YOKOHAMA, Japan – Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. today announced the winners of the 41st Nissan Children's Storybook and Picture Book Grand Prix, organized by the International Institute for Children's Literature, Osaka. The competition, part of Nissan’s corporate citizenship activities, is aimed to help the development of children’s imagination and creativity.
An illustration from the Grand Prize-winning picture book “Uragawa”
Shino won the Storybook Grand Prize for “Harukaze no Mahootsukai” (“The Wizard of the Spring Breeze”) and Kawahara Kumiko was awarded the Picture Book Grand Prize for “Uragawa” (“At the Back”).
This year, the competition attracted 1,814 entries from amateur authors and illustrators.
“Harukaze no Mahootsukai” is a story about the protagonist's interaction through Chinese poetry with a transfer student from China. Their hesitant exchanges, as they try to connect beyond language and cultural barriers, are warmly depicted alongside spring scenery.
“Uragawa” expresses the protagonist's safe haven at the "Uragawa." The use of beautiful colors and character depictions is exceptional, particularly the careful and highly praised portrayal of the protagonist's emotions.
The Grand Prize winners will be published in December by BL Publishing Co., Ltd.
In addition, three storybooks and three picture books were awarded special prizes, and 20 storybooks and 10 picture books won prizes for excellence.
At the award ceremony on March 8, there will be a lecture titled "Tips for Writing a Story" by competition juror Michio Yoshihashi, one of the jurors of the competition and available on the International Institute for Children's Literature’s YouTube channel at a later date.
The children’s book competition was launched in 1984 to commemorate the opening of the International Institute for Children's Literature, Osaka. Nissan has sponsored and supported the competition since the beginning.
The competition also gives talented amateur authors and illustrators an opportunity to have their works published. More than 130,000 entries have been received since the start of the program and 75 books have been published.
Over the past 41 years, Nissan has donated more than 290,000 books to libraries and childcare facilities across Japan, as well as to Japanese schools and Japanese language schools overseas.
Nissan places sustainability at the core of its business, aiming for a cleaner, safer, and more inclusive world. A key initiative in this effort is contributing to local communities, with a focus on providing educational opportunities for children in various markets. Through these activities, Nissan seeks to support the development of new writers and deliver captivating storybooks and picture books to the children who will shape the future.
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