The Yomiuri Shimbun - Shibusawa-Claudel Prize

What the Shibusawa-Claudel Prize gives you

You will win a one-time award worth about 1,800 EUR. This includes a return flight from Paris to Tokyo (or an equivalent travel voucher) and a one-month stay in Japan. During your stay, you will present your work at a conference at the Maison franco-japonaise in Tokyo. There will also be a presentation in Paris and an awards ceremony at the end of the year. The prize is awarded annually for a book, a doctoral thesis or a translation about Japan written in French. It is organised by the EHESS’s Fondation France-Japon and the Maison franco-japonaise, and is funded by the Eiichi Shibusawa Foundation. This is a prize, not a monthly scholarship.

Who can apply

• Nationality: You are a French national. Dual nationality is not permitted.
• What you submit: A scholarly book by a single author, a doctoral thesis or a translation of a Japanese literary or scholarly work. Works with multiple authors will not be accepted.
• Topic: Her work focuses on Japan. It covers the fields of literature, art, philosophy, history, law, economics, the social sciences and humanities, as well as the natural sciences.
• Language: Her work is written in French.
• Age: On 31 December of the year of application, you will be 45 years old or younger.
• How recent: A book was published within the two years prior to the deadline. A doctoral thesis was successfully defended during the same period.
• University: Every higher education institution counts. It doesn’t matter where you study or work.

How to apply

Please email your complete application documents as a single PDF file to the EHESS France-Japan Foundation by 31 March. A jury comprising French and Japanese academics, diplomats and a correspondent from the Yomiuri Shimbun will select the winner in two rounds. The results will be announced in the summer.

How realistic are your chances?

This prize is very selective: only one French-language work on Japan is awarded each year. If your work clearly fits the theme and you meet the age requirement, you will be competing in a small, specialised field rather than against a large field of entrants. The decisive factor is the work’s academic or literary quality.