Speaking from personal experience, there is nothing the Japanese people are prouder of than their culture, and their export products. So when you combine the two, it’s an especially big deal. Arguably Japan’s greatest, and most popular, cultural export of the past few decades is manga, the distinct comic art form that is, of course, closely entwined with anime, that massively popular onscreen style of entertainment.

There are many prestigious manga awards competitions, but few exclusively for non-Japanese manga creators. One of the most prestigious of the latter is the Japan International Manga Award, which is managed by the Japanese government – more specifically the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which recruits various Japanese manga artists, critics and academic experts to assess the entries.

With the aim of honouring artists worldwide who play their role in sharing and developing manga culture, the Japan International Manga Award is open to creators globally (entrants must be a foreign national not from Japan), and submissions can be in any language. The first International Manga Award took place in 2007, and typically each contest receives over 300 entries, with people from 50+ countries participating. You can learn more about previous winners here, who come from places as far-flung as Thailand, Columbia, Israel and Belgium.

As of this week, entries are now open for the 17th Japan International Manga Award, with submissions closing on 7 July 2023. Some basic requirements are that the entered work must have been created during the past three years, and be more than 16 pages long. Artists can submit print versions, electronic versions (PDF format), or both preferably, with a physical copy sent to their country’s nearest Japanese Embassy or Consulate. The full Award rules, and application form, can be found here.

As for the prizing, this is what’s up for grabs:

  • 1 X Gold Award, for the best received work
  • 3 X Silver Award, for excellence
  • 11 X Bronze Award, for other high-quality entries.
  • 1 X Special Encouragement Award for a standout manga that does not qualify for the Gold Award or Silver Award, but is more highly regarded than the other Bronze Award winners.

Gold Award and Silver Award winners will be invited to Japan for approximately 7 days, to experience the country, and attend the Award ceremony, which will be held in Tokyo in the first quarter of 2024.

No matter where you are, if you’re a manga artist, now’s the time to take your shot.