International Comic/Manga School Contest Winners Announced!

Judges

Cameron Stewart

http://cameron-stewart.tumblr.com/

The most exciting thing about an art contest such as this is seeing the wide variety of styles being used, which are often very surprising and inspiring! It is thrilling to know that these young artists are producing such excellent work, and I am looking forward to seeing what else they create in the future!

Javier Fernández

https://www.instagram.com/javifernandez_comic/

This has been my first experience as a judge, as well as my first experience in a comic contest. Even if we are currently sitting on different sides of the table, I think I have felt the same as the many participants who have submitted their work. It was difficult to evaluate them, as I needed to take technique, script, and in the case of the Illustration category, the composition into account. I believe I have been fair in my judgment, and in trying to balance all the different aspects of each work as a whole. I want to thank each contestant for taking the time to create their works, and I think there's no better sentence that can come from a judge when I say choosing a winner was difficult because the level of artistry was so high.

Ken Niimura

http://www.niimuraweb.com

The level this year was really high, both in the illustration and comic section. The variety of graphic styles and approaches is a proof of how many different shapes comics can take nowadays - from paper comics to webcomics, black and white, color or limited color palette, of all possible styles. Comics and illustration are a form of expression with unlimited freedom, and the works in the competition are a good celebration of that. The works of art I like the most are those that present me a known subject in an unexpected way and make me feel or think something I hadn’t ever experienced until then – works that make me richer thanks to them. I would have liked to see the same variety of approaches we got to see at a graphic level also applied to the theme – stories and illustrations that try to play with the subject of the contest (“gift”) at a conceptual level and bring unexpected ideas to the table. Something that after reading it makes me think “I would have never expected an idea like this… but now that this work explains it this way, it makes total sense!”

Yoshiyasu Tamura

http://www.tamurayoshiyasu.com

Photo by marfa-vasilieva.com

I found that the impression a comic left on me depended on whether the protagonist was active or passive. In the end, I decided to rate works whose main characters were active, had a clear motivation, and overall easier to read as a comic higher. Overcomplicated settings tend to blur a character’s emotions, and adding too many lies to a world divorces it from realism and relatability. I think that believable human interaction built on a single focused lie is a good way to improve a comic’s quality. Overall, I saw many works that had fantastic foreshadowing but didn’t deliver on their premise.

How to enter

Comic Category

Gold Prize

Prize: 3,300 USD / CLIP STUDIO PAINT EX / Wacom Cintiq Pro 13

Full screen

HAND SHOP -Gift come with price

Artist: Valery Yu (United States of America)

School: Savannah College of Art and Design

Language: English

Both beautiful and creepy, HAND SHOP is a highly unique concept for a story, expertly illustrated and makes great use of the wide library of tools available in Clip Studio. I look forward to seeing more of Valery's work in the future!

Cameron Stewart

Although it is an orthodox mystery-horror style depicting the sin of humanity, items that make your wishes come true, and the cost of such presents, HAND SHOP draws readers in with its fast pace, which feels almost like a film or tv show. The unique choice of colors, reminiscent of Kamui Fujiwara’s “Color Mail,” is very effective in evoking hope and fear as well.

Solmare Publishing (NTT Solmare Corp.)

The beautiful artwork and almost film-like invitation to other scenes were fascinating. The use of frames was superb as well, a strong show of the artist’s skill in depicting stories without words. The setting of trading hands to those of historical figures or monsters was also interesting, surprising us again with solid storytelling starting with a fairy tale and delving into dark fantasy.

XFLAG (mixi, Inc.)

It definitely stood out from the rest of the entries in both structure and technique. The story itself was a little too classic, so maybe a plot twist would have made it even better.

No9 Inc.

Silver Prize

Prize: 1,100 USD / CLIP STUDIO PAINT EX / Wacom Cintiq 16

Full screen

小宇宙 My Dear Cosmos

Artist: Emory (Taiwan)

School: National Taiwan University of Arts

Language: English

I love the execution of this story, with the infinite vertical scroll telling the story in a way much different than printed comics are able. Excellent visual storytelling and color technique make this an attractive and engaging comic.

Cameron Stewart

To start with, to me, the graphics are beautiful. Its loose lines and warm color palette make this piece something very pleasant to enjoy. The story, even if a little bit predictable, has a final turn which gives the whole work perfect closure.

