# Akutagawa Prize

The Akutagawa Prize (芥川龍之介賞, Akutagawa Ryūnosuke Shō) is a Japanese literary award presented biannually. Because of its prestige and the considerable attention the winner receives from the media, it is, along with the Naoki Prize, one of Japan's most sought after literary prizes.

## History

The Akutagawa Prize was established in 1935 by Kan Kikuchi, then-editor of Bungeishunjū magazine, in memory of author Ryūnosuke Akutagawa. It is sponsored by the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Literature, and is awarded in January and July to the best serious literary story published in a newspaper or magazine by a new or rising author. The winner receives a pocket watch and a cash award of 1 million yen. The judges usually include contemporary writers, literary critics, and former winners of the prize. Occasionally, when consensus cannot be reached between judges over disputes about the winning story or the quality of work for that half year, no prize is awarded. From 1945 through 1948 no prizes were awarded due to postwar instability. The prize has frequently been split between two authors.
On January 15, 2004, the awarding of the 130th Akutagawa Prize made significant news when two women became the award's youngest winners. The prize went to both Risa Wataya, 19, for her novel I Want to Kick You in the Back (蹴りたい背中, Keritai Senaka) and to Hitomi Kanehara, 20, for her debut novel Snakes and Earrings (蛇にピアス, Hebi ni Piasu). In 2013 Natsuko Kuroda won the 148th Akutagawa Prize at age 75, making her the oldest recipient in the history of the prize.

### Controversies

In 1972, Akutagawa winner Akio Miyahara [ja] was found to have committed plagiarism. In 2018, a similar controversy occurred when the candidate novel Utsukushii Kao by Yuko Hojo was found to have reused text from its nonfiction source material without attribution, but the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Literature did not remove the book from the candidate list.

### Records

* The youngest recipient of the prize to date is Risa Wataya who was 19 when she received the award for I Want to Kick You in the Back (Keritai Senaka (蹴りたい背中)).
* The best-seller title (in Japan only) is Spark (Hibana (火花)), by Naoki Matayoshi which sold 2,29 millions of copies.

## Winners

Bungeishunjū maintains an official archive of current and past winners on behalf of the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Literature.
Key :
| 上 | Indicates the first half of the given year. |
| 下 | Indicates the second half of the given year. |
| # | Year | Author | Work | Published in |
| 001 | 1935上 | Tatsuzō Ishikawa | Sōbō (蒼氓) | Seiza (星座) |
| 002 | 1935下 | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. |
| 003 | 1936上 | Takeo Oda [ja] | Jōgai (城外) | Bungaku Seikatsu (文學生活) |
| 003 | 1936上 | Tomoya Tsuruta [ja] | Koshamain-Ki (コシャマイン記) | Shōsetsu (小説) |
| 004 | 1936下 | Jun Ishikawa | The Bodhisattva (普賢, Fugen) | Sakuhin (作品) |
| 004 | 1936下 | Uio Tomisawa [ja] | Chichūkai (地中海) | Tōyō (東陽) |
| 005 | 1937上 | Kazuo Ozaki [ja] | Rosy Glasses (暢氣眼鏡 他, Nonki Megane) | Jinbutsu Hyōron (人物評論) |
| 006 | 1937下 | Ashihei Hino | Fun'nyōtan (糞尿譚) | Bungaku Kaigi (文學会議) |
| 007 | 1938上 | Gishū Nakayama | Atsumonozaki (厚物咲) | Bungakukai |
