The Noma Literary Prize has been awarded annually to an outstanding new work published in Japan between October and the following September.
The Noma Prize includes a commemorative plaque and a cash award of 3 million yen.
Its first honoree in 1980 was Mariama Bâ for Une Si Longue Lettre (So Long a Letter).
The prizes are awarded annually for the best essays written by Harvard students writing about a Japan-related subject.
It was named after Shoichi Noma, the fourth president of the Japanese family-run publishing house Kodansha Ltd.