Javier Fernández

With a unified color scheme and great drawing skills, My Dear Cosmos captivates readers immediately. The parallels of space travel and becoming a mother was a nice touch, tapping into the universal joy that is childbirth. Continuously directing the eye downward and taking advantage of the vertical format was very nice.

comico (NHN comico Corp.)

The expressions of the characters are almost rich enough to understand the story without reading the words! The story was also quite moving. While vertical scroll comics are increasing, I would also like this highly talented artist try their hand at Japanese style comics. I look forward to your future endeavors!

SILENT MANGA AUDITION®

Full screen

HeARTfelt

Artist: Blacklimes (United States of America)

School: Savannah College of Art and Design

Language: English

This story has everything I want in a short story: fun characters, a clear premise, and an unexpected end. And all of that in just a few pages! The art is also very polished, and I like the choice of using a limited color scheme.

Ken Niimura

I want to know more about these two! The art is professional-grade, and the story development is also interesting. The artist seems to be very versatile and adaptive. I'm looking forward to their next adventure!

SILENT MANGA AUDITION®

In a few pages, this comic shows us the ups and downs of a lovestruck man. However, it was a bit hard to understand why the man brought the doll when confessing because we didn’t know enough about the woman’s personality. Taking more time to draw the female character would be nice. From the women's side, I liked how showing how she feels with manga creates a nice contrast to the doll.

Solmare Publishing (NTT Solmare Corp.)

We were pleasantly surprised by the character design, nice pacing, and precise control over how crowded each page was. Fitting this story in 8 pages was no easy task. The characters’ expressions are great too, showing us the male characters agony, determination, and courage in great detail. I think everyone wants to read more about these two.

Coolmic (WWWave Corporation)

Bronze Prize

Clip Studio Paint EX

Full screen

Qualetaqa

Artist: Pearl See (Ireland)

School: Institute of Art, Design + Technology

Language: English

The art was the first thing that caught my attention in this story – beautifully drawn, and with very well chosen touches of color. The overall pacing of the story and panel composition are also impeccable.

Ken Niimura

We liked the juxtaposition of the grand theme of “the coexistence of animal and man” with the delicate art style very much. We especially feel that the artist put a lot of energy into drawing each animal. Story-wise, we felt the artist’s deep affection towards humanity through the main character’s development of conciseness, and how they reached their own answer.

XFLAG (mixi, Inc.)

Full screen

The Border

Artist: Mahour (Iran)

School: Alzahra University

Language: English

First, I want to express my sincere respect towards the enormous effort it took to bring this work to life. The artwork is very good, and the story is grand. The character follows the traditional story of a gently soul finding the courage to avoid war while giving it an original spin. Some constructive criticism would be the lack of variation in drawing characters apart, especially age and sex, and the uniform density of the backgrounds making it harder read. Exposition through conversation isn’t a good habit as well. However, I feel great promise from the frames, page composition, the grand scale of the story, and the climax.

Yoshiyasu Tamura

A captivating story with a timeless message. The attention to details in cultural patterns and motifs are impressive.

Wacom

Full screen

Gift

Artist: TURSH (Singapore)

School: SINGAPORE CHINESE GIRLS’ SCHOOL

Language: English

“Gift” depicts the shapeless insecurity that comes from preconception and the process of emerging from that tunnel vision using love between two individuals. We liked the variety of expressions as well. Showing us why he liked her or vice versa as an episode might enhance the relatability of the story just a bit more.

comico (NHN comico Corp.)

I thought that it had the best story of all the entries. It would have been better if there was a background depicting why the female character likes the main character.

No9 Inc.

Full screen

A gift of mine

Artist: Mioko-san (Russia)

School: Sreda obuchenia High School

Language: English

The use of scrolling was very creative. However, this may limit the format to digital devices. The artwork is impeccable. However, I would like to see more contrast between the characters, especially the prince, whose hair color changes and loss of crown made him harder to understand that he was the same character. Try to create characteristics like actions or speech patterns that distinguish a character.

Yoshiyasu Tamura

From the story, characters, direction, composition, to the font, we could feel the artist’s intention unifying these into a single world. A Gift of Mine perfectly matches the pageless, vertical Webtoon style.

Coolmic (WWWave Corporation)

Full screen

EL LEGADO

Artist: Maria de Lara (Spain)

School: U-tad

Language: Spanish

*The work will be translated into English and released at a later date

This is doubtlessly one of my favorites. It has always been said that a comic, in order to be well written, should be understandable without having to read the text. This is a clear example of a simple, yet direct, narrative. You don't need extremely complex frames to tell a story, and going for the simplest option is as difficult as elegant. The lineless drawings exude warmth, and the color palette changes according the story. I think that behind this story there is a great author. I hope this is one of many stories that she is willing to tell us.

