We’ve told you about Hitomi Kanehara whose first book, Hebi ni Piasu, which was translated into English as Snakes and Earrings won the prestigious Akutagawa Prize.

Some said the book was unflinchingly honest, others said it was drivel.

Now comes news that many of this year’s top literary prizes have gone to teenagers. The Daily Yomiuri reports:

On Sept. 20, 13-year-old Miko Mizuta, a student in the first grade of an Osaka middle school won the “Kono Misteri ga sugoi” award for mystery novels. In January, 15-year-old Manami Kawasaki from Aomori won a writing prize sponsored by Shogakukan Inc.

In the past, veteran writers traditionally chose the winner for prestigious awards, but according to Yomiuri, this process seems to be falling apart.

“Honya Taisho,” which involves book store staff nationwide in the selection process, was established in 2003 out of discontent with Naoki Prize winners. Readers vote online for the newly established “Yasei Jidai Seishun Bungaku Taisho.” Poplar Publishing uses its editors to select the winners of an award it sponsors. The company’s chief editor Kenichi Sakuma said, “We don’t need to rely on prestigious writers [to choose the winner].”

Time will tell if this is a short lived trend, or a significant change for Japan’s literary tradition.