| Naoki Prize | |
|---|---|
| 直木三十五賞 (Naoki Sanjūgo Shō) | |
| Awarded for | Best work of popular literature by rising author |
| Date | August 10, 1935 |
| Country | Japan |
| Presented by | Society for the Promotion of Japanese Literature |
| First awarded | 1935 |
| Website | www |
The Naoki Prize, officially Naoki Sanjugo Prize (直木三十五賞, Naoki Sanjūgo Shō), is a Japanese literary award presented biannually. It was created in 1935 by Kikuchi Kan, then editor of the Bungeishunjū magazine, and named in memory of novelist Naoki Sanjugo.[1] Sponsored by the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Literature, the award recognizes "the best work of popular literature in any format by a new, rising, or (reasonably young) established author."[2] The winner receives a watch and one million yen.[3]
Kikuchi founded the Naoki Prize with the Akutagawa Prize, which targets a new or rising author of literary fiction. The two prizes are viewed as "two sides of the same coin" and inseparable from one another. Because of the prestige associated with the Naoki Prize and the considerable attention the winner receives from the media, it, along with the Akutagawa Prize, is one of Japan's most sought after literary awards of recognition.[3][4]