Since 2010, anime production company Kyoto Animation has held an annual contest called the Kyoto Animation Awards.
The decision does not appear to be specifically motivated by the connection between the Kyoto Animation Awards and the accused arsonist, who submitted a novel in a previous round of the contest which was not chosen for a prize, and who claimed Kyoto Animation had “stolen from his novel” as police took him into custody immediately following the attack.
“We deeply apologize to those who were looking forward to the awards and are troubled or inconvenienced by this decision,” the company adds, though fans of the Kyoto Animation Awards can at least look forward to the anime movie for Violet Evergarden, the 2014 Kyoto Animation Awards grand prize-winner, which has a beautiful new trailer celebrating the company’s first major release since the attack.
However, our entire staff is currently engaged in recovery efforts following the arson attack, and so we have decided to suspend the 11th Kyoto Animation Awards.”