Interest
Manga Jiman Website Launches
posted on by Andrew Osmond
Manga Jiman, a competition run by the Embassy of Japan which encourages UK artists to create their own strips, has launched a new website at https://mangajiman.co.uk/. The site shows the work of Manga Jiman's competition winners from 2007 to 2019. The image on the right is by Tori Jones, who was the Manga Jiman winner in 2019.
The site also has details of the current (fourteenth) annual contest, which is themed around technology. The closing date for entries is November 16.
According to the announcement, ''Technology has been playing an ever greater role in our lives, and now more than ever we are relying on technology to keep in touch with our loved ones, conduct our work and live out our daily lives. How the theme is interpreted is down to the entrant, but it must be a written or visual reference, and please state how your work references the theme on your entry form."
Entrants 14 and over should create a story told across six to eight pages (full rules).
The first prize is an original, vintage animation cel, chosen for the winner by prize sponsors cel-ga.com. The second prize is an A3 Image scanner, and the third prize is a Ricoh digital camera. Runners up will receive a selection of manga publications, and other prizes. It is hoped that the winner's and runner-ups' work will be displayed in a special exhibition at the Embassy in 2021, if it is safe to do so.
There is a separate category for entrants aged between 11 and 13, who should create a yonkoma manga (a story told in 4 comic strip panels on one page). The full rules for the 11 to 13 category, separately named the 'Yonkoma Manga Competition,' are here. The first prize for this category will be a prize from the Japanese gallery; there will also be runner-up manga-related prizes.
For both competitions, the artwork should be sent with an entry form, which can be downloaded here.
Entries can be sent by email or post. Email entries should go to [email protected] . Postal entries should go to the address below:
Manga Jiman Competiton
Japan Information and Cultural Centre
Embassy of Japan
101/104 Piccadilly
London W1J 7JT
'Manga Jiman' means 'Having Pride in Manga.'
Artwork copyright Tori Jones
