The company Visual Artsrecognized for publishing visual novels Clannad and Angel Beats! through the study keyannounced the cancellation of the adaptation contracts corresponding to 21 winning works of his literary contest Kinetic Novel Awards. The measure was reported on October 20 and it was justified by the “low prospects for completion” of the awarded projects.
The rights to the affected works were returned to their respective authors, who had originally obtained the opportunity to see their novels published in physical format or adapted into visual novels and even anime. The decision marks a significant change in policy for the contest, which had been presented as a platform to discover and promote new creative talent.
Contest details
He Kinetic Novel Awards was created by Visual Arts in collaboration with Shousetsuka ni Narouthe largest self-publishing platform in Japan. The competition was held for the first time in 2020 and this year it reached its tenth edition. The winners of the most recent round were announced in January 2025with the promise that the selected works would be published or adapted by the company.
Reasons for cancellation
According to the official statement cited by ITMedia Newsthe decision was not related to the authors, but rather to the lack of internal viability to carry out the projects. Visual Arts explained that many of the award-winning novels, mainly in the genre isekaihad not advanced in their development since their recognition, and some even dated from awards as old as 2021.
The company stated that returning the rights to its authors will allow them to seek new publication or adaptation opportunities in other publishers, without prior contractual restrictions.
Impact on the creative community
The cancellation has generated debate within the independent creation sector in Japan, since the contest was seen as an entry point for emerging writers into the field of visual novels. Although Visual Arts has not confirmed whether it plans to carry out future editions of the Kinetic Novel Awardsthe company reiterated its commitment to supporting new creative voices in the medium.
Do you think Visual Arts will revive the Kinetic Novel Awards competition in the future with a new format or approach?
