[First Time] Estar Novel Award 2026 'Futabasha Pastel NOVEL Novel Award' Open for Submissions ~Winning Works Guaranteed Publication & Chances for Media Adaptation~

Estar Inc. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Masaki Yamashita) has launched the 'Futabasha Pastel NOVEL Novel Award' on its self-operated novel submission site 'Estar', in collaboration with Futabasha Publishers Ltd. The submission period for works is from Friday, April 3, 2026, to Sunday, July 5, 2026.

■ Contest Overview The 'Futabasha Pastel NOVEL Novel Award' is a novel contest held collaboratively by Futabasha Publishers Ltd. and Estar. The theme for this inaugural contest is 'Family and Home'. It's a theme rooted in everyday life, but the story revolves around large-scale questions, phenomena, and incidents. We are looking forward to heart-shaking stories sprinkled with unique characters, emotions hidden in ordinary daily life, a refreshing aftertaste, and emotional landscapes or miracles.

'Futabasha Pastel NOVEL Novel Award' Contest Special Page https://estar.jp/official_contests/159873

■ Prizes (Prize 1) Guaranteed book publication by Futabasha + consideration for comic and screen adaptation (Prize 2) 100,000 yen per winning work (maximum 500,000 yen)

■ Schedule Submission Period: April 3, 2026 (Fri) 12:00 ~ July 5, 2026 (Sun) 27:59 Interim Announcement: Scheduled for September-October 2026 Final Result Announcement: Scheduled for November-December 2026

■ Application Requirements 1. Must be a novel of about 50,000 to 80,000 characters. 2. Must be fully completed. 3. The protagonist's age must be in their teens to twenties.

Detailed information on the application requirements can be found on the contest's special page published on Estar. https://estar.jp/official_contests/159873

[Label Introduction] A new generation of 'intellect' and 'sensitivity...