Laurel Prize

Laurel Prize
Laurel Prize
	Headmark panel commemorating the 48th Laurel Prize of JR East E721 series train
Awarded for	Best railway-vehicle in terms of production intention, technology and design features, which was newly introduced in the previous year
Date	February 18, 1961
Country	Japan
Presented by	Japan Railfan Club
First awarded	1961
Last awarded	2024
Currently held by	Osaka Metro 400 series; Utsunomiya Light Rail HU300 series;
Most awards	JR East
Website	https://www.jrc.gr.jp/e/award/bl
	1973 Laurel Prize plaque inside an Odakyu 9000 series EMU train

The Laurel Prize (ローレル賞, Rōreru Shō) is an award presented annually in Japan since 1961 by the Japan Railfan Club. It is awarded for railway vehicles that entered service in the previous year and voted by the selection committee as having the most outstanding functional and design features.^[1]

Award winners

The list of award winners since 1961 is as follows.^[2]

Award	Year	Train	Operator
1	1961	2000 series EMU	Hankyu Railway
1	1961	2300 series EMU	Hankyu Railway
2	1962	401/421 series EMU	JNR
3	1963	3000 series EMU	Keio Corporation
4	1964	5000 series EMU	Keio Corporation
5	1965	3000 series EMU	Sanyo Electric Railway
6	1966	A830 series tramcar	Sapporo Streetcar
7	1967	0 series OS Car EMU	Nagano Electric Railway
8	1968	Not awarded	—
9	1969	6000 series EMU	Toei
10	1970	60 series EMU	Osaka Municipal Subway
11	1971	Mo 600 series tramcar	Nagoya Railroad
12	1972	6000 series EMU	TRTA (now Tokyo Metro)
13	1973	9000 series EMU	Odakyu Electric Railway
14	1974	2000 series EMU	Nishi-Nippon Railroad
15	1975	24/25 series coach	JNR
15	1975	EH Class electric locomotive	Kurobe Gorge Railway
16	1976	KiHa 66/67 DMU	JNR
		8500 series EMU	Tokyu Corporation
		5000 series EMU	Fujikyu
17	1977	1000 series EMU	Joshin Electric Railway
17	1977	6000 series EMU	Sapporo Municipal Subway
18	1978	7000 series tramcar	Toei
18	1978	1000 series EMU	Kobe Municipal Subway
19	1979	800 series EMU	Keikyu Corporation
19	1979	50 series coach	JNR
20	1980	100 series EMU	Nagoya Railroad
		7000 series EMU	Hokusō Railway
		14760 series EMU	Toyama Chihō Railway
21	1981	117 series EMU	JNR
21	1981	2000 series tramcar	Nagasaki Tramway
22	1982	1000 series EMU	Fukuoka City Transportation Bureau
23	1983	200 Series Shinkansen	JNR
23	1983	8200 series	Kumamoto City Transportation Bureau
24	1984	6000 series EMU	Keihan Electric Railway
25	1985	01 series	TRTA (now Tokyo Metro)
25	1985	HaIMo 180 DMU	Tarumi Railway
26	1986	10000 series EMU	Nankai Electric Railway
26	1986	100 Series Shinkansen	JNR
27	1987	8000 series EMU	Kita-Osaka Kyuko Railway
		7000 series EMU	Kintetsu
		KiHa 185 series DMU	JNR
28	1988	1000 series EMU	Sendai City Transportation Bureau
29	1989	783 series Hyper Saloon EMU	JR Kyushu
30	1990	221 series EMU	JR West
30	1990	2000 series "TSE" DMU	JR Shikoku
31	1991	251 series EMU	JR East
31	1991	70 series EMU	Osaka Municipal Subway
32	1992	253 series Narita Express EMU	JR East
32	1992	KiHa 200 series DMU	JR Kyushu
33	1993	300 Series Shinkansen	JR Central
33	1993	Class EF200 electric locomotive	JR Freight
34	1994	Class DF200 "Eco-Power Red Bear" diesel locomotive	JR Freight
35	1995	KiHa 281 series DMU	JR Hokkaido
36	1996	383 series EMU	JR Central
36	1996	KoKi 71 "Car Rack System" freight wagon	JR Freight
37	1997	731 series EMU	JR Hokkaido
38	1998	9700 series tramcar	Kumamoto City Transportation Bureau
		900 series Kirara EMU	Eizan Electric Railway
		5800 series EMU	Kintetsu
39	1999	Skyrail 200 series	Skyrail Service
40	2000	5000 series Green Mover tramcar	Hiroden
		700 Series Shinkansen	JR Central/JR West
		209-950 series (now E231-900 series) EMU	JR East
41	2001	Mo 800 tramcar	Nagoya Railroad
		3220 series "Series-21" EMU	Kintetsu
		5820 series "Series-21" EMU
		9020 series "Series-21" EMU
42	2002	KiHa 187 series DMU	JR West
43	2003	9200 series "Momo" tramcar	Okayama Electric Tramway
43	2003	1000 series "U-tram" tramcar	Kagoshima City Transportation Bureau
44	2004	Not awarded	—
45	2005	800 Series Shinkansen	JR Kyushu
45	2005	3000 series tramcar	Nagasaki Electric Tramway
46	2006	2000 series μSky EMU	Nagoya Railroad
		100 series Linimo	Aichi Rapid Transit
		5100 series Green Mover Max tramcar	Hiroshima Electric Railway
		3000 series EMU	Fukuoka City Transportation Bureau
47	2007	E233 series EMU	JR East
47	2007	3000 series EMU	Nishi-Nippon Railroad
48	2008	E721 series/SAT721 EMU	JR East/Sendai Airport Transit
48	2008	KiHa E200 DMU	JR East
49	2009	T1000 series tramcar	Toyohashi Railroad
49	2009	3000 series Comfort Saloon EMU	Keihan Electric Railway
50	2010	22600 series Ace EMU	Kintetsu
51	2011	16000 series EMU	Tokyo Metro
52	2012	Class HD300-900 hybrid locomotive	JR Freight
53	2013	Not awarded	—
54	2014	E6 Series Shinkansen	JR East
54	2014	F1000 series "Fukuram" tramcar	Fukui Railway
55	2015	EV-E301 series battery EMU	JR East
55	2015	3000 series EMU	Hakone Tozan Railway
56	2016	HB-E210 series hybrid DMU	JR East
56	2016	New 260 series EMU	Yokkaichi Asunarou Railway
57	2017	E235 series EMU	JR East
		ET122-1000 "Setsugekka" DMU	Echigo Tokimeki Railway
		A3000 series EMU	Shizuoka Railway
58	2018	E353 series EMU	JR East
		500 series "Revaty" EMU	Tobu Railway
		7500 series "U-Tram III" EMU	Kagoshima City Tram
59	2019	20000 series EMU	Sagami Railway
59	2019	Eizan Deo-730 railcar	Eizan Electric Railway
60	2020	2700 series DMU	JR Shikoku
61	2021	E261 series EMU	JR East
61	2021	N700S Series Shinkansen	JR Central
62	2022^[3]	17000 series EMU	Tokyo Metro
		18000 series EMU	Tokyo Metro
		3000 series "Premium Car"	Keihan Electric Railway
63	2023	20 series EMU	Kyoto Municipal Subway^[4]
64	2024	400 series EMU	Osaka Metro^[5]
64	2024	HU300 series tramcar	Utsunomiya Light Rail^[6]

