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Marvel at the amazing and creative ways that writers can imagine Little Tokyo and expand the fictional boundaries of the Japanese American experience. This year is the 10th anniversary of the Imagine Little Tokyo Short Story Contest and the first time the ceremony will be in person since 2019! The event will be a vibrant celebration of the Little Tokyo, its history and culture, and those who love it with special guests to be announced and giveaways of books written by Japanese American and Japanese authors.

Each year, the Imagine Little Tokyo Short Story Contest heightens awareness of Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo by challenging both new and experienced writers to write a story that captures the spirit and essence of Little Tokyo and the people in it. In this celebration, the winning stories in the three contest categories—Adult, Youth, and Japanese language—will be showcased with dramatic readings by special guests. Each category winner is awarded cash prize and their story will be published in The Rafu Shimpo, on Discover Nikkei, and on the Little Tokyo Historical Society website.

The contest is presented by Little Tokyo Historical Society in partnership with JANM’s Discover Nikkei project.