The Noma Prizes were established by Shoichi Noma, or in his honor. More than one award is conventionally identified as the Noma Prize.

Noma was the former head of Kodansha

Kodansha

, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...

, the Japanese publishing and bookselling company. Kodansha

Kodansha

, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...

 is Japan's largest publisher of literature and manga

Manga

Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

.

Noma Literary Prizes

Noma Prizes include four literary prizes for books published in Japan.

• Noma Literary Prize

The Noma Literary Prize

Noma Literary Prize

The Noma Literary Prize was established in 1941 by the Noma Service Association in accordance with the last wishes of Noma Seiji , founder and first president of the Kōdansha publishing company. The Noma Literary Prize has been awarded annually to an outstanding new work published in Japan...

 (Noma Bungei Shō) was established in 1941 by the Noma Service Association (Noma Hōkō Kai) in accordance with the last wishes of Noma Seiji (1878-1938), founder and first president of the Kōdansha publishing company. 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.

• Noma Literary New Face Prize

The Noma Literary New Face Prize (Noma Bungei Shinjin Shō) was established in 1979.

• Noma Children's Literature Prize

The Noma Children's Literature Prize (Noma Jidō Bungei Shō) was established in 1963.

• Noma Children's Literature New Face Prize

The Noma Literary New Face Prize (Noma Jidō Bungei Shinjin Shō) was established in 1963.

Noma Literacy Prize

The Noma Literacy Prize is a UNESCO

UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

 award. It is given to the group or individual who has done most to combat illiteracy. It was founded in 1980 by Shoichi Noma, the president of the publishing firm.

Noma Award for the Translation of Japanese Literature

The Noma Award for the Translation of Japanese Literature is awarded annually for new translations of modern Japanese literature

Japanese literature

Early works of Japanese literature were heavily influenced by cultural contact with China and Chinese literature, often written in Classical Chinese. Indian literature also had an influence through the diffusion of Buddhism in Japan...

 into any language. It was founded in 1990.

Noma Award for Publishing in Africa

The Noma Award for Publishing in Africa is sponsored by Kodansha and it is named honor of the company's former president, Shoichi Noma. Its first honoree in 1980 was Mariama Bâ

Mariama Ba

Mariama Bâ was a Senegalese author and feminist, who wrote in French. Born in Dakar, she was raised a Muslim, but at an early age came to criticise what she perceived as inequalities between the sexes resulting from [African] traditions...

 for Une Si Longue Lettre (A very long letter).

Noma-Reischauer Prize in Japanese Studies

The Noma Reischauer Prize was established at Harvard University

Harvard University

Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...

 to honor the memory of Prof. Edwin O. Reischauer

Edwin O. Reischauer

Edwin Oldfather Reischauer was the leading U.S. educator and noted scholar of the history and culture of Japan, and of East Asia. From 1961–1966, he was the U.S. ambassador to Japan.-Education and academic life:...

and to assist in the advancement of Japanese Studies in the United States, Japan, and elsewhere. The Prize was made possible with the support of Kodansha. The prizes are awarded annually for the best essays written by Harvard students writing about a Japan-related subject.