Announcing the Final Results of the "#CreativeAwards2024"!

Review: Futabasha
"My Husband the Paleontologist," as the title suggests, chronicles episodes with an eccentric husband who is a paleontologist, written with a humorous touch. It is an essay overflowing with love and charm that not only tells a funny story but also clearly conveys the respect that lies at its core. It was a unanimous decision at the selection meeting that "we want to know more about their fun daily lives." Please continue to write pieces that brighten the hearts of many people. Congratulations on your award.

Review: Kadokawa Horror Bunko
I was completely devastated. Could anything worse than this happen? How could you come up with such an extreme situation...? What is "perfect"? What is a "family"? I wanted to scream many times, my eyes were wide open at the terrifying developments, but I couldn't stop reading because I just had to know what happened next. I was convinced that this had to be the winner this year. After reading it, I was left in a daze, but I was certain of it.

Review: Shincho Bunko nex
The heroine contacts the sister of her first love who has gone missing, only to get caught up in a supernatural mystery. The perspective shifts, the karma borne by the man's family is revealed, and the story transforms into one about searching for her. Just when you think it has a refreshing resolution, there is a twist that leads to a straight-up horror ending. There are many devices throughout the process intended to entertain the reader, and after finishing it, I exclaimed, "This is interesting!" I think the structural ability is particularly wonderful.

Review: Asahi Shimbun Publications
While undoubtedly a "romance novel," it was also a human drama about a woman re-evaluating her future path in life through the catalyst of love. It was wonderful how it carefully depicted not only the changes in the protagonist Yuzuru's relationship with Uji, a therapist at a sex work establishment for women whom she is in love with, but also her touching interactions with the warmth of those around her, such as her junior colleague at work, Tabe-chan, and Macaroni-san, whom she meets while looking for a house. This is a story I would definitely like people who are currently lost in life to read.

Review: TV Tokyo
First of all, I was drawn in by the catchy title. Although the story has only just begun with three episodes, I chose it for the TV Tokyo Award because it is structured in a way that makes you want to know what happens next, and it is a work that skillfully incorporates current trends. I am looking forward to seeing how the "ugly parts" and "obsessions" that everyone possesses will be depicted in the future, who the mastermind behind the Lynching Post is, and how the foreshadowing will be resolved, all while imagining various possibilities for the next development!

Review: Weekly Shonen Magazine
The direction through dialogue and character expressions was wonderful. Kappy-san's answer to the unanswerable question of whether manga is "expression" or a "commodity" came across painfully clearly. I believe this is because that answer is delivered through the entertainment of a success story between a manga artist and a "genius." The idea in the climax (the shop scene) was thrilling. It is a wonderful work that sincerely depicts the profession of a manga artist while also allowing the reader to feel the dream.

Review: Weekly Shonen Magazine
I was captivated by the wonderful art style, which seems to harbor both nostalgia and novelty. The fact that the author's attention to detail can be felt in both the people and the objects is a very rare talent when it comes to drawing manga. It was also wonderful that emotions were expressed through short lines of dialogue. All three works were interesting, but the characters in "Kokkuri-san" are so lively and cute, and it felt like it was packed with the desire to "entertain the reader," so I chose this work.

Review: Shonen Jump+
The gap between the sharp dialogue and the pop visuals was interesting, and despite the short page count, it was an ambitious work overflowing with unique ideas. The design of the "Nyarobin Alien" also has originality and consistency, and I felt a visceral sense of fear. The direction of the final two pages was particularly sharp and impressive, leaving a lingering feeling that no other work had. Expecting future works that only joyatoh-san can draw, I select this work for the Jump+ Editorial Department Award.

Review: Bungeishunju Comic
At first glance, I was struck by the high level of artistic skill, which is beyond that of a newcomer. Also, the way the characters are drawn, backed by solid sketching skills, is excellent, and there was a comfort in the conversation between the mature-looking boy and the sullen girl that made me want to keep reading forever. Since all the submitted works were one-shot stories, I would definitely like to see you take on a long story and draw attractive characters within it.

