Literary award · Japan · since 1941

Noma Literary Prize

Award. Established 1941 in Japan.

About Noma Literary Prize

The Noma Literary Prize (Noma Bungei Shō) was established in 1941 by the Noma Service Association (Noma Hōkō Kai) in accordance with the last wishes of Seiji Noma (1878–1938), founder and first president of the Kodansha publishing company. It is awarded by the Noma Cultural Foundation, the largest single shareholder in Kodansha. The Noma Literary Prize has been awarded annually to an outstanding new work published in Japan between October and the following September. The Noma Prize includes a commemorative plaque and a cash award of 3 million yen. It is one in a series of Noma Prizes.

From the Wikipedia article “Noma Literary Prize”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Recent winners

YearWinnerWinning work
2025Sayaka Murata—
2024Fuminori Nakamura—
2023Hiromi Kawakami—
2021Hideo Levy—
2019Hisaki Matsuura—
2016Toshiyuki Horie—
2015Mayumi Nagano—
2014Yoriko Shōno—
2011Yoko Tawada—
2010Kiyoko Murata—
2009Hikaru Okuizumi—
2008Kō Machida—

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

Eligibility and entering

Check the official rules of the Noma Literary Prize 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