Onoe Shoroku was recognized for his performance in Tsuchigumo at Kabuki-za, his work in classical kabuki, and his sustained artistic development. The prize does not recognize an individual book.

This newcomer prize recognizes film director and screenwriter Keisuke Yoshida's achievements across multiple films, including BLUE/BLUE and Blank, rather than a single individual work.

Hidejiro Honjoh was recognized for his performance activity and achievement in the continuing recital series Hidejiro Honjoh Shamisen Recital VII–IX. The prize does not recognize an individual book.

Shun Izawa was recognized for his achievements as a ballet dancer, including his performance as Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake; this is not an award for a book.

The Afternoon of Humanity is Toki Hotta's fourth poetry collection in Japanese, containing 352 haiku that contemplate human society and history.

Brief haiku consider human endeavors and anxieties from antiquity to the present.

Tanabe Chikuunsai was recognized for work connected with GO FOR KOGEI 2021, a festival presenting craft in the Hokuriku region. The honor concerns the festival and its curatorial activity rather than an individual book, so no bibliographic record is listed.

Chikako Yamashiro was recognized for the achievement of her solo exhibition Chikako Yamashiro: Reframing at the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum. The honor concerns the exhibition and her moving-image and visual-art practice, not an individual book.

A serialized morning drama set in post-disaster Miyagi, tracing the protagonist's growth as weather and daily life intersect.

A story that looks again at the distance between people and society through weather.

A prize-winning work centered on Fujii Kaze's “Kirari” and “Moeyo,” notable for its pop-song energy and lightness.

A set of songs with a bright forward drive that pushes everyday life onward.

An accessibility platform that connects screenings, learning, and research so people can engage with performing arts regardless of disability or setting.

A practice for delivering performing arts in a more open way.

A work of film criticism that reconsiders American film history from social documentary to the blockbuster, crossing cinema with photography, television, and changes in filming and editing technology. It moves beyond a Hollywood-centered narrative to trace overlooked works, people, and exchanges across visual culture.

Tracing a lesser-known history of American cinema through a perspective that crosses its boundaries.

This award recognizes Fumi Yoshinaga's Ōoku and What Did You Eat Yesterday? Ōoku is a science-fiction historical drama that reverses gender roles in the Edo period, while What Did You Eat Yesterday? portrays the everyday life of a gay couple. Both works were recognized for questioning gender roles and encouraging change in entrenched social values.

Two long-running manga series that examine gender and everyday life in society.