Announcement of the Creation of the Tokuma Shoten Story Newcomer Award

Stories are the best entertainment

The Children's Book Editorial Department of Tokuma Shoten Co., Ltd. is pleased to announce the creation of a newcomer award to discover talent for reading materials aimed at middle-grade elementary school students.

Our editorial department has been carefully sending out outstanding books selected from all over the world and ambitious works by domestic authors, one by one, so that encounters with books become the best possible experience for children.

Now, more than 30 years after we started publishing children's books, we feel stronger than ever that we want children to continue reading books.

We often hear voices from parents, school teachers, library librarians, and those involved in children's reading activities, saying that there are many cases where children read picture books a lot when they are young, but gradually drift away from books after entering elementary school.

Therefore, we decided to actively provide works for middle-grade elementary school students that serve as a bridge between picture books and reading materials, so that children who enjoyed picture books with adults can enjoy 'reading stories on their own' even more.

We are widely seeking talent capable of producing exciting or deeply moving reading materials that allow children to taste the joy of reading stories.

● Content
Unpublished original works of children's literature aimed at middle-grade elementary school students.

● Application Period
July 1 to September 30, 2026 (For mail, postmarks on the deadline are valid)

● How to Apply
Enter via the form, and submit the work by mail or online upload.
The entry form (including the upload destination for the work) and the mailing address will be announced on the Tokuma Shoten Children's Book Editorial Department website when the application period begins.

● Selection Committee
Shiruko Tomori (Author), Miho Satake (Illustrator), Kyobunkwan Children's Book Store Narnia Koku

● Awards
Newcomer Award: Certificate, 500,000 yen, and a guarantee of publication
Honorable Mention: Certificate, 200,000 yen, and a possibility of publication

● Announcements
Announcement of Newcomer Award nominees: Early December 2026
Announcement of Newcomer Award winners: Early February 2027

● Award Ceremony
Scheduled for Early March 2027

For details, please visit the Tokuma Shoten Children's Book Editorial Department website.

Tokuma Shoten Children's Book Editorial Department

■ Inquiries regarding this matter
Tokuma Shoten Co., Ltd., Children's Book Editorial Department
Email: children@shoten.tokuma.com

[Tokuma Shoten Public Relations Contact]
C-Publishing Service Co., Ltd., Public Relations & Advertising Department
Email: pr@c-pub.co.jp