Named after Osamu Tezuka, the is a yearly manga prize awarded to manga artists or their works that follow the Osamu Tezuka manga approach founded and sponsored by Asahi Shimbun. The prize has been awarded since 1997, in Tokyo, Japan. Current prizes categories Grand Prize – for the excellent work during the year Creative Award – for the creator with innovative or epoch-making expression and fresh talent Short story Award – for the excellent work or creator of the short story Special Award – for the person or group who contributed to extend the culture of manga Prizes winners 1997 Grand Prize: Fujiko Fujio for Doraemon Award for Excellence: Moto Hagio for A Cruel God Reigns Special Award: Toshio Naiki for the foundation and management of Modern Manga Library 1998 Grand Prize: Jiro Taniguchi and Natsuo Sekikawa for the trilogy Bocchan No Jidai (Times of "Botchan") Award for Excellence: Yūji Aoki for Naniwa Kin'yūdō (The way of the Ōsaka loan shark) Special Award: Shotaro Ishinomori for the long years of contribution to manga 1999 Grand Prize: Naoki Urasawa for Monster Award for Excellence: Akira Sasō for Shindō Special Award: Fusanosuke Natsume for the excellence criticism of manga 2000 Grand Prize: Daijiro Morohoshi for Saiyū Yōenden (The Monkey King and other Chinese Legends) Award for Excellence: Minetarō Mochizuki for Dragon Head Special Award: Frederik L. Schodt for the distinguished service to introduce Japanese manga round the world 2001 Grand Prize: Reiko Okano and Baku Yumemakura for Onmyōji (The Master of Shade and Light) Award for Excellence: Kotobuki Shiriagari for Yajikita in Deep Special Award: Akira Maruyuma for the valuable service to support comic artists at Tokiwa house 2002 Grand Prize: Takehiko Inoue for Vagabond Award for Excellence: Kentaro Miura for Berserk 2003 Grand Prize: Fumiko Takano for The Yellow Book: A friend Named Jacques Thibault Creative Award: Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata for Hikaru no Go Short story Award: Hisaichi Ishii for Gendai Shisō no Sōnanshātachi (Victims of modern ideas) Special Award: Shigeru Mizuki for the creative pictures and the long years of activities 2004 Grand Prize: Kyoko Okazaki for Helter Skelter Creative Award: Takashi Morimoto for Naniwadora ihon (Variant edition of the Naniwa wastrel) Short story Award: Risu Akizuki for OL Shinkaron and other works Special Award: Tarō Minamoto for the pioneer works of historical manga and contribution to manga culture 2005 Grand Prize: Naoki Urasawa, Osamu Tezuka and Takashi