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Manga Jiman 2011 Contest Now Open

Details of this year's Manga Jiman contest, in which UK artists are encounraged to create their own original strips, are now available on the Embassy of Japan website: a summary and entry form as well as the full rules.

The theme of this year's contest is "new beginnings" and the entries should refer to that idea in some way, interpreted at the contestant's discretion.

The first prize is a pair of return tickets to Japan. (If the winner is under 18, he or she must be accompanied by a parent, guardian, or someone appointed by a parent or guardian.) Second prize is a Toshiba laptop computer, and the third prize is a Ricoh digital camera. Runners up will receive a selection of manga publications, and other prizes. The winners' work will be displayed in a special exhibition at the Embassy.

The competition is open to legal UK residents who are, or will be, 14 or over on January 1st, 2012. All strips should be original (not previously published or publicly displayed). They must be between six and eight A4-sized pages in length, drawn so the strip reads from left to right. In a message to the Sweatdrop website, Mark McEvoy of the Embassy of Japan stressed that the judges would be strict on the "left to right" point.

The entries will be judged on such factors as originality, storytelling, layout and design, character design, and use of onomatopoeia.

The closing date for the submission of entries is November 1. Entries cannot be sent electronically. Photocopied manga and completed entry forms should be submitted, by post or in person, to:

MANGA JIMAN COMPETITION 2011

Japan Information and Cultural Centre

Embassy of Japan

101/104 Piccadilly

London W1J 7JT

Finalists will be posted on the Embassy of Japan website in December, and the prizes will be awarded in February 2012.

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

Via Otaku UK