YOKOHAMA, Japan – Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. today announced the winners of the 40th Nissan Children’s Storybook and Picture Book Grand Prix, organized by the International Institute for Children’s Literature, Osaka.
An illustration from the Grand Prize-winning picture book
“Utsura Utsura” (“While Half Asleep” ).
Zakuro Kabashima won the Storybook Grand Prize for “Kyo ni Kagitte” (“Just for Today”) and Susie was awarded the Picture Book Grand Prize for “Utsura Utsura” (“While Half Asleep”).
The competition, part of Nissan’s corporate citizenship activities, attracted 1,767 entries from amateur authors and illustrators.
“Kyo ni Kagitte” tells the tale of how an elementary school student builds ties with his classmates and deepens mutual understanding after losing his bicycle key. Kabashima’s storytelling is highly elaborate yet her sentences are concise and the setting is straightforward.
“Utsura Utsura” is the story of three elderly women in a retirement home who travel back in time to when they were childhood friends after sneaking out to the garden. Susie won high praise for her well-structured artwork and carefully drawn scenes and characters.
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.
To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Grand Prix, a forum will be hosted at the March 9 award ceremony for those aspiring to write picture books and children’s books. The event will be attended by 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 is hosted by the International Institute for Children’s Literature, Osaka, with the aim of developing kids’ imagination and creativity. It was launched in 1984 to commemorate the opening of the institute. 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 128,000 entries have been received since the start of the program and 73 books have been published.
Over the past 40 years, Nissan has donated more than 280,000 books to libraries and childcare facilities across Japan, as well as to Japanese schools and Japanese language schools overseas.
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