173rd Akutagawa and Naoki Prizes Announce No Winners, First Time in 27 Years
The 173rd Akutagawa Ryunosuke Prize and Naoki Sanjugo Prize have both announced that there are "no suitable works" (no winners). This marks an unprecedented situation, occurring for the sixth time and first in 27 and a half years since January 1998 (118th awards), sending significant ripples through the literary world and reading community. On the 16th, the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Literature announced the selection results for both awards. For the Akutagawa Prize, two nominated works advanced to a runoff vote, but neither managed to secure a majority of support. Six works were nominated for the Naoki Prize, but ultimately, no winning work was selected. Hiromi Kawakami, one of the selection committee members, issued a pained comment, stating, "Each work had new perspectives and attempts, but I felt they needed to push just a bit further. It's regrettable that we couldn't select a winner." While acknowledging certain merits in the nominated works...