Review: Manga Mee
The romance between a comedian and a working professional was interesting, with realistic characters. The scene where they run through the city while drunk was memorable, directly conveying their relationship and the atmosphere between them. The artistic skill, direction, and use of negative space were also superb. It felt a bit of a waste that the protagonist remained outside the story, with the focus staying on just watching the boyfriend. Also, the setup regarding the unsettling news at the beginning is never resolved, so it would be even better if the main focus of the story were clearer to the reader.

Review: Discover 21
This note provided great insights for business professionals, summarizing research and hypothesis-testing methods for business startups in simple, heartfelt language that even readers without expertise in business analysis can understand. The attitude of learning from failure and repeating improvements will, I believe, give courage and concrete guidelines to many challengers. I am convinced that by expanding on the hypotheses and methods touched upon in the article, it would become an attractive business book, which is why I selected it for the Discover 21 Award.

Review: Toyo Keizai Inc.
"Wait, you go that far?" "But it certainly seems effective if you do it." "However, I have absolutely no concrete image of how to do it." "Tell me more!" This was a work that instantly sparked those kinds of feelings. In any case, I wanted to read more. I expect that if it is deepened to the level where "once you read this book, you can do the same as the author starting this week" and if the "points where beginners stumble" are carefully addressed, it will become a business book that is useful to many people.

Review: President Online
How did they overcome three bankruptcy crises? The fear of running out of cash, the almost daily arguments between husband and wife, the crying child... Segawa-san's article depicts all of that candidly, even revealing their salary, drawing the reader in. What the two returned to time and again in their plight was the fundamental question, "Is my work useful to someone?" The attitude of commercializing the inventory management system they devised while struggling with inventory themselves, in the hope that it could be useful elsewhere, should resonate with many people.

Review: note
I was overwhelmed by Momojiba Mineno-san's passion for recording "Sei" marks in a notebook to understand the performance of pen nibs. The ingenious verification and comparisons are very interesting, and the joy of continuing to collect what one loves comes through. It is also wonderful that the four years of inquiry do not stop at mere tool performance comparison but are finished like a work of art. The unique perspective and careful writing style are impressive, and I selected it for the note Award as a work that leaves a deep lingering impression.

We have awarded the Editorial Department Prize to Eri-san's "Osaka Castle is Five Centimeters." In addition to the "Essay," "Mystery Novel," "Romance Novel," and "Work-related Novel" categories we participated in last year, we also took part in the selection for the "Manga Original," "Creative Manga," and "Comic Essay" categories. We recommended seven works for the final selection, and every one of them stimulated the editorial spirit of the editors involved, making us think that with some revisions, they could be published as books. I felt that encountering works by such diverse writers is something unique to the Creative Awards.

This year, we selected two works for the prize. We were impressed by our encounters with new and stimulating creative works, such as ways of capturing food that pleasantly defied expectations, discoveries that made us pause amidst the casual scenery of daily life, and the ways of living of people struggling in a difficult world. "note" is a wonderland of talent where editors do not intervene. We look forward to the passion of all creators again next year. Thank you very much.

We have awarded the Kadokawa Horror Bunko Prize to "The Perfect Family: The House of Hanging" by Oori Aigami. The process of exploring the "house's secrets" is thrilling, and it is a work where surprises explode one after another in an unfolding story that never gets boring. It is scheduled to be published by Kadokawa Horror Bunko next year, so please look forward to it. Regarding the trends in the works we judged, it was a pleasant surprise to encounter works with such a wide range of tastes. I believe this is a characteristic of the place called note. On the other hand, regarding the works that did not win, I felt that many of them evoked a sense of "déjà vu." For works to be published as books, I want to see "novelty" somewhere. I look forward to the next time!

Regarding manga, there were many highly attractive original works, and I felt the ability and future potential of the authors. On the other hand, common to both manga and manga originals, there were many works that were not necessarily suited for vertical scrolling comics in terms of theme, genre, and direction, and as a result, we decided there were no applicable works for the Editorial Department Prize. Overall, the quality of the works was high, and we have high expectations for the future of the Creative Awards.

