Method
Open call
Category
Poetry and Contemporary Poetry
Target
Professional
Announcement Period
around September
Modern poetry

Literary award for modern poetry established in honor of poet Hagiwara Sakutaro, a native of Maebashi City.

Prize: Bronze statue of Hagiwara Sakutaro and 1 million yen prize money

Rekitei Prize (formerly Fujimura Memorial Rekitei Prize)

Established
1963
Frequency
Annual
Organizer
Rekitei poetry magazine
Category
Poetry and Contemporary Poetry
Target
Professional
Announcement Period
around October–November
PoetryVerse dramaCriticismTranslationPaintingSculptureArchitectureMusicFilmOther

A literary prize hosted by the poetry magazine Rekitei, primarily honoring distinguished poetic achievement; since 2017 it has been treated as the Rekitei Prize.

H Award

Established
1950
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Japan Contemporary Poets Association
Selection Method
Open call
Category
Poetry and Contemporary Poetry
Target
Newcomer
Announcement Period
around March–June
Contemporary poetryNewcomers award

An annual literary award given to outstanding collections of Japanese poetry written by new poets

Prize: Commemorative item and 500,000 yen prize money

Chunichi Poetry Award

Established
1952
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Chunichi Poets Association (Sponsored by Chunichi Shimbun)
Selection Method
Open call
Category
Poetry and Contemporary Poetry
Target
Professional
Announcement Period
around July
Poetry

A literary award for poetry collections hosted by the Chunichi Poets Association.

Miyoshi Tatsuji Award

Established
2006
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Osaka City
Selection Method
Open call
Category
Poetry and Contemporary Poetry
Target
Professional
Application Deadline
around November
Announcement Period
around February
PoetryLiterary award

A literary award given to poetry collections.

Prize: Certificate and 1 million yen prize money as well as Fukui Prefecture specialty products

Japan Poets Club Newcomer Award

Established
1991
Frequency
Once a year
Organizer
Japan Poets Club
Category
Poetry and Contemporary Poetry
Target
Newcomer
Announcement Period
around February–April
Contemporary poetryLiterary award

A literary award sponsored by the Japan Poets Club that recognizes newcomer poetry collections.

Prize: Bronze statue (grand prize)