Literary award · Japan · since 2004

Japan Booksellers' Award

Literature award conferred to Japanese new books. Established 2004.

About Japan Booksellers' Award

Japan Booksellers' Award (本屋大賞, Hon'ya Taishō; lit. "Bookstore Award") is an annual Japanese literary award. It is awarded based on votes by bookstore clerks from all over Japan.

From the Wikipedia article “Japan Booksellers' Award”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Recent winners

YearWinnerWinning work
2025Arupususeki no haha—
2024Hwang Bo-reum—
2020The Wandering Moon—
2018Lonely Castle in the Mirror—
2015The Deer King—
2014Nele Neuhaus—
2014Ferdinand von Schirach—
2012Ferdinand von Schirach—
2011The Dinner Table Detective—
—52-Hertz Whales—
—Naoki HyakutaA Man Called Pirate

From Wikidata; the list may be incomplete for some years.

Eligibility and entering

Check the official rules of the Japan Booksellers' Award for the current eligibility window, accepted formats, residency or language requirements and any entry fee. For most established prizes the publisher submits on the author's behalf, often with a limit on entries per imprint.

If you are self-published, look for an explicit statement that independently published books are accepted, and budget for entry fees and copies for judges.

Sources & data