Akiko Akazome won the 143rd Akutagawa Prize for up-and-coming authors for her work "Otome no Mikkoku" ("The Anonymous Tip of a Virgin"), the selection committee of the literary award said Thursday.
The 143rd Naoki Prize for seasoned writers of fiction went to Kyoko Nakajima for "Chiisai Ouchi" ("Small Home").
Iranian writer Shirin Nezammafi, one of six candidates for the Akutagawa Prize for a story written in Japanese, missed out on the award.