This is our second year participating, and it was a pleasure to judge as it provided an opportunity to encounter ideas and expressions unique to the note platform.
Unfortunately, there were no works that qualified for the Editorial Department Prize this time, but two works that showed shining potential were selected for the prize. We read a wide variety of genres during the selection process, and I was often impressed by works that were clearly conscious of the readers existing beyond the text or manga.
I look forward to meeting new talent next time.

While there were excellent works among the mystery category candidates that had interesting settings, I had the impression that many had contradictions in the story's development or needed one more step of surprising elements in the mystery-solving. In the horror category, there were many works where the "fear" stood out and the expressive power was high, which I felt was commendable. However, there were works that lacked overall cohesion, which I found regrettable. If authors thoroughly read their work after some time has passed and revise it, I believe they will reach an even higher level.

Thank you very much for letting us participate in the judging. There were many works where authors freely depicted their own assertions and thoughts, and I enjoyed them very much. Among them, works that contained the intention to "greatly move the reader's emotions" shone particularly brightly. I was moved by the cuteness of "The Story of Foxes Who Have Too Much Free Time Because Kokkuri-san Has Gone Out of Style" and the passion of "I Will Never Believe It." I would like to thank all the creators who participated for letting me read such interesting works.

This time, the Jump+ Editorial Department participated in the judging for three categories related to manga works. Overall, I had the impression that there were many works based on the real world with careful emotional depiction. Among them, "The Story of a Human Working with an Immortal Alien," which we selected for the Editorial Department Prize, felt a step ahead in terms of "imagination." I hope you will challenge yourself to create works that only you can draw, while cultivating both the power to observe reality sharply and the power to make great leaps in your creation.

I received the impression that there were many works that were free in a good sense, not bound by genre or medium. While I enjoyed reading them as each category strongly reflected the writer's color, I also saw some works where it was difficult to imagine the target audience. Among them, we selected a work as the Editorial Department Prize that skillfully depicted monologues and characters that could gather empathy from women, while being based on unique direction and subject matter. Thank you very much for letting me read so many wonderful works this time.

This was my first time participating in the judging for the Creative Awards. This time, I selected candidate works for the recipe, comic essay, and horror novel categories, and I was surprised by the number of rewarding works. What I felt in the comic essays, where authors turn their own experiences into works, was that while the episodes themselves were very interesting, there were few works that showed originality or commitment in the touch of the illustrations. If you can feel the joy of looking at the pictures in addition to the content, the overall quality of the work will improve significantly. Finally, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to note for providing such a valuable opportunity and to all the creators who produced such wonderful works.

From Shincho Bunko nex, we have selected one winning work and one runner-up. Every work we reviewed was excellent, varied, and full of novel ideas and perspectives, crafted to entertain the reader, and I enjoyed reading them very much. Thank you to everyone who applied. Among them, the winning work had a unique hook designed to intrigue readers, and it was selected by the editorial department unanimously.

In this selection process, we chose three runners-up in the business category and one in the recipe category. In the business category, some wrote carefully about their own experiences, while others wrote systematically about know-how and theory, and all were worth reading. However, for a book, we believe it is important to have "a reliable, objective system, while also allowing readers to visualize it concretely through examples and experiences." Since we did not find a work that met both criteria, we have decided not to award the Media Prize this time. We look forward to the next selection!

From Discover, we selected one Editorial Department Prize winner and two runners-up. In addition to the interest of their content, these three works gave us a strong sense that "they surely have even more exciting know-how." There were many other attractive works, but I think the final evaluation difference came down to whether or not they had the perspective of "being able to solve the reader's problems," which is important for a business book. By being conscious of uniqueness and reproducibility, I think they could become even more wonderful content. We look forward to the next time!

