Nominations open for the 20th Japan International MANGA Award
Donor Name: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan
The Japan International MANGA Award is a global competition designed to promote manga culture overseas while encouraging international cultural exchange through original manga works.
The award focuses on spreading manga culture internationally, strengthening cross-cultural exchange through manga, recognizing creative excellence in manga creation, and encouraging original storytelling and artistic expression within the global manga community.
The award presents multiple categories including the Gold Award for the best manga work, Silver Awards for three outstanding works, and approximately eleven Bronze Awards for other selected entries, along with a Special Encouragement Award for notable submissions that do not reach Silver Award level but stand above other Bronze entries.
Winning participants in the Gold and Silver categories receive certificates and trophies, and one representative creator per winning work is invited to Japan for approximately seven days to attend the award ceremony. Bronze and Special Encouragement Award winners are not included in the invitation program.
The initiative is open to original manga works that are at least sixteen pages long and may be either published or unpublished, provided they have not previously received this award. Eligible works must have been created within the three-year period from 2023 to 2026 and must not violate any intellectual property rights.
Applicants must be non-Japanese nationals, and in collaborative teams at least the artist must hold non-Japanese nationality. The applicant must also hold full copyright and legal authority over the submitted work and grant usage rights to the Executive Committee for non-commercial promotional and cultural purposes. Publishing companies outside Japan may submit entries on behalf of creators if consent is obtained from them.
Only one entry per manga artist is permitted, and if multiple submissions are made, only the first submission is considered. Entries must be submitted in PDF format, and scanned or photographed works are accepted if originally hand-drawn. Applicants are required to confirm identity using valid identification if selected for an award.
Submissions must be entirely original, and works primarily generated by artificial intelligence, including plot, composition, or artwork, are not accepted, although limited AI-assisted visuals may be allowed if properly declared during application.
For more information, visit Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.