受賞作

• Reading: じゅしょうさく
• Romaji: jushōsaku
• Kanji breakdown: 受 (ju) — receive; 賞 (shō) — prize, award; 作 (saku) — work
• Pronunciation: /dʑɯ.ɕoː.sa.kɯ/

Meaning

Prize-winning work; award-winning piece; a work that has received a formal literary or artistic prize.

Refers to any creative work — novel, film, painting, or musical composition — that has been selected as the recipient of a prize or award. In Japanese publishing culture, prizes such as the 芥川賞 and 直木賞 carry enormous prestige and often catapult a 受賞作 to bestseller status immediately upon announcement.

Examples

1. 今年の芥川賞受賞作は発表直後から書店で売り切れが続いた。 This year's Akutagawa Prize winner sold out in bookshops immediately after the announcement.
2. 受賞作を一読してみると、選考委員が評価した点が自ずと理解できた。 Reading the prize-winning work, one naturally comes to understand the points the selection committee valued.
3. そのノーベル文学賞の受賞作が日本語に翻訳され、国内でも広く読まれている。 The Nobel Prize in Literature winner has been translated into Japanese and is widely read in Japan as well.

Usage Guide

Context: literary prizes, publishing, criticism

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Compound of 受賞 (jushō, receiving a prize; from 受 receive + 賞 prize) and 作 (saku, work). A straightforward modern compound used across the arts and sciences to refer to any work that has been formally honoured with an award.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: Adults

Social background: General public