TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The organizer of two prestigious Japanese literary awards on Wednesday announced there were no winners among the nominations this year for the first time since 1998.

The awards often produce popular works representative of the era. The event is hosted by the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Literature.

"There was something about each work that drew us in, but there was still something lacking," said Hiromi Kawakami, author and Akutagawa Prize selection committee member. "We as a committee find it extremely regrettable that we were unable to award the prize."

The Akutagawa Prize was established in 1935 in memory of the Japanese novelist Ryunosuke Akutagawa. The Naoki Prize, created the same year, was named after author Sanjugo Naoki.

Awarded authors typically receive 1 million yen ($6,700) in prize money.