This was our third time participating, and we selected one TV Tokyo Prize winner and two runners-up, but there were also many other essays that shocked us and manga drafts with fresh perspectives. The TV Tokyo Prize-winning works from the past two times have both been adapted into dramas and have received a great response. This time's work also captures trends firmly, such as "adultery" and "revenge," so I am looking forward to future developments. I realized once again that the charm of note is being able to encounter talents that are unfinished but shine brightly.

This time, we selected "If you take 2 hours to make a schedule, both study and work will go well" (Takayuki Miyake) for the Editorial Department Prize, as it made us feel the most that "I want to try this myself" and "it could be deepened as content."
The other works were also all unique and shining in their own way. There were many works based on "personal experience" rather than "things thought up in the head," and specifically "extraordinary experiences," which made me realize once again the high potential of the note writing team (which is why the selection process was difficult...). I look forward to next year.

This was our first time participating in the Creative Award, and the quality of both the novels and essays was extremely high, making our internal selection meeting very lively. We debated between a work in the mystery category and Honoka Nagase's "The Paleontologist's Husband" (essay category), but there were many voices saying they wanted to read more of Nagase's essay, which was overflowing with love and charm, so "The Paleontologist's Husband" was chosen as the winner. In the novel category, even if the themes and characters were good, my impression was that there were many works with weak settings and forced plot progression. I wanted the details of the stories to be pushed further. I look forward to encountering wonderful works again next year!

I read the works in the Creative Manga category. Because it is an award without genre specifications, I was able to encounter various stories, and it was a fun selection process with a liveliness like a toy box. Among them, the winning work had something that attracted me at a glance, if only for its drawing ability. Precisely because we live in an age where there are more places to publish works, I think that in addition to "what you want to write," sharpening your own weapons that are different from others is what leads to works that catch people's eyes.

This year, we participated in the Horror Novel category.
We approached this with the desire to send new creators out into the world, but this time we decided there would be no winning work. I read every work with interest, but on the other hand, I could not reach the point of thinking, "I want to send this out from the editorial department!"
Due to the nature of the genre, worlds cannot be created without the influence of past works, but perhaps we were looking for something extra—ideas, impact, writing ability, etc.—that would transcend that. I hope that new talent will continue to be born from note.

The entire editorial department read the works in the business category, and we selected one Media Prize winner and two runners-up. There were many works in this category based on personal experience that were worth reading, and the judging was very fun. The note platform is a place where you can encounter unknown business people struggling all over Japan who cannot be found in mass media. Thank you for giving us such a valuable opportunity.

Thank you for letting us participate again following last year. Regarding the manuscripts submitted, my impression was that there were many works where I had to reserve judgment until reading the very last sentence, and I felt the overall standard was very high. On the other hand, I was unable to encounter a work with outstanding charm that made me think, "I definitely want to turn this work into a book." I am looking forward to the appearance of a work that is not just balanced in its interest, but has many flaws yet possesses outstanding charm.

Our entire editorial team thoroughly enjoyed reading such a diverse range of works! Regarding the artwork in particular, there were many artists with great potential, showing skillful use of panels and composition. On the other hand, regarding the stories, we felt that many works lacked clarity on who the target audience was. In the future, we hope you will keep the reader in mind when writing your stories, as this will surely help you reach an even wider audience. We look forward to your next works.

For the Creative Award 2024, we established four new categories—horror novels, creative manga, business, and recipes—and had 21 media partners participate in the judging, exceeding last year's number. The total number of entries reached 52,750, about 1.5 times that of last year, and we are very happy that so many creators participated. We felt that the overall level of the works is rising year by year, and among them, we were able to encounter many truly brilliant pieces.
The Creative Award is a contest we started with the desire to support the creative activities of creators. Hearing one of the winners say, 'Because of the Creative Award, I was able to write my novel,' made me realize that we are steadily moving closer to that goal.
To all the winners, please take confidence and spread your wings. Become a dream for the next person. We sincerely wish you all the best in your future endeavors.
Finally, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who submitted their work, everyone who sent in their thoughts, and all the participating media. We will continue to work as a team to organize projects that make people feel glad they wrote on note.