KADOKAWA World Manga Contest Winners Named
The contest's expansion to include a dialogue category and its draw of nearly 2,000 entries from over a hundred countries signals KADOKAWA's bet that the next wave of commercially viable manga talent will come from outside Japan.
Reporting from 2 sources: Anime Trending, OtakuKart Anime.
KADOKAWA has announced the winners of its World Manga Contest, which received 1,959 entries from 118 countries and regions. The competition was split into two categories: Manga With Dialogue and Wordless Manga. The Gold Prize in the Manga With Dialogue category went to "Cry or the witch will come" by Vietnam's Syo.Era. The Comic Alive Editorial Team praised the work for its "constantly shifting, unpredictable developments" and its balance of uniqueness and universal appeal. The Gold Prize in the Wordless Manga category was awarded to "Cells Within the Body." by Taiwan's Eli Lin. The Comic Regulus Editorial Team noted its detailed artwork and a narrative that begins quietly before a sudden, shocking turn. Silver and Bronze Prizes in the Manga With Dialogue category went to "Deus sniper" by France's Shinamori and "START AT NULL" by Switzerland's 2AM Productions, respectively. In the Wordless Manga category, Silver went to "BOW" by Vietnam's Light Comic Studio and Bronze to "Hitokuji" by Taiwan's Murji. Five honorable mentions were also named. Gold Prize winners receive US$10,000, Silver US$5,000, and Bronze US$3,000. All winning works will be published on KADOCOMI, and creators will receive editorial support toward potential serialization, though there is no plan to serialize the winning works themselves.
The Comic Alive Editorial Team also noted that the Gold Prize winner in the Manga With Dialogue category, "Cry or the witch will come," achieves "a remarkable balance" between "overwhelming uniqueness" and "universal appeal that transcends borders," according to Anime Trending. The Comic Regulus Editorial Team added about the Wordless Gold Prize winner, "Cells Within the Body.," that "what impressed us most was not only the bold creativity behind its attempt to create visuals unlike anything anyone has seen before, but also the creator's remarkable storytelling ability."
Winners receive more than prize money. Gold, Silver, and Bronze winners will be invited to Japan for an awards ceremony and a tour of KADOKAWA's editorial department. They will also receive editorial support that, per KADOKAWA's November announcement, "includes remote meetings and email consultations with editors to help creators develop their works toward potential serialization." Honorable mentions receive US$300 each.
The five honorable mentions are "Grandpa and Me" by Carson (US), "Blood Upon the Snow" by Dedy Koerniawan (Indonesia), "Infinite Promenade" by Pequod (US), "Destroy Nazuna" by Rui Himuro (South Korea), and "JOHNNY B. GOOD IS GONNA BE GOOD" by JASONZ (Taiwan). The application period ran from November 2025 to March 2026. The contest was preceded by the 2024-2025 Wordless Manga Contest.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.