Award of the Japan Art Academy (日本芸術院賞)
The Award of the Japan Art Academy refers to the awards presented by the Japan Art Academy. Prior to World War II, it was referred to as the Imperial Arts Academy Award.
The Japan Art Academy presents its award to the artists, who are not the members thereof, for their achievement in creating outstanding work of art or for their contribution to the advancement of arts.
This award has been presented to the winners almost every year since its inaugural presentation ceremony held in 1941 (won by Ryohei KOISO). Since 1951, due in part to the increased number of winners, the Academy added the new award 'Onshi Sho' (Emperor's Prize) (Japan Art Academy) to present to the most outstanding among the winners.
Subsequent to receiving the award, the winners often gain the nomination for enrollment to the Academy's membership but, in the case of one of the winners, nearly 10 years went by before the nomination was received while in the case of the other winner, the nomination finally came after that person had passed away and, still, for some of them, it never came.