References

^ "Blue Ribbon Prize and Laurel Prize". Japan: Japan Railfan Club. May 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
^ ブルーリボン賞・ローレル賞 [Blue Ribbon Award and Laurel Prize] (in Japanese). Japan: Japan Railfan Club. May 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
^ "2022年ブルーリボン賞・ローレル賞決定" [2022 Blue Ribbon Award / Laurel Prize recipients decided]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 26 May 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
^ 2023年ブルーリボン賞・ローレル賞決定 [2023 Blue Ribbon Award and Laurel Prize recipients announced]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
^ 「大阪メトロ」400系ローレル賞、デザイン性や多様な設備など評価 ["Osaka Metro" 400 series receives Laurel Prize for outstanding design and facilities]. Mynavi News (in Japanese). 23 May 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
^ 宇都宮ライトレールHU300形がローレル賞、「次世代のLRT」へ指摘も ["Next-generation LRT" Utsunomiya Light Rail HU300 series receives Laurel Prize]. Mynavi News (in Japanese). 23 May 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2024.

External links

[jrc-1] "Blue Ribbon Prize and Laurel Prize". Japan: Japan Railfan Club. May 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2016.

[list-2] ブルーリボン賞・ローレル賞 [Blue Ribbon Award and Laurel Prize] (in Japanese). Japan: Japan Railfan Club. May 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2015.

[br-laurel_2022-3] "2022年ブルーリボン賞・ローレル賞決定" [2022 Blue Ribbon Award / Laurel Prize recipients decided]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 26 May 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2022.

[4] 2023年ブルーリボン賞・ローレル賞決定 [2023 Blue Ribbon Award and Laurel Prize recipients announced]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 25 May 2023. Retrieved 25 May 2023.

[5] 「大阪メトロ」400系ローレル賞、デザイン性や多様な設備など評価 ["Osaka Metro" 400 series receives Laurel Prize for outstanding design and facilities]. Mynavi News (in Japanese). 23 May 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2024.

[6] 宇都宮ライトレールHU300形がローレル賞、「次世代のLRT」へ指摘も ["Next-generation LRT" Utsunomiya Light Rail HU300 series receives Laurel Prize]. Mynavi News (in Japanese). 23 May 2024. Retrieved 23 May 2024.

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Laurel Prize

Award winners

See also

References

External links