Japanese Language Students Library Guide

The announcement of major literary prizes drive a great deal of media discourse in Japan. The Marriott Library maintains collections of recent winners of two of the highest-profile prizes in Japanese fiction, the Akutagawa Prize and the Naoki Prize.

The Akutagawa Prize, named for novelist Akutagawa Ryūnosuke, is often considered the most prestigious literary award in Japan. The award is presented by the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Literature, and selections are made by a committee of former winners semiannually. Sometimes the committee decides on two honorees, and sometimes no prize is awarded. For more, including committee members' individual ratings and all winners going back to 1935, see the award's official website (in Japanese).

The Naoki Prize, named for novelist Naoki Sanjugo, seeks to recognize the best works of popular fiction by rising authors. The award is presented by the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Literature, and selections are made by a committee of former winners semiannually. Sometimes the committee decides on two honorees, and sometimes no prize is awarded. For more, including committee members' individual ratings and all winners going back to 1935, see the award's official website (in Japanese).

In this section, you'll find listings of the last several years of award winners for both of these prizes. 

Other notable literary prizes include:

• The Edogawa Rampo Prize, for rising mystery fiction authors, awarded by the Mystery Writers of Japan
• The Mystery Writers of Japan Awards, for crime fiction, short stories, and critical/biographical work
• Noma Literary Prize, for outstanding new literature, awarded by Kodansha
• Mishima Yukio Prize, for groundbreaking fiction, awarded by Shinchosha