Kyoto Animation announced the award program in 2009 and offered 300,000-yen (about US$3,600 at the time) grand prizes and 100,000-yen honorable mention prizes in novel, manga, and scenario (script treatment) categories.
The studio awarded no grand prizes, and no Animation DO Special Award prizes in the full-length novel category, and no grand prizes, Animation DO Special Award prizes, and honorable mentions in the short novel category.
The studio awarded no grand prizes, no Animation DO Special Award prizes, and no honorable mentions in the in all three categories both last year and in 2015.
Kyoto Animation’s imprint also published O-Yashiki to Coppelia by 1st Kyoto Animation Award honorable mention recipient Mutsuki Ichinose, and later his novelization of Kyoto Animation’s Tamako Market anime.