| 008 | 1938下 | Tsuneko Nakazato | Noriaibasha (乗合馬車 他) | Bungakukai |
| 009 | 1939上 | Yoshiyuki Handa [ja] | Niwatori Sōdō (鶏騒動) | Bungei Shuto (文藝首都) |
| 009 | 1939上 | Ken Hase [ja] | Asakusa no Kodomo (あさくさの子供) | (虚實) |
| 010 | 1939下 | Kōtarō Samukawa [ja] | Mitsuryōsha (密獵者) | Sōsaku (創作) |
| 011 | 1940上 | Takagi Taku [ja] refused by the author | Uta to mon no tate (歌と門の盾) | |
| 012 | 1940下 | Tsunehisa Sakurada [ja] | Hiraga Gen'nai (平賀源内) | Sakka Seishin (作家精神) |
| 013 | 1941上 | Yūkei Tada [ja] | Chōkō Deruta (長江デルタ) | Tairiku Ōrai (大陸往来) |
| 014 | 1941下 | Yoshiko Shibaki | Seika no Ichi (青果の市) | Bungei Shuto (文芸首都) |
| 015 | 1942上 | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. |
| 016 | 1942下 | Toshio Kuramitsu [ja] | Renrakuin (連絡員) | Seitō (正統) |
| 017 | 1943上 | Kikuzō Ishizuka [ja] | Tensoku no Koro (纏足の頃) | Mōkyō Bungaku (蒙疆文學) |
| 018 | 1943下 | Kaoru Tōnobe [ja] | Washi (和紙) | Tōhoku Bungaku (東北文學) |
| 019 | 1944上 | Yoshinori Yagi | Ryū Kanfū (劉廣福) | Nihon Bungakusha (日本文學者) |
| 019 | 1944上 | Jūzō Obi [ja] | Tōhan (登攀) | Kokumin Bungaku (國民文學) |
| 020 | 1944下 | Motoyoshi Shimizu | Karitachi (雁立) | Nihon Bungakusha (日本文學者) |
| 021 | 1949上 | Tsuyoshi Kotani [ja] | Kakushō (確証) | Sakka (作家) |
| 021 | 1949上 | Shigeko Yuki | Hon no Hanashi (本の話) | Sakuhin (作品) |
| 022 | 1949下 | Yasushi Inoue | The Bullfight (闘牛, Tōgyū) | Bungakukai |
| 023 | 1950上 | Ryōichi Tsuji [ja] | Ihōjin (異邦人) | Shin Shōsetsu (新小説) |
| 024 | 1950下 | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. |
| 025 | 1951上 | Kōbō Abe | Kabe—S. Karuma shi no Hanzai (壁—S・カルマ氏の犯罪) | Kindai Bungaku  [ja] |
| 025 | 1951上 | Toshimitsu Ishikawa [ja] | Haru no Kusa (春の草 他) | Bungakukai |
| 026 | 1951下 | Yoshie Hotta | Hiroba no Kodoku (広場の孤独 他) | Chūōkōron |
| 027 | 1952上 | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. |
| 028 | 1952下 | Kōsuke Gomi | Sōshin (喪神) | Shinchō |
| 028 | 1952下 | Seichō Matsumoto | Aru "Kokura Nikki" Den (或る「小倉日記」伝) | Mita Bungaku |
| 029 | 1953上 | Shōtarō Yasuoka | Bad Company (悪い仲間, Warui Nakama) | Gunzō |
| 029 | 1953上 | Shōtarō Yasuoka | Inki na Tanoshimi (陰気な愉しみ) | Shinchō |
| 030 | 1953下 | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. |
| 031 | 1954上 | Junnosuke Yoshiyuki | Sudden Shower (驟雨・その他, Shūu, sono ta) | Bungakukai |
| 032 | 1954下 | Nobuo Kojima | The American School (アメリカン・スクール, Amerikan Sukūru) | Bungakukai |
| 032 | 1954下 | Junzō Shōno | Evenings at the Pool (プールサイド小景, Pūrusaido Shōkei) | Gunzō |
| 033 | 1955上 | Shūsaku Endō | White Man (白い人, Shiroi Hito) | Kindai Bungaku  [ja] |
| 034 | 1955下 | Shintarō Ishihara | Season of Violence (太陽の季節, Taiyō no Kisetsu) | Bungakukai |
| 035 | 1956上 | Keitarō Kondō [ja] | Amabune (海人舟) | Bungakukai |
| 036 | 1956下 | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. |
| 037 | 1957上 | Itaru Kikumura [ja] | Iōjima (硫黄島) | Bungakukai |
| 038 | 1957下 | Takeshi Kaikō | The Naked King (裸の王様, Hadaka no Ōsama) | Bungakukai |
| 039 | 1958上 | Kenzaburō Ōe | Prize Stock (飼育, Shiiku) | Bungakukai |
| 040 | 1958下 | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. |
| 041 | 1959上 | Shirō Shiba [ja] | Santō (山塔) | Waseda Bungaku |
| 042 | 1959下 | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. |
| 043 | 1960上 | Morio Kita | Yoru to Kiri no Sumi de (夜と霧の隅で) | Shinchō |
| 044 | 1960下 | Tetsuo Miura | Shinobukawa (忍ぶ川) | Shinchō |
