Cosmic Code Breakers Wins Top Japan Prize

TOKYO: The winners for the 37th Japan Prize have been announced, with the top honors going to NHK’s Cosmic Code Breakers: The Secrets of Prime Numbers.

A total of 360 programs were submitted for the audiovisual division this year. The Grand Prix Japan Prize in the continuing education category, receiving the Governor of Tokyo Prize, was Cosmic Code Breakers: The Secrets of Prime Numbers. In the preschool category, receiving the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Prize, was The Show with the Elephant 131, from WDR in Germany. The Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Prize, in the primary category, went to Discover Science: Let’s See the Speed of Sound from NHK, NHK Education Corporation and Al Jazeera Children’s Channel. The Minister of Foreign Affairs Prize, in the youth category, was awarded to Syrian School, from Open University Worldwide in the U.K. Cosmic Code Breakers also picked up the Governor of Tokyo Prize in the continuing education category. The President of NHK Prize, in the area of welfare education, was given to Tying Your Own Shoes, from the National Film Board of Canada.

Special prizes of the audiovisual division are the Innovative Media Prize: The Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Prize, which went to Soundbox from Germany’s Feed Me; the Maeda Prize, which went to American Experience: Earth Days, from WGBH Education Foundation of the U.S.; the Japan Foundation President’s Prize, going to Busting the Berlin Wall: Episode 2—Fall, from ZDF of Germany; and the UNICEF Prize, awarded to Involve Me: Yemeserach, from Whiz Kids Workshop of Ethiopia.

In the TV proposal division, the Best Proposal Award: The Hoso Bunka Foundation Prize was awarded Breasts Torturing, by Africa Japan House Center of Cameroon, while the Special Prize: The National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan Prize went to The Light of Life by Dhrupad Communication: Media for Education and Development of Bangladesh.