Students worldwide are invited to submit a comic, manga, bande dessinée, webtoon, storyboard, or illustration for a chance to get published and win prizes.
Art students get ready - Celsys has announced the 2023 International Comic/Manga School Contest! Students can submit comics; manga; bande dessinée; webtoons; storyboards; or illustration entries from December 1, 2022 through April 10, 2023 on the theme “Light and Darkness.” Submission guidelines can be found on the Celsys contest website.
For a student to enter, a staff member from their school must first register the school with Celsys via the school registration webpage. Registration comes with a free six-month subscription for Clip Studio Paint EX for one device, and is open as of November 1, 2022.
Prizes include Wacom drawing tablets, cash awards of up to $3,300, and licenses for the Clip Studio Paint comic and illustration drawing app, as well as chances to have winning entries published by sponsors. Comic industry companies worldwide sponsoring the contest include SHUEISHA; KADOKAWA; BookLive; Ki-oon; pixiv; and Wacom. NGOs such as The Japan Cartoonists Association, Manga Japan, and the Digital Manga Association offer operational support.
Professional creators and representatives from sponsors will lead this year’s judging panel. Winning entries receive detailed critique, which gives the winners and other participating students a springboard to improve their skills.
A previous contestant said, “The comments picked up on parts that I missed and will really help me in my future creative activities! It was nice how there was careful feedback for each page.”
Starting in 2018 as a contest for European artists, the International Comic/Manga School Contest is now in its sixth year. Last year, the contest recieved over 1,600 entries from 1,317 participating schools in 90 countries and regions. The winning entries are translated into English, French, Spanish, German, Japanese, Traditional Chinese, and Korean for readers all over the world to enjoy.
Through these events, Celsys, together with leading figures in comic culture both in Japan and across the globe, continue to support young creators aspiring to become professional artists.
Source: Celsys
Whitney is a freelance writer focusing on VFX-driven fantasy film & TV as well as preschool animation.