| 045 | 1961上 | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. |
| 046 | 1961下 | Kōichirō Uno | Kujiragami (鯨神) | Bungakukai |
| 047 | 1962上 | Akira Kawamura [ja] | Bidan no Shuppatsu (美談の出発) | Bungakugai (文学街) |
| 048 | 1962下 | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. |
| 049 | 1963上 | Kiichi Gotō [ja] | Shōnen no Hashi (少年の橋) | Yamagata Bungaku (山形文学) |
| 049 | 1963上 | Kōno Taeko | Crabs (蟹, Kani) | Bungakukai |
| 050 | 1963下 | Seiko Tanabe | Kanshō Ryokō (Senchimentaru Jāni) (感傷旅行 センチメンタル・ジャーニィ) | Kōro (航路) |
| 051 | 1964上 | Shō Shibata [ja] | Saredo Wareraga Hibi (されどわれらが日々──) | Zō (象) |
| 052 | 1964下 | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. |
| 053 | 1965上 | Setsuko Tsumura | Playthings (玩具, Gangu) | Bungakukai |
| 054 | 1965下 | Yūichi Takai | Kita no Kawa (北の河) | Sai (犀) |
| 055 | 1966上 | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. |
| 056 | 1966下 | Kenji Maruyama | Natsu no Nagare (夏の流れ) | Bungakukai |
| 057 | 1967上 | Tatsuhiro Ōshiro | The Cocktail Party (カクテル・パーティー, Kakuteru Pātī) | Shin Okinawa Bungaku (新沖縄文学) |
| 058 | 1967下 | Hyōzō Kashiwabara [ja] | Tokuyama Dōsuke no Kikyō (徳山道助の帰郷) | Shinchō |
| 059 | 1968上 | Saiichi Maruya | Toshi no Nokori (年の残り) | Bungakukai |
| 059 | 1968上 | Minako Ōba | The Three Crabs (三匹の蟹, Sanbiki no Kani) | Gunzō |
| 060 | 1968下 | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. |
| 061 | 1969上 | Kaoru Shōji [ja] | Akazukin-chan Ki o Tsukete (赤頭巾ちゃん気をつけて) | Chūōkōron |
| 061 | 1969上 | Hideo Takubo | Fukai Kawa (深い河) | Shinchō |
| 062 | 1969下 | Takayuki Kiyooka | Akashiya no Dairen (アカシヤの大連) | Gunzō |
| 063 | 1970上 | Tomoko Yoshida | Mumyōjōya (無明長夜) | Shinchō |
| 063 | 1970上 | Komao Furuyama [ja] | Pureō 8 no Yoake (プレオー8の夜明け) | Bungei |
| 064 | 1970下 | Yoshikichi Furui | Yoko (杳子, Yōko) | Bungei |
| 065 | 1971上 | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. |
| 066 | 1971下 | Kaisei Ri | Kinuta o Utsu Onna (砧をうつ女) | Kikan Geijutsu (季刊芸術) |
| 066 | 1971下 | Mineo Higashi | Child of Okinawa (オキナワの少年, Okinawa no Shōnen) | Bungakukai |
| 067 | 1972上 | Hiroshi Hatayama [ja] | Itsuka Kiteki o Narashite (いつか汽笛を鳴らして) | Bungakukai |
| 067 | 1972上 | Akio Miyahara [ja] | Dareka ga Sawatta (誰かが触った) | Bungei |
| 068 | 1972下 | Michiko Yamamoto | Betty-san (ベティさんの庭, Betei-san no Niwa) | Shinchō |
| 068 | 1972下 | Shizuko Gō | Requiem (れくいえむ, Rekuiemu) | Bungakukai |
| 069 | 1973上 | Taku Miki | Hiwa (鶸) | Subaru  [ja] |
| 070 | 1973下 | Kuninobu Noro [ja] | Kusa no Tsurugi (草のつるぎ) | Bungakukai |
| 070 | 1973下 | Atsushi Mori [ja] | Gassan (月山) | Kikan Geijutsu (季刊芸術) |
| 071 | 1974上 | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. |
| 072 | 1974下 | Keizō Hino | Ano Yūhi (あの夕陽) | Shinchō |
| 072 | 1974下 | Hiro Sakata [ja] | Tsuchi no Utsuwa (土の器) | Bungakukai |
| 073 | 1975上 | Kyōko Hayashi | Ritual of Death (祭りの場, Matsuri no Ba) | Gunzō |
| 074 | 1975下 | Kenji Nakagami | The Cape (岬, Misaki) | Bungakukai |
| 074 | 1975下 | Kazuo Okamatsu | Shikanoshima (志賀島) | Bungakukai |
| 075 | 1976上 | Ryū Murakami | Almost Transparent Blue (限りなく透明に近いブルー, Kagirinaku Tōmei ni Chikai Burū) | Gunzō |
| 076 | 1976下 | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. |
| 077 | 1977上 | Masahiro Mita [ja] | Bokutte Nani (僕って何) | Bungei |
