Shonen Jump's Biggest Manga Contest to Be Judged by Akira Toriyama, Eiichiro Oda, and More

Twice a year Shueisha and Weekly Shonen Jump holds the Tezuka Manga Contest (named after famed [...]

By Nick Valdez

Twice a year Shueisha and Weekly Shonen Jump holds the Tezuka Manga Contest (named after famed creator Osamu Tezuka) since 1971, and is doing something extra special for the 100th anniversary of the contest. For the first time, Shueisha will be accepting submissions from creators outside of Japan. They will be looking for all types of manga in several different languages such as English, Spanish, Chinese, and Korean. Not only that, but the contest is going to be judged by a famed panel of Shonen Jump creators.

According to the announcement from MediBang Inc, this iteration of the contest will be aiming to find special manga talent from creators around the world and will feature special guest judges such as Dragon Ball's Akira Toriyama, One Piece's Eiichiro Oda, Blue Exorcist's Kazue Kato, My Hero Academia's Kohei Horikoshi, and Slam Dunk's Takehiko Inoue.

The first place winner in the contest will be published in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump (whether it's digital or print) along with being invited to the award ceremony in Tokyo and a 2 million yen (about $18,000 USD) prize. The artist in second place will also be published in Weekly Shonen Jump, be invited to the award ceremony, and received a 1 million yen (about $9,000 USD) prize. A third honorable mention winner will also be invited to the cermony and receive a 500,000 yen (about $4,000 USD) prize.

Akira Toriyama had this to say about his role in judging the contest, "With manga, one person can create an entertainment that is like a movie or a tv show, if they really want to. Dear manga lovers around the world, why not take this opportunity to create something where many people can become passionate about your works? I am waiting for you!"

Entries for the contest can be submitted here until September 1st (in JST), and winners will be announced this December. Will you be entering this major Shonen Jump contest? What kind of series are you hoping to see in the future of the magazine? What do you think of this huge panel of judges? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or talk to me directly about all things anime and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!

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