Javier Fernández

The powerful story told in with use of colors and silence to express different emotions.

Wacom

Honorable mentions

Full screen

Kaiko's path to courtship

Artist: 寬片片 (Kuan Pian Pian) (Taiwan)

School: National Taiwan University of Arts

Language: Traditional Chinese

Full screen

바치나이다 (Offering)

Artist: YEONIE (South Korea)

School: Chungkang College of Cultural Industries

Language: Korean

Full screen

정류장에 의자 하나 (The Chair at the Bus Stop)

Artist: 김한희 (Han-hee) (South Korea)

School: Korea Animation High School

Language: Korean

Full screen

Your Best Gift?

Artist: johnavn (Indonesia)

School: INSTITUT TEKNOLOGI BANDUNG

Language: English

Full screen

GRAB YOUR GIFT YOU CRAB

Artist: HANDSLEY NGUYEN (Vietnam)

School: Comic Media Academy

Language: English

Full screen

Summer storm

Artist: Paloma Noot (Spain)

School: Escuela de arte diez

Language: English

Full screen

Carmine Gumamela

Artist: lilyresh (Philippines)

School: Mystical Rose School of Caloocan, Inc.

Language: English

Full screen

Blessing

Artist: Nuno Monteiro (Portugal)

School: ESAD, Escola Superior de Arte e Design, Matosinhos

Language: English

Full screen

Memories

Artist: Maker BoW (Russia)

School: Municipal General Education Institution Secondary Scholl No 20 (Shya city)

Language: English

Full screen

Purrfect Gift

Artist: 雨蕊(Yirui) (Malaysia)

School: National Academy of Art , Culture and Heritage

Language: English

Illustration Category

Gold Prize

550 USD / CLIP STUDIO PAINT PRO / Wacom Cintiq 16

Big hands, little hands

Artist: shasa (Canada)

School: Sheridan College

The mysterious atmosphere of the illustration is what first attracted me to it: there’s something captivating about the world and characters that makes me want to know more about them! The technical execution is also spotless – from the composition, to the color scheme and the way it’s been painted.

Ken Niimura

The "V" composition. I really like the selected brushes and the contrast in the colors. While a bit minimalist, very good artistic personality sample.

Javier Fernández

Presents from hands, big and small. Hope, dreams, warmth, kindness, we can feel a variety of emotions from this piece. The warmth from the small girl to the big, inorganic hand, the orange shade from the sunset and the silent green, all enhance the warmth and kindness of the image.

Solmare Publishing (NTT Solmare Corp.)

This illustration creates with stunning expressiveness a story that stimulates the imagination of the viewer. A girl and a giant, what adventures will they have on the giant’s back? At first, the sunset creates a gentle impression, but the tension that comes with the inviting adventure draws the viewer into the situation. The color scheme with varying shades of green also adds to the beauty and depth of the painting.

XFLAG (mixi, Inc.)

Silver Prize

Prize: 220 USD / Clip Studio Paint Pro / Wacom Cintiq 16

Present Factory

Artist: Ina (Korea South)

School: Kookmin University

The concept and the composition are excellent. We love the colorful impression and could look at this piece for ages. It is a professional-level work that could even be used as a book cover. The picture is easy to understand without words. We hope you keep on drawing with this principle of keeping your illustrations simple and easy-to-understand.

Yoshiyasu Tamura

This is a charming and clever piece with vibrant color, a fun concept, and good use of Clip Studio’s perspective tools. It immediately stood out to me.

Cameron Stewart

I like the pop culture, cute aesthetic, especially the wonderful usage of color!

No9 Inc.

ママへのプレゼント (Present for mom)

Artist: Edoyannyan (Canada)

School: Sheridan College

The painting technique here is beautifully executed, the soft and gauzy rendering making the piece reminiscent of a nostalgic memory. Instantly evocative.

Cameron Stewart

The illustration conveys an incredible gentleness. Looking at this picture, we can understand how similar Canada and Japan actually are.

No9 Inc.

The gentleness of the theme, colors, and effects create a soothing atmosphere. Due to the difficulty of drawing facial expressions in the pulled-back composition, the artwork effectively uses poses and objects to convey emotions. We want to know more about this family.

