Japanese Literary Awards

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Gunzo Newcomer Criticism Prize

ぐんぞうしんじんひろんしょう

A public newcomer award for pure literary criticism established in 2015 when the criticism division of the Gunzo Newcomer Literary Prize became independent.

Criticism
Established
2015
Organizer
Kodansha
Category
Criticism and Critical Writing
Selection Method
Open call
Target
Newcomer
Frequency
1 per year
Application Deadline
around October
Announcement Period
around June
Status
Active

Description

The criticism division of the Gunzo Newcomer Literary Prize, established in 1958, became independent as the "Gunzo Newcomer Criticism Prize" from 2015. The submission deadline is October 31. Winning works are published in the June issue of Gunzo, and 500,000 yen (250,000 yen for excellent works) is awarded as the prize.

Prize

Main Prize
500,000 yen (250,000 yen for excellent works) is awarded as the main prize
Cash Prize
500,000 JPY
  • Publication of winning work (Gunzo June issue)

Selection

Selection Process

First screening
Judges Selection committee

Related Awards

  • Bungakukai Newcomer Prize
  • Shincho Newcomer Prize
  • Subaru Literary Prize
  • Bungei Prize
  • Osamu Dazai Prize
  • Gunzo Newcomer Novel Prize

Official Resources

http://gunzo.kodansha.co.jp/awards

Past Winners

渡辺健一郎 わたなべ けんいちろう winning entry

An essay that reexamines the relationship between theater and freedom from a sense of unease with theater education. It later appeared in book form under a different title, but no standalone bibliographic record for the prize-winning piece could be confirmed.

It thinks through the knot between education and freedom through theater.

criticismtheater educationfreedom
小峰ひずみ こみね ひずみ excellent work

An essay collection that explores the intersection of clinical philosophy and social movements through discussions of SEALDs, Seichi Washida, and Gan Tanigawa.

It rethinks thinking in the Heisei era from the intersection of social movements and philosophy.

176 pages
essayssocial movementsclinical philosophy
内山葉杜 うちやま はと excellent work

"事後と渦中 : 武田泰淳論" is a 優秀作 work from the Gunzo Newcomer Criticism Prize 2021-1. It stands out for its distinctive premise and atmosphere.

A 優秀作 work from Gunzo Newcomer Criticism Prize 2021-1.

Gunzo Newcomer Criticism Prizeaward-winning work
No winner
長﨑健吾 ながさき けんご winning entry

Homeland and Future is an essay by Kengo Nagasaki, published in the December 2018 issue of Gunzo as the winning work of the 62nd Gunzo Newcomer Criticism Prize. No standalone book publication could be confirmed; it remains known as a magazine-published critical essay.

An essay that does not seal homeland in the past, but opens it as a question for thinking about the future.

24 pages
criticismhomelandfuturemagazine publication
Masataka Ishibashi いしばし まさたか winning entry

This essay examines why Sherlock Holmes continues to be read across generations and to generate travel to real places, using the framework of content tourism. It considers how fictional characters and places move readers into action through the history of Holmes reception.

Why does a fictional detective continue to produce real journeys?

Sherlock Holmescontent tourismliterary criticismreader receptionfiction and place
川口好美 かわぐち よしみ excellent work

Yoshimi Kawaguchi's essay Coexisting with Affliction: On Simone Weil uses Weil's thought on affliction to reconsider violence, discrimination, and the ethics of literary criticism. It was later collected in Coexisting with Affliction: Soulful Literary Criticism.

An essay that asks what ethical language can be when it confronts affliction through Weil's thought.

318 pages
literary criticismSimone Weilafflictioncritique of violenceethics
Takayoshi Miyazawa みやざわ たかよし excellent work

Takayoshi Miyazawa's essay Toward a New Discourse on Method: On Kenzaburo Oe was an honorable mention for the Gunzo Newcomer Critics Award. First published in the December 2016 issue of Gunzo, it reconsiders the very method of reading Oe, and no book publication has been confirmed.

An essay that attempts to rebuild the method of reading Kenzaburo Oe from the starting point of criticism.

literary criticismKenzaburo Oemethodologypostwar literatureinterpretation
Yuta Araki あらき ゆうた excellent work

反偶然の共生空間――愛と正義のジョン・ロールズ is an award-recognized work by 荒木優太. This record separates the work's award identity from any bibliographic identifiers that could not be confirmed for a standalone book edition.

反偶然の共生空間――愛と正義のジョン・ロールズ by 荒木優太 is a work to revisit through the context of its award recognition.

award-winning workcontemporary Japanese literature
高原到 たかはら いたる excellent work

ケセルの想像力 is an award-recognized work by 高原到. This record separates the work's award identity from any bibliographic identifiers that could not be confirmed for a standalone book edition.

ケセルの想像力 by 高原到 is a work to revisit through the context of its award recognition.

award-winning workcontemporary Japanese literature