The is given annually by the Nikon Salon

Nikon Salon

is the name given to exhibition spaces and activities run by Nikon in Japan.The Ginza Nikon Salon opened in January 1968 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Nippon Kōgaku . This was later augmented by the Shinjuku Nikon Salon and the Osaka Nikon Salon...

, an organization of exhibition spaces in Japan that is sponsored by Nikon Corporation.

The award was started in 1976; it is named in honor of Nobuo Ina, a photography critic who headed the Nikon Salon from 1968 until his death in 1978.

The award is given to the photographer of what is judged to have been the most outstanding exhibition held in a Nikon Salon within the year running from October through September. As of early 2006, the award consists of a statuette, one million yen, and a Nikon F6

Nikon F6

The Nikon F6 is a 35mm single-lens reflex camera body that became commercially available during 2004, and is the sixth top-of-the-line professional film camera in Nikon's line since the introduction of the Nikon F in 1959...

 camera body and lenses.

Recipients

Awards

	year	photographer
1	1976	Gashō Yamamura Gasho Yamamura was a renowned Japanese photographer.-References:...
2	1977	Masahisa Fukase Masahisa Fukase , born 25 February 1934 in Hokkaidō, is a Japanese photographer.-Life:Among Fukase's early works was the "Kill the Pigs" concerning a slaughterhouse...
3	1978	Hiromi Tsuchida Hiromi Tsuchida is a renowned Japanese photographer.Tsuchida has produced several collections of photographs of the aftermath of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. He has produced many influential photo books such as Zokushin, counting the sand and new counting the sand and The Berlin Wall...
4	1979	Satoshi Kuribayashi Satoshi Kuribayashi is a renowned Japanese photographer.He received the Lennart Nilsson Award in 2006 for outstanding scientific photography.-References:...
5	1980	Bishin Jumonji Bishin Jumonji is a photographer who has done advertising, portrait, architectural, and other work.Jumonji was born in Yokohama on 4 March 1947. After studying at the Tokyo College of Photography he worked as an assistant to Kishin Shinoyama and went freelance in 1971, when he was the cameraman for advertisements...
6	1981	Meitoku Itō
7	1982	Shinzō Hanabusa Shinzo Hanabusa is a renowned Japanese photographer.-References:... , Shisei Kuwabara Shisei Kuwabara is a photojournalist best known for his depiction of the effects of mercury poisoning on people in and near Minamata over a period of some forty years....
8	1983	Gorō Nakamura Goro Nakamura is a renowned Japanese photographer.-References:...
9	1984	Akihisa Masuda
10	1985	Masao Gozu Masao Gozu Born in Nagano Prefecture in 1946, Gozu graduated from Toyo Art School in 1970. The next year he moved to New York, where he studied at and in 1973 graduated from Brooklyn Museum Art School. There he photographed people looking out of windows. These photographs are carefully made, with perspective...
11	1986	Shigeichi Nagano Shigeichi Nagano Born on 30 March 1925 in Ōita City, Nagano studied economics at Keio University . On graduating, he joined a trading company, but soon resigned. He was recruited by Natori Yōnosuke for Weekly Sun News ; and in 1949 moved to Iwanami Shoten where, again under Natori, he did the photography for about...
12	1987	Ichirō Tsuda
13	1988	Hiroh Kikai Hiroh Kikai is a Japanese photographer best known within Japan for three series of monochrome photographs: scenes of buildings in and close to Tokyo, portraits of people in the Asakusa area of Tokyo, and rural and town life in India...
14	1989	Noriaki Yokosuka Noriaki Yokosuka was a renowned Japanese photographer.-References:...
15	1990	Chuyung Yoon
16	1991	Akihiro Sakaki
17	1992	Kiyoshi Suzuki Kiyoshi Suzuki -Solo exhibitions:*"Burāman no hikari" / "India". 1969.*"Tenmaku no machi" / "Mind Games". Ginza Nikon Salon , 1980.. 1983.*"Gyōkan no nagame Gypsy wind Watakushi no 12-satsu" . 1984.. 1985.. 1985.. 1987.*"Nagare no uta" / "Sunday Picture". 1989....
18	1993	Kunihiro Suzuki
19	1994	Eimu Arino
20	1995	Hiromi Eguchi
21	1996	Yoshikazu Minami Yoshikazu Minami is a renowned Japanese photographer.-References:*Nihon shashinka jiten / 328 Outstanding Japanese Photographers. Kyoto: Tankōsha, 2000. ISBN 4-473-01750-8. Despite the English-language alternative title, all in Japanese....
22	1997	Michio Yamauchi
23	1998	Dale Caruso
24	1999	Shunji Dodo Shunji Dodo is a Japanese photographer of the Kii Peninsula, Osaka, and other subjects.-Life and career:Dodo was born in Osaka in 1947. He graduated in fine arts from Kyushu Sangyo University in 1970, and started teaching at Tōkyō Shashin Senmon Gakkō...
25	2000	Hideaki Uchiyama
26	2001	Hiroshi Yamazaki
27	2002	Seiichi Furuya Seiichi Furuya is a renowned Japanese photographer.-References:...
28	2003	Hiroshi Ōshima
29	2004	Kiyotaka Shishito
30	2005	Nobuo Shimose
31	2006	Chihiro Minato Chihiro Minato is a renowned Japanese photographer.-References:*Nihon shashinka jiten / 328 Outstanding Japanese Photographers. Kyoto: Tankōsha, 2000. ISBN 4-473-01750-8. Despite the English-language alternative title, all in Japanese....
32	2007	Keizō Kitajima Keizo Kitajima is a renowned Japanese photographer.-References:...
33	2008	Kenshichi Heshiki
34	2009	Jun'ichi Ōta
35	2010	Hitoshi Fugo Hitoshi Fugo is a renowned Japanese photographer.-External links:*...

External links

Nikon's page about the award; there is a subpage for each year's award.