| 077 | 1977上 | Masuo Ikeda | Ēgekai ni Sasagu (エーゲ海に捧ぐ) | Shōsetsu Yasei Jidai  [ja] |
| 078 | 1977下 | Teru Miyamoto | River of Fireflies (螢川, Hotarugawa) | Bungei Tenbō (文芸展望) |
| 078 | 1977下 | Shūzō Taki [ja] | Kaya no Ki Matsuri (榧の木祭り) | Shinchō |
| 079 | 1978上 | Kiichirō Takahashi [ja] | Nobuyo (伸予) | Bungei |
| 079 | 1978上 | Michitsuna Takahashi [ja] | Kugatsu no Sora (九月の空) | Bungei |
| 080 | 1978下 | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. |
| 081 | 1979上 | Yoshiko Shigekane | The Smoke in the Mountain Valley (やまあいの煙, Yamaai no Kemuri) | Bungakukai |
| 081 | 1979上 | Sō Aono | Gusha no Yoru (愚者の夜) | Bungakukai |
| 082 | 1979下 | Reiko Mori | Mokkingubādo no Iru Machi (モッキングバードのいる町) | Shinchō |
| 083 | 1980上 | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. |
| 084 | 1980下 | Katsuhiko Otsuji | Chichi ga Kieta (父が消えた) | Bungakukai |
| 085 | 1981上 | Rie Yoshiyuki | The Little Lady (小さな貴婦人, Chisana Kifujin) | Shinchō |
| 086 | 1981下 | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. |
| 087 | 1982上 | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. |
| 088 | 1982下 | Yukiko Katō | Yume no Kabe (夢の壁) | Shinchō |
| 088 | 1982下 | Jūrō Kara | Sagawa-kun Kara no Tegami (佐川君からの手紙) | Bungei |
| 089 | 1983上 | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. |
| 090 | 1983下 | Jun Kasahara [ja] | Mokuji no Sekai (杢二の世界) | Kaien  [ja] |
| 090 | 1983下 | Nobuko Takagi | Hikari Idaku Tomo yo (光抱く友よ) | Shinchō |
| 091 | 1984上 | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. |
| 092 | 1984下 | Satoko Kizaki | The Phoenix Tree (青桐, Aogiri) | Bungakukai |
| 093 | 1985上 | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. |
| 094 | 1985下 | Fumiko Kometani | Passover (過越しの祭, Sugikoshi no matsuri) | Shinchō |
| 095 | 1986上 | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. |
| 096 | 1986下 | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. |
| 097 | 1987上 | Kiyoko Murata | In the Pot (鍋の中, Nabe no Naka) | Bungakukai |
| 098 | 1987下 | Natsuki Ikezawa | Still Life (スティル・ライフ, Sutiru Raifu) | Chūōkōron |
| 098 | 1987下 | Kiyohiro Miura | He's Leaving Home: My Young Son Becomes a Zen Monk (長男の出家, Chōnan no Shukke) | Kaien  [ja] |
| 099 | 1988上 | Man Arai | Tazunebito no Jikan (尋ね人の時間) | Bungakukai |
| 100 | 1988下 | Keishi Nagi [ja] | Daiyamondo Dasuto (ダイヤモンドダスト) | Bungakukai |
| 100 | 1988下 | Lee Yangji | Yuhi (由煕) | Gunzō |
| 101 | 1989上 | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. |
| 102 | 1989下 | Akira Ōoka [ja] | Hyōsō Seikatsu (表層生活) | Bungakukai |
| 102 | 1989下 | Mieko Takizawa | Nekobaba no Iru Machi de (ネコババのいる町で) | Bungakukai |
| 103 | 1990上 | Noboru Tsujihara | Mura no Namae (村の名前) | Bungakukai |
| 104 | 1990下 | Yōko Ogawa | Pregnancy Diary (妊娠カレンダー, Ninshin Karendā) | Bungakukai |
| 105 | 1991上 | Yō Henmi [ja] | Jidō Kishō Sōchi (自動起床装置) | Bungakukai |
| 105 | 1991上 | Anna Ogino | Seoimizu (背負い水) | Bungakukai |
| 106 | 1991下 | Eiko Matsumura | Shikō Seisho Apatōn (至高聖所 アバトーン) | Kaien  [ja] |
| 107 | 1992上 | Tomomi Fujiwara [ja] | Untenshi (運転士) | Gunzō |
| 108 | 1992下 | Yōko Tawada | The Bridegroom was a Dog (犬婿入り, Inu mukoiri) | Gunzō |
| 109 | 1993上 | Haruhiko Yoshimeki [ja] | Sekiryō Kōya (寂寥郊野) | Gunzō |
| 110 | 1993下 | Hikaru Okuizumi | The Stones Cry Out (石の来歴, Ishi no Raireki) | Bungakukai |
| 111 | 1994上 | Mitsuhiro Muroi [ja] | Odorudeku (おどるでく) | Gunzō |
