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Embassy of Japan Confirms New Manga Contest

The Sweatdrop website has posted an email from Mark McEvoy at the Embassy of Japan in London.

I can confirm that we are organizing another Manga Jiman competition this year.

We will put something on our website with an application form and rules & regulations at a later date but for now you may wish to know that the theme will be 'new beginnings' and that the deadline for receiving entries is 1 November.

Please make sure entries are 6-8 pages, A4 portrait size and that it reads from left to right. Our judges are getting strict on this last point!

Details on prizes to follow.

As of writing, there are no details on the Embassy website.

The previous competition, Manga Jiman 2010, was won by Bristol-based female artist Clio Millett. The prizegiving ceremony was accompanied by a manga masterclass, presented by the artist Seiji Iwamai. From the report of the masterclass:

Mr Iwami was impressed by the quality of the Manga Jiman Competition contestants. However, he felt that, if anything, they were trying too hard to replicate the Japanese essence of manga. The UK had a wealth of theatrical tradition and he wanted to see these young Britons reflect this heritage in their work. "After all, when you eat sushi abroad, it's always a little different. And haggis made by a Japanese may not taste quite like the real thing!" He urged the contestants to impose their own personalities and identities on their work.

'Manga Jiman' means 'Having Pride in Manga.'

Thanks to Helen McCarthy for the tip.