The Gunzo New Writers' Prize (群像新人文学賞, Gunzō Shinjin Bungakushō) is an annual literary prize awarded by Japanese literary magazine Gunzo, published by Kodansha. It was established in 1958 with two categories, one for novels and one for commentary. Starting in 2015, the criticism category was separated out and renamed the Gunzo Prize for New Criticism (群像新人評論賞).
According to submission rules, novels submitted must be between 250 and 500 pages, while commentary must be no more than 100 pages (raised from 50 pages in 2003). The winning writer receives a prize of 500,000 yen, with the winning work being published in the June edition of Gunzo.
List of winners
Novels
| Year | Author | Japanese title | Rōmaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | No winner selected | |||
| 1959 | No winner selected | |||
| 1960 | Tamako Koga | 魔笛 | Mateki | The Magic Flute |
| 1961 | No winner selected | |||
| 1962 | Kei Nishihara | 日蝕 | Nisshoku | Solar Eclipse |
| 1963 | Ryūichi Fumisawa | 重い車 | Omoi Kuruma | |
| 1964 | Michiko Miyoshi | どくだみ | Dokudami | Chameleon plant |
| 1965 | Tōru Kurobe | 砂の関係 | Sunano Kankei | |
| 1966 | No winner selected | |||
| 1967 | Hirotoshi Kondō | 骨 | Hone | |
| 1968 | Minako Ōba | 三匹の蟹 | Sanpiki no Kani | Three Crabs |
| 1969 | Lee Hoesung | またふたたびの道 | Mata Futatabi no Michi | The Same Road Again |
| 1970 | Kōsuke Katsuki | 出発の周辺 | Shuppatsu no Shuuhen | |
| 1971 | Miyoko Kobayashi | 髪の花 | Kami no Hana | Hair Flowers |
| Yoshitaka Hirokawa | チョーク | Chōku | Chalk | |
| 1972 | No winner selected | |||
| 1973 | No winner selected | |||
| 1974 | Akira Iida | 迪子とその夫 | Michiko to sono otto | |
| Hitoshi Morimoto | 或る回復 | Aru Kaifuku | Recovery | |
| Michitsuna Takahashi | 退屈しのぎ | Taikutsushinosugi | Killing Time | |
| 1975 | Kyōko Hayashi | 祭りの場 | Matsuri no ba | Festival Site |
| 1976 | Ryū Murakami | 限りなく透明に近いブルー | Kagirinaku Tōmeini Chikai Burū | Near-transparent Blue |
| 1977 | No winner selected | |||
| 1978 | Ryōsuke Obata | 永遠に一日 | Eien ni Ichinichi | Forever One Day |
| Kei Nakazawa | 海を感じる時 | Umi wo Kanjiru Toki | When You Feel The Sea | |
| 1979 | Haruki Murakami | 風の歌を聴け | Kaze no Utawo Kike | Hear the Wind Sing |
| 1980 | Taku Hasegawa | 昼と夜 | Hiru to Yoru | Day and Night |
| 1981 | Yoriko Shōno | 極楽 | Gokuraku | Paradise |
| 1982 | No winner selected | |||
| 1983 | Naoyuki Ii | 草のかんむり | Kusa no Kanmuri | A Crown of Grass |
| 1984 | Fumiko Hanagi | ダミアンズ、私の獲物 | Damianzu, Watashi no Emono | Damiens, My Prey |
| 1985 | 李起昇 | ゼロはん | Zerohan | |
| Haruhiko Yoshimeki | ジパング | Jipangu | Cipangu | |
| 1986 | Chihiro Arai | 復活祭のためのレクイエム | Fukkatsusai no Tame no Rekuiemu | Requiem for Easter |
| 1987 | Yōko Shimoi | あなたについて わたしについて | Anata ni tsuite Watashi ni tsuite | About You, About Me |
| Takayuki Suzuki | ポートレイト・イン・ナンバー | Pōtoreito In Nanbā | Portrait in Number | |
| 1988 | 石田邦男 | アルチュール・エリソンの素描 | Aruchūru Erison no Sobyō | Arthur Ellison's Drawings |
| 1989 | No winner selected | |||
| 1990 | Wataru Takano | コンビニエンスロゴス | Konbiniensu Rogosu | Convenience Logos |
| 1991 | Yoko Tawada | かかとを失くして | Kakato wo Nakushite | Losing My Heel |
| 1992 | No winner selected | |||
| 1993 | No winner selected | |||
| 1994 | Kazushige Abe | 生ける屍の夜 | Ikeru Shikabane no Yoru | Night of the Living Dead |
| 1995 | No winner selected | |||
| 1996 | No winner selected | |||
| Excellence Mention Sonoe Dōgaki | 足下の土 | Ashimoto no Tsuchi | The Earth Under Your Feet | |
| 1997 | Yoshihisa Okazaki | 秒速 10 センチの越冬 | Byōsoku Jū Senchi no Ettō | Passing the Winter at 10 Centimetres per Second |
| 1998 | No winner selected | |||