| 111 | 1994上 | Yoriko Shōno | Taimu Surippu Konbināto (タイムスリップ・コンビナート) | Bungakukai |
| 112 | 1994下 | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. |
| 113 | 1995上 | Kazushi Hosaka | Kono Hito no Iki (この人の閾) | Shinchō |
| 114 | 1995下 | Eiki Matayoshi | Buta no Mukui (豚の報い) | Bungakukai |
| 115 | 1996上 | Hiromi Kawakami | Record of a Night Too Brief (蛇を踏む, Hebi o Fumu) | Bungakukai |
| 116 | 1996下 | Hitonari Tsuji | Kaikyō no Hikari (海峡の光) | Shinchō |
| 116 | 1996下 | Yū Miri | Kazoku Shinema (家族シネマ) | Gunzō |
| 117 | 1997上 | Shun Medoruma | Droplets (水滴, Suiteki) | Bungakukai |
| 118 | 1997下 | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. |
| 119 | 1998上 | Mangetsu Hanamura [ja] | Gerumaniamu no Yoru (ゲルマニウムの夜) | Bungakukai |
| 119 | 1998上 | Shū Fujisawa | Buenosu Airesu Gozen Reiji (ブエノスアイレス午前零時) | Bungei |
| 120 | 1998下 | Keiichirō Hirano | Eclipse (日蝕, Nisshoku) | Shinchō |
| 121 | 1999上 | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. |
| 122 | 1999下 | Gen Getsu [ja] | Kage no Sumika (蔭の棲みか) | Bungakukai |
| 122 | 1999下 | Chiya Fujino | Natsu no Yakusoku (夏の約束) | Gunzō |
| 123 | 2000上 | Kō Machida | Rip It Up (きれぎれ, Kiregire) | Bungakukai |
| 123 | 2000上 | Hisaki Matsuura | Hana Kutashi (花腐し) | Gunzō |
| 124 | 2000下 | Yūichi Seirai [ja] | Seisui (聖水) | Bungakukai |
| 124 | 2000下 | Toshiyuki Horie | The Bear and the Paving Stone (熊の敷石, Kuma no Shikiishi) | Gunzō |
| 125 | 2001上 | Sōkyū Gen'yū [ja] | Chūin no Hana (中陰の花) | Bungakukai |
| 126 | 2001下 | Yū Nagashima [ja] | Mō-Supīdo de Haha wa (猛スピードで母は) | Bungakukai |
| 127 | 2002上 | Shūichi Yoshida | Pāku Raifu (パーク・ライフ) | Bungakukai |
| 128 | 2002下 | Tamaki Daidō | Shoppai Doraibu (しょっぱいドライブ) | Bungakukai |
| 129 | 2003上 | Man'ichi Yoshimura [ja] | Hariganemushi (ハリガネムシ) | Bungakukai |
| 130 | 2003下 | Hitomi Kanehara | Snakes and Earrings (蛇にピアス, Hebi ni Piasu) | Subaru  [ja] |
| 130 | 2003下 | Risa Wataya | I Want to Kick You in the Back (蹴りたい背中, Keritai Senaka) | Bungei |
| 131 | 2004上 | Norio Mobu [ja] | Kaigo Nyūmon (介護入門) | Bungakukai |
| 132 | 2004下 | Kazushige Abe | Gurando Fināre (グランド･フィナーレ) | Gunzō |
| 133 | 2005上 | Fuminori Nakamura | The Boy in the Earth (土の中の子供, Tsuchi no Naka no Kodomo) | Shinchō |
| 134 | 2005下 | Akiko Itoyama | Waiting in the Offing (沖で待つ, Oki de Matsu) | Bungakukai |
| 135 | 2006上 | Takami Itō | Hachigatsu no Rojō ni Suteru (八月の路上に捨てる) | Bungakukai |
| 136 | 2006下 | Nanae Aoyama | A Perfect Day to Be Alone (ひとり日和, Hitori Biyori) | Bungei |
| 137 | 2007上 | Tetsushi Suwa | Asatte no Hito (アサッテの人) | Gunzō |
| 138 | 2007下 | Mieko Kawakami | Chichi to Ran (乳と卵) | Bungakukai |
| 139 | 2008上 | Yang Yi | Toki ga Nijimu Asa (時が滲む朝) | Bungakukai |
| 140 | 2008下 | Kikuko Tsumura | Potosu Raimu no Fune (ポトスライムの舟) | Gunzō |
| 141 | 2009上 | Ken'ichirō Isozaki [ja] | Tsui no Sumika (終の住処) | Shinchō |
| 142 | 2009下 | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. |
| 143 | 2010上 | Akiko Akazome | Otome no Mikkoku (乙女の密告) | Shinchō |
| 144 | 2010下 | Mariko Asabuki | Kikotowa (きことわ) | Shinchō |
| 144 | 2010下 | Kenta Nishimura | Kueki Ressha (苦役列車) | Shinchō |
| 145 | 2011上 | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. | No prize awarded. |
| 146 | 2011下 | Toh EnJoe | Harlequin's Butterfly (道化師の蝶, Dōkeshi no Chō) | Gunzō |
