Literary award · Japan · since 1965

Tanizaki Prize

Japanese literary award. Established 1965.

About Tanizaki Prize

The Tanizaki Prize (谷崎潤一郎賞 Tanizaki Jun'ichirō Shō), named in honor of the Japanese novelist Jun'ichirō Tanizaki, is one of Japan's most sought-after literary awards. It was established in 1965 by the publishing company Chūō Kōronsha Inc. to commemorate its 80th anniversary as a publisher. It is awarded annually to a full-length representative work of fiction or drama of the highest literary merit by a professional writer. The winner receives a commemorative plaque and a cash prize of 1 million yen.

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

Recent winners

YearWinnerWinning work
2023Kikuko Tsumura—
2022Banana Yoshimoto—
2021Hitomi Kanehara—
2020Ken'ichirō Isozaki—
2019Kiyoko Murata—
2018Tomoyuki Hoshino—
2017Hisaki Matsuura—
2016Yū Nagashima—
2016Akiko Itoyama—
2015Kaori Ekuni—
2014Hikaru Okuizumi—
2013Mieko Kawakami—
2012Genichiro Takahashi—
2011Mayumi Inaba—
2010Kazushige Abe—

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

Eligibility and entering

Check the official rules of the Tanizaki 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