Coolmic (WWWave Corporation)

Bronze Prize

CLIP STUDIO PAINT PRO

happy present girl

Artist: 雪島エナ(Ena Yukishima) (Japan)

School: Daiichi Hirata Gakuen Chinese Design College

The art is very good, and does a good job at putting various elements together. I do feel that there are too many motifs, and the positioning of the box in the upper left stands out too much (it gets in the way of the eye.)

Yoshiyasu Tamura

We were mesmerized by the girl and her strong expression. The colors and ribbons in the background focus to the center to make the girl stand out more. The ribbons and gifts underline the theme of “gift,” but the performance itself is also part of the gift. The value of the experience seems to be more emphasized, which reflects social changes.

comico (NHN comico Corp.)

A gift we often forget

Artist: Ditaamy (Indonesia)

School: Institut Teknologi Bandung

This illustration used the theme subject to touch an important matter like environment. I like it a lot when I see an image depicting a place that’s far away, where despite being unknown to me, it shows something that’s very familiar - and this is one of those cases. I love the colors used too!

Ken Niimura

Rain often has a more somber or sentimental expression, but this illustration unmistakably conveys the joy of the characters, surrounded by dancing yellow fish and bright colors.The composition of the characters as a whole also looks very natural. Here, instead of the joy of the rain being finally over, the rain itself was presented as a gift, offering a fresh new perspective.

comico (NHN comico Corp.)

The gift of imagination

Artist: Marredae (Ukraine)

School: Grekov Odessa Art School

Love the selected color palette and the style, but specially the message is beautiful. This is what an illustration should be, not just good drawing and color work, there must be a message, a script, and here it's beautiful. Amazing work!

Javier Fernández

The use of color and the execution quality instantly gives the feeling of glimpisng into a reality powered by imagination.

Wacom

禮物 (Gift)

Artist: O (Taiwan)

School: National Sinokita Commercial University

You can clearly see the character, and the theme of “gift” comes across effectively. It obviously takes a lot of skill to portray such a composition and perspective. In addition, the colors create a warm impression that translates to the image as a whole, without relying too much on the character’s expression. In an almost pop art style of drawing, the illustration makes one feel that the character is enjoying the steep ascent and the heat, making them endearing.

XFLAG (mixi, Inc.)

The person carrying the piled up gifts is both laid back and demands attention. The composition of the whole illustration is well-balanced, and the toned down choice of colors reminds us of a Cézanne or Braque. I think it matches the atmosphere and is a very interesting piece.

Solmare Publishing (NTT Solmare Corp.)

The beginning of the journey

Artist: Crystal (Colombia)

School: Universidad del norte

A young boy at the beginning of his journey into illustration. The artist has expressed the infinite possibilities of creativity in a variety of ways. The contrast between the warm room and the star-filled space must have been difficult, but comes across wonderfully.

Coolmic (WWWave Corporation)

The illustration style is very befitting with the explosive imagination of childish excitement of the composition.

Wacom

International Comic/Manga School Contest

This manga, comic and illustration contest is open to students enrolled in an Art/Design school, technical/vocational school, school art club, or extracurricular art program. Submit your work for a chance to win a cash prize, creative software, pen display tablet and even a chance for your artwork to be featured in media publications!

Theme: gift
Comic category: Original color or monochrome comic, 8-48 pages
Webtoon format acceptable (more than 30 frames, 690 x 20,000 pixels or less.)
Illustration category: Original color illustration
Application period:Jan 30, 2019 (Wed) -> May 9(Thu), JST

Judges

Cameron Stewart

http://cameron-stewart.tumblr.com/

Award-winning comic artist and artist. Past works include DC Comics’ BATGIRL, FIGHT CLUB 2, etc. Currently living in Toronto, Canada.

Javier Fernández

https://www.instagram.com/javifernandez_comic/

DC comic writer. Recent works include Nightwing, Detective Comics and Green Arrow.

Ken Niimura

http://www.niimuraweb.com

Cartoon artist and illustrator. The graphic novel “I Kill Giants” was filmed and released as a movie in 2018.

Yoshiyasu Tamura

http://www.tamurayoshiyasu.com

Manga artist, illustrator, painter. Holds worldwide exhibitions, and recently released “Devil’s Relics,” in collaboration with singer Maître Gims, published by Glenat.

Photo by marfa-vasilieva.com