| 146 | 2011下 | Shinya Tanaka [ja] | Cannibals (共喰い, Tomogui) | Subaru  [ja] |
| 147 | 2012上 | Maki Kashimada | Touring the Land of the Dead (冥土めぐり, Meido Meguri) | Bungei |
| 148 | 2012下 | Natsuko Kuroda | ab Sango (abさんご) | Waseda Bungaku  [ja] |
| 149 | 2013上 | Kaori Fujino | Nails and Eyes (爪と目, Tsume to Me) | Shinchō |
| 150 | 2013下 | Hiroko Oyamada | The Hole (穴, Ana) | Shinchō |
| 151 | 2014上 | Tomoka Shibasaki | Spring Garden (春の庭, Haru no Niwa) | Bungakukai |
| 152 | 2014下 | Masatsugu Ono | Kyūnenmae no Inori (九年前の祈り) | Gunzō |
| 153 | 2015上 | Keisuke Hada [ja] | Sukurappu Ando Birudo (スクラップ・アンド・ビルド) | Bungakukai |
| 153 | 2015上 | Naoki Matayoshi | Spark (火花, Hibana) | Bungakukai |
| 154 | 2015下 | Yūshō Takiguchi [ja] | Shinde Inai Mono (死んでいない者) | Bungakukai |
| 154 | 2015下 | Yukiko Motoya | An Exotic Marriage (異類婚姻譚, Irui Konin Tan) | Gunzō |
| 155 | 2016上 | Sayaka Murata | Convenience Store Woman (コンビニ人間, Konbini Ningen) | Bungakukai |
| 156 | 2016下 | Sumito Yamashita | Shinsekai (しんせかい) | Shinchō |
| 157 | 2017上 | Shinsuke Numata | Eiri (影裏) | Bungakukai |
| 158 | 2017下 | Chisako Wakatake | Ora Ora de Hitori Igumo (おらおらでひとりいぐも) | Bungei |
| 158 | 2017下 | Yūka Ishii | The Mud of a Century (百年泥, Hyakunen Doro) | Shinchō |
| 159 | 2018上 | Hiroki Takahashi [ja] | Okuribi (送り火) | Bungakukai |
| 160 | 2018下 | Ryōhei Machiya | 1R 1-Pun 34-Byō (1R1分34秒) | Shinchō |
| 160 | 2018下 | Takahiro Ueda | Nimuroddo (ニムロッド) | Gunzō |
| 161 | 2019上 | Natsuko Imamura | The Woman in the Purple Skirt (むらさきのスカートの女, Murasaki no Sukāto no Onna) | Shōsetsu Tripper  [ja] |
| 162 | 2019下 | Makoto Furukawa | Seitaka Awadachisō (背高泡立草) | Subaru  [ja] |
| 163 | 2020上 | Haruka Tono | Hakyoku (破局) | Bungei |
| 163 | 2020上 | Haneko Takayama | Shuri no Uma (首里の馬) | Shinchō |
| 164 | 2020下 | Rin Usami | Idol, Burning (推し、燃ゆ, Oshi, Moyu) | Bungei |
| 165 | 2021上 | Li Kotomi | Higanbana ga saku shima (彼岸花が咲く島) | Bungakukai |
| 165 | 2021上 | Mai Ishizawa [ja] | The Place of Shells (貝に続く場所にて, Kai ni tsudzuku basho nite) | Gunzō |
| 166 | 2021下 | Bunji Sunakawa [ja] | Black Box (ブラックボックス) | Gunzō |
| 167 | 2022上 | Junko Takase [ja] | May You Have Delicious Meals (おいしいごはんが食べられますように, Oishii Gohan ga Taberaremasuyōni) | Gunzō |
| 168 | 2022下 | Iko Idogawa [ja] | Kono Yo no Yorokobi yo (この世の喜びよ) | Gunzō |
| 168 | 2022下 | Atsushi Satō (author) [ja] | Arechi no Kazoku (荒地の家族) | Shinchō |
| 169 | 2023上 | Saou Ichikawa | Hunchback (ハンチバック, Hunchback) | Bungei |
| 170 | 2023下 | Rie Kudan | Sympathy Tokyo Tower (東京都同情塔, Tokyō-to Dōjō-tō) | Shinchō |
| 171 | 2024上 | Aki Asahina [ja] | Sanshōuo no Shijūkunichi (サンショウウオの四十九日) | Shinchō |
| 171 | 2024上 | Sanzō K. Matsunaga [ja] | Bari Sankō (バリ山行) | Gunzō |
| 172 | 2024下 | Jose Ando [ja] | Dtopia | Bungei |
| 172 | 2024下 | Yuui Suzuki [ja] | Goethe wa Subete o Itta (ゲーテはすべてを言った) | Shōsetsu Tripper |

## Winners available in English translation

* 1936 (4th) - Jun Ishikawa, The Bodhisattva (trans. William J. Tyler, Columbia University Press, 1990)
* 1937 (5th) - Kazuo Ozaki, Rosy Glasses (in Rosy Glasses and Other Stories, trans. Robert Epp, Paul Norbury Publications, 1988)
* 1949 (22nd) - Yasushi Inoue, The Bullfight (trans. Michael Emmerich, Pushkin Press, 2013)
* 1953 (29th) - Shōtarō Yasuoka, Bad Company (in A View by the Sea, trans. Karen Wigen Lewis, Columbia University Press, 1984)
