Estonian composer Arvo Pärt is among the recipients of the 2014 Praemium Imperiale awards, Japan's highest honors in the arts.

The award, which is accompanied by around 110,000 euros, has been given out by the Japanese royal family since 1989, with one painter, sculpture, architect, musician and from theater or films receiving the prize each year.

Riin Eensalu, the head of communication at the Arvo Pärt Center, said the award is comparable to the Nobel prize in science.

The award will be handed over on October 15 in Tokyo.

Previous notable winners include Ingmar Bergman, Norman Foster, Philip Glass and Ravi Shankar.