Essay Competition

The results of other years
2005	2004
2003	2002
2001	2000
1998	1996

For your information, apart from the above English language Shinto Essay Competition, ISF has been organizing also the Chinese language Shinto Essay Competition since 2000, with 5 Chinese scholars specialized in Japanese cultural studies as the jurors. Besides, the Russian language Shinto Essay Competition has started from 2004, with 5 Russian scholars specialized in Shinto studies as the jurors. The results of Chinese and Russian competitions were publicized on ISF’s website.

Those who are interested in each Chinese and/or Russian language competition please contact in respective language with sippouxp@yahoo.com.cn for the Chinese and Moscow@shinto.org for the Russian.

Result of Shinto Essay Competition 2006
Sponsored by the International Shinto Foundation
(Announced on September 2006)

4 contributors (3 from U.S.A. and 1 from Japan) participated the Shinto Essay Competition 2006. The number of entrants decreased this year, perhaps due to the fact that the designated essay topics were not so easy to deal with Their essays were carefully read and evaluated by 6 jurors from Japan, Norway and the United Kingdom, who are distinguished scholars in Japanese cultural studies. We are pleased to announce the result of their judgments as follows. In accordance with the judgment points we have decided to honor the excellent and good essays by one 1st prize, one 2nd prize, one 3rd prize, and one encouraging award. The essays belong to and will be published by the International Shinto Foundation, Inc.

This year's subjects :
(1) Popularity of Folk Shinto ― from anthropological and cultural points of view.

(2) Coexistence of Shinto and Buddhism in Japan ― from historical and comparative religious points of view.

(3) Political issues of Shinto ― from geopolitical and sociological points of view.

Prize Winners
First Prize (US$1,000)	Nicholas Van Sant (Brown University, Rhode Island, U.S.A.) for the essay entitled “A Tendentious Presentation of Details: Reviewing the Japanese Case in Maurice Block’s Prey into Hunter”
Second Prize (US$500)	Amanda Sobel (University of Arkansas, U.S.A.) “Developing Modern Nationalism through Folk Shinto Ritual”
Third Prize (US$300)	Michael Nitz (McHenry County College, Illinois, U.S.A.) “Political Issues of Shinto”
Third Prize (US$300)	I would like to thank the International Shinto Foundation for selecting my paper as one of the winning entries in the 2006 essay contest. The confluence of religion and politics is often a thorny issue in most cultures. I learned through my research that Shinto is no exception to this rule. Thank you for the challenge to broaden the understanding of Japanese culture and Shinto's place in it. I am honored by this award.
Encouraging Prize (US$100)	Nobuko Yoshioka (Osaka, Japan) “Coexistence of Shinto and Buddhism in Japan － Ujiko system and Terauke system”

Submitted essays belong to and will be published
by the International Shinto Foundation,Inc.

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