TOKYO - For the first time in 27 years, since the 118th prize in 1998, both the Akutagawa Prize and Naoki Prize were left without a recipient, marking only the sixth instance in the prize’s history that such a decision has been made.
As just announced, the Akutagawa Prize for the 173rd round has been declared with no winning work. The final round of voting concluded without any candidate receiving a majority, despite strong discussions surrounding several notable submissions.
Among the finalists were Koreko Hibi's Endless Footnotes of Light and Gregory Tsunajatt's Tratrajectory, both of which generated high expectations. Jun Komada’s Dream of Birds and Kuji Sakisaka’s Dance to the Pain of Love were also considered promising at earlier stages of the selection process.
However, during the final deliberation, after two rounds of voting on the remaining two works, no entry garnered the necessary majority support. Although there were efforts to reach a consensus, none of the works received sufficient backing from the selection committee.
One judge remarked that the prize should honor works that bring “new perspectives and experimentation.” While this round did include attempts at fresh approaches and innovative viewpoints, the overall sentiment was that none of the entries quite reached the level expected for the award.
The judges acknowledged the difficulty of the decision, stating that although each piece sparked meaningful discussion, the absence of a clear standout made it impossible to name a single winner. The final consensus was that it would not be appropriate to award the prize to any of the submissions.
Although disappointing, the decision reflects the high standards and expectations associated with the Akutagawa Prize.
Source: Kyodo
