Writers in Kyoto offer their heartfelt thanks to all who submitted their short shorts to the competition this year. Entries were received from a highly creative group comprised of twenty-five nationalities, based both in Japan and across the globe. A milestone has been reached with this year’s introduction of the Kyoto City Mayoral Prize (supported by the Kyoto City Cultural Office), the Unohana prize for a non-native English speaker, and the Australia Prize (with thanks to the Australia-Japan Society of Victoria). Our contest announcement and prize details can be found at this link.

(In addition to the awards originally listed, we are also very grateful to Beth Kempton (Writers in Kyoto Member and Author of books including Wabi Sabi: Japanese Wisdom for a Perfectly Imperfect Life) for offering a complimentary space in her Book Proposal Masterclass, beginning on May 16th, to the recipient of our Kyoto City Mayoral Prize. Thank you, Beth!)

The judges of the Seventh Annual Kyoto Writing Competition are very pleased to announce this year’s winners, as follows:

KYOTO CITY MAYORAL PRIZE

“The Watcher” by Maria Danuco (Australia, based in Japan)

YAMABUKI PRIZE

“Sudden Tsukimi” by C. Greenstreet (USA)

UNOHANA PRIZE

“The Promise” by Tetiana Korchuk (Ukraine, based in Japan)

JAPAN LOCAL PRIZE

“Plum Tree by the Eaves” by Malcolm Ledger (British, based in Kyoto)

USA PRIZE

“Conversation with a Ghost” by Robin Hattori (USA)

AUSTRALIA PRIZE

“Diary of a Rickshaw Puller” by Simon Rowe (Australia, based in Japan)

All submissions listed above will be published on the Writers in Kyoto website in the coming days, with judges’ comments. We will also share the following submissions, which received special recognition from the judges:

SOLIDARITY PRIZE

“Blooming Ukrainian Freedom” by Vladyslava Konotopets (Ukraine)
In addition to our listed awards, the judges have decided to offer this special prize to a former international student in Kyoto who is now residing in Kyiv. Writers in Kyoto, based in Kyiv’s Sister City, wish to express our protest of Russia’s relentless and aggressive acts of war, our support for those who currently find their lives upended, and our admiration for the heroic spirit of the Ukrainian people. In due course, her submission and some of her further thoughts on the current state of affairs will be shared on this website.
Ms. Konotopets will also receive a set of WiK anthologies and a complimentary one-year WiK membership (April 2022-March 2023).

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Congratulations to all!

As Competition Organizer, I would also like to express my gratitude to this year’s judges for their time, insights, and cooperation in the process of selecting the winning entries — a very difficult task, considering the excellent quality of the submissions received.

For the official announcement and submission details of our next Kyoto Writing Competition (#8), please be sure to check our website in the middle of November 2022. If you have not yet shared your work with us, we warmly welcome you to do so in the future.

Karen Lee Tawarayama
WiK Competition Organiser