On Wednesday, October 15th, HIH Prince Hitachi, honorary patron of the Japan Art Association, presented the Praemium Imperiale Awards at a formal ceremony in Tokyo to this year's Laureates; internationally renowned artists who have shown extraordinary achievements in the fields of Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, Music, and Theater/Film. All Laureates received specially-designed gold medals and testimonial letters. With an honorarium of 15 million yen　(c $150,000) per category, the awards recognize a lifetime achievement in the Arts, in categories not covered by the Nobel Prizes.

The 2014 Praemium Imperiale Laureates are:

Martial Raysse (France) Painting

Giuseppe Penone (Italy) Sculpture

Steven Holl (USA) Architecture

Arvo Pärt (Estonia) Music

Athol Fugard (South Africa) Theatre/Film

The recipient of the annual Grant for Young Artist award (presented in July) was the Zinsou Foundation in Benin. The organization received a grant of 5 million yen (c $50,000) to support its goal of nurturing the involvement of young people in the art.