YOKOHAMA, Japan – Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. today announced the winners of the 35th Nissan Children's Storybook and Picture Book Grand Prix, organized by the International Institute for Children's Literature, Osaka.
Kumiko Minagi won the Storybook Grand Prize for “Kujira Sukui” (“Whale Scooping”). Kou Matsuoka won the Picture Book Grand Prize for “Kogarashi no Hiwa” (“On a Windy Winter Day”).
The competition, part of Nissan’s corporate citizenship activities, attracted 2,788 entries from amateur authors and illustrators.
“Kujira Sukui” tells the story of a boy who wins a live whale at a festival and brings it home. Along with the unusual title and concept, the author’s detailed descriptions help draw the reader into the story. In “Kogarashi no Hiwa,” a girl finds a freezing kitten on a cold, windy day. The book has distinctive imagery, featuring soft coloring and bold layout, and unexpected story developments.
In addition, three storybooks and three picture books won Special Prizes, and 20 storybooks and 10 picture books won Prizes for Excellence. The Grand Prize and Special Prize winners will receive cash and commemorative goods. The Grand Prize-winning books will be published by BL Publishing Co., Ltd., in December.
The book competition aims to help develop children’s imagination and creativity. It commemorates the 1984 opening of the International Institute for Children's Literature, Osaka, Japan's first comprehensive center for international children's literature.
The competition also gives talented amateur authors and illustrators the opportunity to take their work professional. More than 117,000 entries have been received in the 35 years since the start of the program, and 63 books have been published.
Over the years, Nissan has donated more than 240,000 books to libraries and child care facilities across Japan, as well as to Japanese schools and Japanese language schools overseas. Nissan has also carried out initiatives related to children and literature, such as storybook readings at the Nissan Global Headquarters Gallery in Yokohama.
Related Links:
Corporate Citizenship Activities website
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Koji Okuda or Nicholas Maxfield
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nissan_japan_communications@mail.nissan.co.jp
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