Kodansha Names Seven Grand Prize Winners in Mangaka Discovery Award
Kodansha announced on Friday the seven Grand Prize winners of its Mangaka Discovery global manga award, run through the Kodansha Manga Academy.
1 source 8h ago
Reporting from 1 source: Anime News Network.
Why it matters
Kodansha is attaching an editor, a debut path, and publication on K manga and Comic Days to each of the seven magazine slots, which turns the award into a recruitment pipeline for its own imprints rather than a one-off contest.
Key Facts
- Kodansha announced the Mangaka Discovery Grand Prize winners on Friday, with seven winning entries.
- Each Grand Prize winner receives 300,000 yen (about US$1,893), a two-year Clip Studio EX plan, and an editor to work with toward a debut.
- Winning works will be published on K manga and Comic Days beginning in December.
- The contest ran worldwide from April 20 to July 22 and accepted works in English or Japanese.
- Kodansha launched the Kodansha Manga Academy in October 2025 to help global creators learn manga publishing in Japan.
The winners include "Saint & Rocky" by Isaacell for Weekly Shonen Magazine, "GOOSI AND THE LIST" by the goose man for Monthly Shonen Magazine, "Penitent Crown" by Ichi for Sirius Magazine, "A Heart of Lead" by goroweko in Women's Comics, "FLY" by Heitor Amatsu for Young Magazine, "MOVIEAFTERLIFE" by 8OttoVan for Morning Magazine, and "Pitcher in the trench" by Susumu Romu for Afternoon Magazine.
Each Grand Prize winner gets a Kodansha editor to work with toward a debut, a cash prize of 300,000 yen (about US$1,893), a two-year Clip Studio EX plan, and an invitation to the awards ceremony in Tokyo in February 2027. The winning works will also be published on K manga and Comic Days beginning in December.
The contest ran worldwide from April 20 to July 22 and accepted submissions in English or Japanese. Kodansha launched the Kodansha Manga Academy in October 2025 to help global creators learn how publishing works in Japan. A further 21 titles took the Encouragement Prize, and each of those winners also has an editor assigned.
- Saint & Rocky by Isaacell (United Kingdom): Weekly Shonen Magazine Grand Prize
- GOOSI AND THE LIST by the goose man: Monthly Shonen Magazine Grand Prize; country undisclosed
- Penitent Crown by Ichi: Sirius Magazine Grand Prize; Uruguay
- A Heart of Lead by goroweko: Women's Comics Grand Prize; country undisclosed
- FLY by Heitor Amatsu: Young Magazine Grand Prize; Brazil
- MOVIEAFTERLIFE by 8OttoVan: Morning Magazine Grand Prize; Italy
- Pitcher in the trench by Susumu Romu: Afternoon Magazine Grand Prize; Italy
Written with AI by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited. See our editorial policy.
Add Yomimono as a preferred source on Google
Sources
- Anime News Network Kodansha Announces Winners of Mangaka Discovery Global Manga Award