* 1954 (31st) - Junnosuke Yoshiyuki, Sudden Shower (In New Writing in Japan, trans. Geoffrey Bownas, Penguin, 1972)
* 1954 (32nd)
** Nobuo Kojima, The American School (In Contemporary Japanese Literature, trans. William F. Sibley, Alfred A. Knopf, 1977)
** Junzo Shono, Evenings at the Pool (In Still Life and Other Stories, trans. Wayne P. Lammers, Stone Bridge Press, 1992)
* 1955 (33rd) - Shūsaku Endō, White Man (In White Man, Yellow Man, trans. Teruyo Shimizu, Paulist Press, 2014)
* 1955 (34th) - Shintaro Ishikawa, Season of Violence (In Season of Violence, trans. John G. Mills, Toshie Takahama, and Ken Tremayne, Tuttle, 1966)
* 1957 (38th) - Takeshi Kaiko, The Naked King (In Japan Quarterly, vol. 24, no. 2, trans. Howard Curtis, 1977)
* 1958 (39th) - Kenzaburō Ōe, Prize Stock (In Teach Us to Outgrow Our Madness, trans. John Nathan, Grove Press, 1977)
* 1963 (49th) - Kōno Taeko, Crabs (In Toddler-Hunting and Other Stories, trans. Lucy North, New Directions Publishing, 1996)
* 1965 (53rd) - Setsuko Tsumura, Playthings (In Japan Quarterly, vol. 27, no. 1, trans. Kyoko Evanhoe and Robert N. Lawson, 1980)
* 1967 (57th) - Tatsuhiro Ōshiro, The Cocktail Party (In Okinawa: Two Postwar Novellas, trans. Steve Rabson, Institute of East Asian Studies, 1989)
* 1968 (59th) - Minako Oba, The Three Crabs (in Japan Quarterly, vol. 25, no. 3, trans. Stephen Kohl and Toyama Ryoko, 1978)
* 1970 (64th) - Yoshikichi Furui, Yoko (In Child of Darkness: Yoko and Other Stories, trans. Donna George Storey, University of Michigan Center for Japanese Studies, 1997)
* 1971 (66th) - Mineo Higashi, Child of Okinawa (In Okinawa: Two Postwar Novellas, trans. Steve Rabson, Institute of East Asian Studies, 1989)
* 1972 (68th)
** Michiko Yamamoto, Betty-san (In Betty-san, trans. Geraldine Harcourt, Kodansha International, 1985)
** Shizuko Gō, Requiem (trans. Geraldine Harcourt, Kodansha International, 1983)
* 1975 (73rd) - Kyoko Hayashi, Ritual of Death (In Nuke Rebuke: Writers and Artists against Nuclear Energy and Weapons, trans. Kyoko Selden, The Spirit That Moves Us Press, 1984)
* 1975 (74th) - Kenji Nakagami, The Cape (In The Cape and other stories from the Japanese Ghetto, trans. Eve Zimmerman, Stone Bridge Press, 1999)
* 1976 (75th) - Ryū Murakami, Almost Transparent Blue (trans. Nancy Andrew, Kodansha International, 1977)
* 1977 (78th) - Teru Miyamoto, River of Fireflies (in Rivers, trans. Roger K. Thomas and Ralph McCarthy, Kurodahan Press, 2014)
* 1979 (81st) - Yoshiko Shigekane, The Smoke in the Mountain Valley (In Mississippi Review, vol. 39, no. 1/3, trans. John Wilson and Motoko Naruse, 2012)
* 1981 (85th) - Rie Yoshiyuki, The Little Lady (In Japanese Literature Today, no. 7, trans. Geraldine Harcourt, 1982)
* 1984 (92nd) - Satoko Kizaki, The Phoenix Tree (In The Phoenix Tree and Other Stories, trans. Carol A. Flath, Kodansha International, 1990)
* 1985 (94th) - Fumiko Kometani, Passover (In Passover, trans. by the author, Carroll and Graf, 1989)
* 1987 (97th) - Kiyoko Murata, In the Pot (In Japanese Women Writers: Twentieth Century Short Fiction, trans. Kyoko Iriye Seldon, Routledge, 2015)
* 1987 (98th)
