Good books can encourage children to love reading, become lifelong learners and lead a successful way of life in a global society, Nissan Motor Co. President Carlos Ghosn told a ceremony Tuesday for winners in a children's book contest.

"Compared with our own generation, (children today) have much more competition vs. books," such as television, the Internet and video games, he said, addressing winners of the 20th Nissan Children's Storybook and Picture Book Grand Prix for amateur writers and illustrators.

Parents need to motivate children to read books because it is "the best way to stir their imagination," said Ghosn, a father of four.

The awards were created in 1984 to commemorate the opening of the International Institute for Children's Literature, Osaka, the first organization of its kind in Japan. Nissan has sponsored the contest in cooperation with the institute located in Suita, Osaka Prefecture.

This time, the contest organizer received 3,059 entries for the storybook category and 978 works for the picture book section.

Satoko Narita, 33, from Nagoya, won the Grand Prix for picture books with a story of a scarecrow that wishes to be able to walk around like people, featuring monochrome illustrations.

"Picture books usually have less than 20 pages, but I think they have the potential" to express impressive stories, she said. "I would like to make more picture books that even adults can enjoy reading."

There was no Grand Prix winner in the storybook category.

But Satoru Fukushima, 40, a company employee from Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture, was given the first special prize. His work depicts a pig who gets an anonymous letter and tries to find out who wrote it.

"I hope my storybook will inspire children to make their own stories," he said.

The works by Narita and Fukushima will be published this fall and donated to public libraries across the country.