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Golgo 13's Takao Saito Launches New Manga Award

Golgo 13 manga creator Takao Saitō announced on Friday that he and his Saito Takao Gekiga Cultural Foundation are establishing a new manga award called the "Saito Takao Award."

The award will feature three categories: scenario writer, manga artist, and editor/editorial department.

The first award will be the 2018 award. Only professional manga editors can submit nominations, and the deadline is on August 31. Scenario writers, manga artists, and editors are eligible for the award if they've published a first volume of a manga between September 1, 2014 and August 31, 2017. The manga works must target adult readers. The nominees are also restricted to completely original works, as opposed to adaptations.

Saito will host the awards ceremony on January 12, and the issue of Shogakukan's Big Comic magazine that ships on January 25 will announce the winners.

Saito Takao Gekiga Cultural Foundation will choose the finalists for the awards. The final committee that will decide the winners include Saito, Juzo Yamasaki (Tsuri Baka Nisshi manga creator), Ryōichi Ikegami (Crying Freeman manga artist), animator Yū Satō, and producer Masahiro Oga.

Winners will receive the "Golgo 13 trophy." Winners in the scenario writer and manga artist categories will also receive 500,000 yen (about US$4,530).

The new award is also celebrating 50 years since Saito launched Golgo 13 in Big Comic magazine in November 1968. The manga is still running, and Shogakukan will publish the 185th volume in July. Saito established the award to help pave the way for the next generation of scenario writers and manga artists. Saito also established the award to highlight the system of having different specialists working together to handle the various parts of a manga.

Source: Comic Natalie