** Natsuki Ikezawa, Still Life (In Still Lives, trans. Dennis Keene, Kodansha International, 1997)
** Kiyohiro Miura, He's Leaving Home: My Young Son Becomes a Zen Monk (trans. Jeff Shore, Tuttle, 1996)
* 1990 (104th) - Yōko Ogawa, Pregnancy Diary (In The Diving Pool, trans. Stephen Snyder, Picador, 2008)
* 1992 (108th) - Yoko Tawada, The Bridegroom was a Dog (In The Bridegroom was a Dog, trans. Margaret Mitsutani, Kodansha International, 2003)
* 1993 (110th) - Hikaru Okuizumi, The Stones Cry Out (trans. James Westerhoven, Harcourt, 1999)
* 1996 (115th) - Hiromi Kawakami, Record of a Night Too Brief (trans. Lucy North, Pushkin Press, 2017)
* 1997 (117th) - Shun Medoruma, Droplets (In Southern Exposure: Modern Japanese Literature from Okinawa, trans. Michael Molasky, University of Hawaii Press, 2000)
* 1998 (120th) - Keiichiro Hirano, Eclipse (trans. Brent de Chene and Charles De Wolf, Columbia University Press, 2024)
* 2000 (123rd) - Kō Machida, Rip It Up (trans. Daniel Joseph, Mercurial Editions, 2022)
* 2000 (124th) - Toshiyuki Horie, The Bear and the Paving Stone (In The Bear and the Paving Stone, trans. Geraint Howells, Pushkin Press, 2018)
* 2003 (130th)
** Hitomi Kanehara, Snakes and Earrings (trans. David Karashima, Dutton, 2005)
** Risa Wataya, I Want to Kick You in the Back (trans. Julianne Neville, One Peace Books, 2015)
* 2005 (133rd) - Fuminori Nakamura, The Boy in the Earth (trans. Allison Markin Powell, Soho Crime, 2017)
* 2005 (134th) - Akiko Itoyama, Waiting in the Offing (In Words Without Borders, April 2007, trans. Charles De Wolf)
* 2006 (136th) - Nanae Aoyama, A Perfect Day to Be Alone (trans. Jesse Kirkwood, MacLehose Press, 2024)
* 2011 (146th)
** Toh EnJoe, Harlequin Butterfly (trans. David Boyd, Pushkin Press, 2024)
** Shinya Tanaka, Cannibals (trans. Kalau Almony, Honford Star, 2024)
* 2012 (147th) - Maki Kashimada, Touring the Land of the Dead (trans. Haydn Trowell, Europa Editions, 2021)
* 2013 (149th) - Kaori Fujino, Nails and Eyes (trans. Kendall Heitzman, Pushkin Press, 2023)
* 2013 (150th) - Hiroko Oyamada, The Hole (trans. David Boyd, New Directions Publishing, 2020)
* 2014 (151st) - Tomoka Shibasaki, Spring Garden (trans. Polly Barton, Pushkin Press, 2017)
* 2015 (153rd) - Naoki Matayoshi, Spark (trans. Allison Watts, Pushkin Press, 2020)
* 2015 (154th) - Yukiko Motoya, An Exotic Marriage (In The Lonesome Bodybuilder, trans. Asa Yoneda, Soft Skull, 2018)
* 2016 (155th) - Sayaka Murata, Convenience Store Woman (trans. Ginny Tapley Takemori, Grove Press, 2018)
* 2017 (158th) - Yuka Ishii, The Mud of a Century (trans. Haydn Trowell, Gazebo Books, 2023)
* 2019 (161st) - Natsuko Imamura, The Woman in the Purple Skirt (trans. Lucy North, Faber and Faber, 2021)
* 2020 (164th) - Rin Usami, Idol, Burning (trans. Asa Yoneda, HarperVia, 2022)
* 2021 (165th) - Mai Ishizawa, The Place of Shells (trans. Polly Barton, New Directions Publishing, 2025)
* 2022 (167th) - Junko Takase, May You Have Delicious Meals (trans. Morgan Giles, Penguin, 2025)
* 2023 (169th) - Saou Ichikawa, Hunchback (trans. Polly Barton, Penguin, 2025)
* 2023 (170th) - Rie Kudan, Sympathy Tower Tokyo (trans. Jesse Kirkwood, Penguin, 2025)

## Current members of the selection committee and year appointed

* Amy Yamada, 2003
* Hiromi Kawakami, 2007
* Yōko Ogawa, 2007
* Masahiko Shimada, 2010
* Hikaru Okuizumi, 2012
* Shuichi Yoshida, 2016
* Hisaki Matsuura, 2019
* Keiichiro Hirano, 2020
* Mieko Kawakami, 2024