TheNoma Prizes were established byShoichi Noma, or in his honor. More than one award is conventionally identified as theNoma Prize. Noma was the former head ofKodansha, the Japanese publishing and bookselling company.Kodansha is Japan's largest publisher of literature andmanga.
Noma Prizes include four literary prizes for books published in Japan.
TheNoma Literary Prize (Noma Bungei Shō) was established in 1941 by the Noma Service Association (Noma Hōkō Kai) in accordance with the last wishes ofSeiji Noma (1878-1938), founder and first president of the Kōdansha publishing company. 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.[1]
The Noma Literary New Face Prize (Noma Bungei Shinjin Shō) was established in 1979.
The Noma Children's Literature Prize (Noma Jidō Bungei Shō) was established in 1963.
The Noma Children's Literature New Face Prize (Noma Jidō Bungei Shinjin Shō) was established in 1963.
TheNoma Literacy Prize is aUNESCO award. It is given to the group or individual who has done most to combat illiteracy. It was founded in 1980 byShoichi Noma, the president of the publishing firm.[2]
TheNoma Award for the Translation of Japanese Literature is awarded annually for new translations of modernJapanese literature into any language. It was founded in 1990.
TheNoma Award for Publishing in Africa is sponsored by Kodansha and it is named honor of the company's former president, Shoichi Noma. Its first honoree in 1980 wasMariama Bâ forUne Si Longue Lettre (So Long a Letter).[3]
The Noma Reischauer Prize was established atHarvard University to honor the memory of Prof.Edwin O. Reischauer and to assist in the advancement of Japanese Studies in the United States, Japan, and elsewhere. The Prize was made possible with the support of Kodansha. The prizes are awarded annually for the best essays written by Harvard students writing about a Japan-related subject.[4]
The Noma Concours for Picture Book Illustrations (Japanese: 野間国際絵本原画コンクール) was an annual competition organised by the Asia/Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO (ACCU) supported by the Noma International Book Development Fund from 1978 to 2008. It was named after Shoichi Noma, the fourth president of the Japanese family-run publishing house Kodansha Ltd.