Winners Announced for the 3rd Ariyoshi Sawako Literature Award

To mark the opening of the Ariyoshi Sawako Memorial Hall and to honor the city's legendary literary figure while fostering a cultural environment, Wakayama City established the Ariyoshi Sawako Literature Award in December 2023, utilizing the Haruo Tsukamoto Fund.

The award seeks essays that express thoughts and feelings about oneself, society, or the city of Wakayama. A total of 1,314 entries were received from across Japan and abroad. Following a review by experts, 13 works were selected as winners.

1. List of Award-Winning Works
(The Grand Prize, Excellence Awards, and Incentive Awards have been determined. Incentive Awards are limited to middle and high school students.)

2. Award Ceremony
(1) Date & Time: June 7, 2026 (Sunday), from 1:30 PM
(2) Venue: Wakayama City Ariyoshi Sawako Memorial Hall (Denpobashi Minaminocho 9, Wakayama City)

3. Publication
The winning works will be published on the city's official website and other media after the ceremony.

4. About the Grand Prize Winner: 'Complex and Charm Point'
(1) Summary: The author developed vitiligo vulgaris in elementary school, which caused part of their hair to turn white. The essay delicately portrays the emotional journey of someone who once feared public scrutiny but eventually learned to accept this trait as a 'charm point.'
(2) Review Snippets:
- 'We sense a writer's true resolve and maturity in the way they embrace a complex as a unique charm point.'
- 'The process of noticing the compassionate gazes of others and accepting one's own complex is vividly depicted.'
- 'A masterwork that sincerely addresses universal literary themes: self vs. others, and the vast difference between gaze and value.'
- 'The work concludes with a refreshing determination for the future.'

5. Entry Statistics for the 3rd Award
Entries came from all 47 Japanese prefectures, with 76 from Wakayama City and 55 from other parts of the prefecture. Internationally, submissions were received from the United States, the Netherlands, Germany, Malaysia, and Mongolia.
By age, teenagers were the largest group (327 applicants). Entries spanned all generations from teens to nonagenarians, with the youngest being a 7th grader and the oldest aged 94.

[Topic: Sawako Ariyoshi]
Many entries were received from the middle school department of Kosei Girls' Academy, the alma mater of Sawako Ariyoshi. The school actively honors her memory with dedicated exhibition corners and a library collection in her name.