| Excellence Mention Tetsuya Kamada | 水のはじまり | Mizu no Hajimari | The Start of the Water | |
| 1999 | No winner selected | |||
| 2000 | Hajime Yokota | (世界記録) | (Sekai Kiroku) | (World Record) |
| Excellence Mention Yūji Nakai | フリースタイルのいろんな話 | Furīstairu no Ironna Hanashi | Various Freestyle Chats | |
| 2001 | Tōru Hagiwara | 蚤の心臓ファンクラブ | Nomi no Shinzō Fankurabu | Flea Heart Fan Club |
| Excellence Mention Rio Shimamoto | シルエット | Shiruetto | Silhouette | |
| 2002 | Tomoki Teramura | 死せる魂の幻想、 | Shiseru Tamashī no Gensō | Visions of Dead Souls |
| Daisuke Hayakawa | ジャイロ！ | Jairo! | Gyro! | |
| 2003 | Ken Mori | 火薬と愛の星 | Kayaku to Ai no Hoshi | Gunpowder and the Star of Love |
| Excellence Mention Sayaka Murata | 授乳 | Junyū | Breastfeeding | |
| Excellence Mention Aya Wakisaka | 鼠と肋骨 | Nezumi to rokkotsu | Mice and ribs | |
| 2004 | Mika Jūmonji | 狐寝入夢虜 | Kitsune ne nyū yume toriko | |
| Excellence Mention Norikazu Satō | サージウスの死神 | Sājiusu no Shinigami | Sarzius the Reaper | |
| 2005 | Naoya Higuchi | さよなら アメリカ | Sayonara Amerika | Goodbye, America |
| Excellence Mention Anne Mochizuki | グルメな女と優しい男 | Gurumena Onna to Yasashii Otoko | The Gourmet Women and the Kind Man | |
| 2006 | Furukuri Kinoshita | 無限のしもべ | Mugen no Shimobe | The Endless Subordinate |
| Asuka Asahina | 憂鬱なハスビーン | Yūutsuna Hasubīn | Depressed Has-been | |
| Excellence Mention Nozomi Fukatsu | 煙幕 | Enmaku | Smokescreen | |
| 2008 | Yoriko Matsuo | 子守唄しか聞こえない | Komori-uta Shika Kikoenai | All I Can Hear Is a Lullaby |
| 2009 | Daisuke Maruoka | カメレオン狂のための戦争学習帳 | Kamereon-kyō no Tame no Sensō Gakushū-chō | A War Study Guide for Chamaeleon Enthusiasts |
| 2010 | Keita Asakawa | 朝が止まる | Asa ga Tomaru | The Morning Halts |
| Yosuke Nomizu | 後悔さきにたたず | Kōkai Saki ni Tatazu | Don't Cry Over Spilt Milk | |
| 2011 | Naoko Nakano | 美しい私の顔 | Utsukushī Watashi no Kao | My Beautiful Face |
| 2012 | Manabu Okamoto | 架空列車、 | Kakū Ressha | Aerial Train |
| Excellence Mention Chioru Katase | 泡をたたき割る人魚は | Awa o Tataki Waru Ningyo wa | The Mermaid Who Breaks the Bubbles | |
| Excellence Mention Kazuo Fujisaki | グッバイ、こおろぎ君。 | Gubbai, Kōrogi-kun. | Goodbye, Cricket | |
| 2013 | Riku Hatano | 鶏が鳴く | Tori ga Naku | The Cock Crows |
| 2014 | Yūta Yokoyama | 吾輩ハ猫ニナル | Wagahai wa Neko ni Naru | I Become a Cat |
| 2015 | Yūsuke Norishiro | 十七八より | Jūshichihachi Yori | |
| 2016 | Sil Choi | ジニのパズル | Jini no Pazuru | Gini's Puzzle |
| 2017 | No winner selected | |||
| Excellence Mention Tomomi Uehara | 天袋 | Amabukuro | Heavenly Bag | |
| Excellence Mention Li Kotomi | 独舞 | Hitorimai | Solo Dance | |
| 2018 | Yūko Hōjō | 美しい顔 | Utsukushī Kao | Beautiful Face |
| 2019 | Maho Ishikura | そこどけあほが通るさかい | Soko doke a ho ga tōrusakai | Get Out of the Way, an Idiot Is Coming Through |
| 2020 | No winner selected | |||
| Excellence Mention Mahiro Yuasa | 四月の岸辺 | Shigatsu no Kishibe | April's Shore | |
| 2021 | Mai Ishizawa | 貝に続く場所にて | Kai ni Tsuzuku Basho Nite | In the Location Next to the Shellfish |
| Daiki Shimaguchi | 鳥がぼくらは祈り、 | Tori ga Bokura wa Inori, | We Birds Prayed... | |
| Excellence Mention K-Sanzō Matsunaga | カメオ | Kameo | Cameo | |
| 2022 | Chito Kosagawa | 家庭用安心坑夫 | Katei-yō Anshin Kōfu | Safe Miner for Use at Home |
| Itsu Hirasawa | 点滅するものの革命 | Tenmetsu Suru Mono no Kakumei | A Revolution of Flickering | |
| 2023 | Natsuki Murakumo | もぬけの考察 | Monuke no Kōsatsu | A Discussion of Exuvia |
| Yasuko Yumeno | ジューンドロップ | Jūndoroppu | June Drop | |
| 2024 | Kōhei Toyonaga | 月ぬ走いや、馬ぬ走い | Chichi nu haiya, 'nma nu hai | Moon Running, Horse Running |
| Excellence Mention Ichi Shiratori | 遠くから来ました | Tōku kara Kimashita | I Came from Far Away | |