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The 5th Nikkei "Hoshi Shinichi Award" The Grand Prize in the General Division has been awarded to a work themed around AI.
The 5th Nikkei "Shinichi Hoshi Award" (Sponsored by: Nikkei Inc. / Supported by: JBCC Holdings, Tokyo Electron, Amada Holdings, NSK Ltd., Asahi Kasei Homes, ThreeBond) held its award ceremony on March 3 at the National Art Center, Tokyo in Minato Ward.
Named after author Shinichi Hoshi, who produced over 1,000 works in his lifetime and was called the "God of Short Shorts," this literary prize evaluates works born from scientific thinking and original ideas. It was established in 2013.
Opening the ceremony, Katsuyuki Suzuki, Managing Executive Officer of Nikkei Inc., stated: "This award was established to perpetuate the great legacy of Shinichi Hoshi, an extraordinary writer whose brilliance continues to shine today. What makes this award unique is its emphasis on what to write rather than how to write. The 15 winning works are outstanding pieces that stimulate real science." He noted that seven entries were written by artificial intelligence (AI), adding, "Unfortunately, they did not make the final selection, but it's an episode that broadens the possibilities of the award."
This year saw 1,766 entries in the General Division, 162 in the Student Division, and 281 in the Junior Division. The Grand Prize in the General Division went to Yugen Yashima's "Final Anchors," the Student Division Grand Prize to Taishi Matsuo's "Refrigerator Hunting," and the Junior Division Grand Prize to Amami's "Shizuku."
"Final Anchors" is a science fiction work depicting the "final judgment" made by the AIs installed in two cars just 0.5 seconds before a collision. In the split second too brief for human reaction time, the AIs debate which vehicle should self-destruct to ensure the survival of one party, bypassing human decision-making.
Yashima, who also received an Excellence Award for his simultaneously submitted work "The Lotus Eater," achieving a "double win," commented: "It took five years from my first submission to winning the Grand Prix. I believe this double win is the result of a fair selection process. Winning the Seiichi Hoshi Award was my goal as a writer."
Judge and author Yusuke Kishi commented on the work: "The moment I read it, I knew unanimously it deserved the Grand Prize. This story made me feel 'outwitted' in many ways. It ranks among the top 20 short-short stories I've ever read. While it's 180 degrees different from Shinichi Hoshi's style, it's such a masterpiece that if he were still alive, I'd love to hear his thoughts."
Judges (titles omitted)
・Hikaru Ota (Talent)
・Yūsuke Kishi (Novelist)
・Naoko Yamazaki (Astronaut)
・Yutaka Matsuo (Specially Appointed Associate Professor, University of Tokyo)
・Hideki Ishida (Director, Global Village Research Institute; Professor Emeritus, Tohoku University)
Award-winning Works ( Titles Omitted)
＜General Division＞
Grand Prize (Shinichi Hoshi Award) Yugen Yashima "Final Anchors"
Excellence Award (JBCC Holdings Award) Natsu Kotake "After Q.E.D."
Excellence Award (AMADA Holdings Award) Kazuki Tsumiki "The Journey Home"
Excellence Award (Asahi Kasei Homes Award) Nobuyuki Kase "Love at First Sight"
Excellence Award (Tokyo Electron Award) Yumonaga Tenshi "The End-of-the-World Hustler"
Excellence Award (Nippon Seiko Award) Ren Shiraki "Sigh for 20X3"
Excellence Award (ThreeBond Award) Yugen Yashima "The Lotus Eater"
<Student Division>
Grand Prize (Shinichi Hoshi Award) Yasushi Matsuo "Refrigerator Hunt"
Runner-up Grand Prize: Naoya Suzuta "That Road Sign Guy"
Excellence Award: Sotaro Hiroe "Subject: Report Code 2H1M1T120470930 Attachment Included"
＜Junior Division＞
Grand Prize (Shinichi Hoshi Award) Amanami "Shizuku"
Runner-up Grand Prize: Shiori Aoki "Evolution"
Excellence Award: Hinata Matsumoto "Menu and Prices"
Excellence Award: Oshiro Shimada "My Town a Hundred Years Later"
Excellence Award: Ryu Deguchi "Reverse"
Official Website:
http://hoshiaward.nikkei.co.jp/
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