On February 11, 2012, Josai’s Kioicho campus hosted the 1st annual award ceremony presenting the Flying Whale Grand Prize for the National High School Picture Book Contest to commemorate JIU’s 20th Anniversary.

This contest was designed to give high school students the opportunity to realize new possibilities through picture books. Contrary to popular belief, picture books are not just for children, but are often employed by the Faculty of Social Work Studies as a source of strength and therapy for the elderly, children with disabilities, and adults in need. This contest considers not only standard bound books, but books created electronically, pop-up books, and other works that take an innovative approach to bookmaking. In addition, as befitting the host institution, the contest also has a special international category that invited a great number of entries from foreign countries such as China and Korea.
    The ceremony brought participants from all over the country, including the prize- winners and their families, Honorary President of the Japan Football Association, Kawabuchi Saburo, who served as one of the judges in the competition, as well as other judges.

Chancellor Mizuta opened the ceremony with introductory remarks, saying, “The existence of this contest is a product of the wide-ranging effort and support from not only the Faculty of Social Work Studies, but every university department such as the Faculty of Media Studies, and the Faculty of International Humanities. It is our hope that this contest can contribute to the expansion of the picture book field both on a domestic and international scale.”
    Next, Director Isobe of the Faculty of Social Work Studies presented the individual awards including Outstanding Achievement, Honorable Mention, Freeform, Best Effort, and Original Idea. The recipient of the International Award, Fang Yu Ling of Tianjin Foreign Studies University, delivered his acceptance speech in an impressive fluent Japanese.
    Chancellor Mizuta then presented the grand prize of the Flying Whale Award along with a commemorative plaque to Mayu Sakurai of Kyoai Gakuen High School in Gunma prefecture.

The prize-winning work, “To the One Who Cries,” is a coming-of-age story that depicts the subtleties of teenage interpersonal relationships in vivid color; it left a strong impression for its ability to express the author’s unspoken thoughts and emotions. Its very life-like depiction of personal interaction with beautiful detail made it a unanimous selection for the grand prize.
    As spokesman for the panel of judges, Kawabuchi Saburo remarked that the prize-winning work, “transcended the framework of conventional storybooks, opening the door for new possibilities in the medium.” Poet and picture book author, Arthur Bernard, added that, “This work was even greater than I’d imagined for its expert depiction of the sensitivity of two young people. I look forward to Ms. Sakurai’s continued growth as an author.”
    During the award ceremony, the Faculty of Social Work Studies introduced handmade picture books that were used at their International Children’s Christmas Party, an event directed at preschool-aged children and designed by students enrolled in the university’s Child Care course.

With the success of this year’s competition, one can expect even more exceptional achievements in the picture book field in future contests.

Flying Whale National High School Picture Books Winners

	Award	School	Author	Title
1	Flying Whale Grand Prize	Kyoai Gakuen High School	Mayu Sakurai	To the One Who Cries
2	Outstanding Achievement	Tomisato High School	Sayuri Uchimura	monster
3	Outstanding Achievement	Bundan Daishin High School (South Korea)	Lee Seung　Yean	The Ghosts of Nana & Momo
4	Honorable Mention	Chiba Gakugei High School	Hikaru Suzuki	A Piece of the Sun
5	Freeform	Narumi High School	Manae Hoshino	Happiness is . . .
6	Best Theme	Okigakuen High School	Himawari Yoshida	Mommy’s Hand
7	Best Effort	Okigakuen High School	Yukino Ogasawara	Starlight
8	International Award	Tianjin Foreign Studies University	Fang Yu Ling	Happiness is in the Palm of Your Hand
9	Best Effort	Tianjin Foreign Studies University	Han Zhi Mei	Meeting
10	Best Effort	Tianjin Foreign Studies University	Zhao Lu	The Best View in the World
11	Best Effort	Tianjin Foreign Studies University	A Yi Bao Li	A Customer from Afar
12	Best Effort	Tianjin Foreign Studies University	Wang Tian Ran	The Love of an Iris
13	Best Effort	Tianjin Foreign Studies University	Jin Shuai	One Person’s Romance
14	Original Idea	Josai International University	Gai Nakajima	Spring . . .
15	Original Idea	Josai International University	Kazumasa Yumoto	But for Today . . .
16	Original Idea	Josai International University	Mikako Ohta	My Feelings