About Us

The SILENT MANGA AUDITION®

The SILENT MANGA AUDITIONⓇ (SMA) was first established in July 2012. Created by the manga publishing company COAMIX Inc., SMA aims to spread love for manga and support international creators all over the globe. In a continued effort to support international creators, the top award winners in SMA may receive the chance to enter the MasterClass, a community of international creators who have produced high quality entries that exceed the expectations of the SMA judges. After joining the MasterClass, creators are offered professional editorial support and exclusive opportunities from the SMA Editorial Department in an effort to work towards their debuts on the Japanese manga market.

COAMIX Inc.

COAMIX Inc. is a publishing company that was established in 2000 by manga industry icons Nobuhiko Horie, Tsukasa Hojo (City Hunter), Tetsuo Hara (Fist of the North Star), and Ryuji Tsugihara (Yoroshiku Mecha-Doc) who also act as the SMA judges. COAMIX publishes internationally renowned works such as Record of Ragnarok, Arte, Wakako-zake, and Sudden Marriage. The works are published in the manga magazine Monthly Comic ZENON, on the official Comic ZENON website, and manga app, MangaHot. It also holds several manga contests throughout the year, seeking talented manga creators in Japan and across the globe. The company’s foundation is manga, but their vision reaches beyond paper and ink. COAMIX supports creators by organizing international manga camps and manga festivals, and by developing other programs such as the Artists Village Aso 096k – a place where newcomers from Japan and abroad can receive editorial/ daily life support while working towards their manga debut in Japan.

Artists Village Aso 096k

The Artists Village Aso 096k is the location of COAMIX’s sister company, Kumamoto COAMIX, and is named after its location in the Aso Province of Kumamoto Prefecture. Its main purpose is to create an environment where young artists can learn from each other and engage in friendly rivalry. The Artists Village welcomes the best of the best of the MasterClass members to learn the art and technique of creating great manga in this collaborative environment. In addition, Kumamoto COAMIX works with the public high school in Takamori Town, Aso, to offer manga classes in the very first Manga Course in a public high school in Japan.

HISTORY OF THE SILENT MANGA AUDITION®

2026/MAR

The first generation of students from the Takamori High School “Manga Course” graduate

2026/JAN

Artists Village SMA MasterClass members Sideburn and Roberto F’s Japanese manga debut

2025/DEC

SMA Taiwan Round Awards Ceremony held in the Artists Village Aso 096k

2025/DEC

Artists Village SMA MasterClass member Roberto F becomes the main artist of Bonolon

2025/SEP

The 2nd webtoon drawn by the Artists Village SMA MasterClass members serialized on major Japanese manga platforms

2025/AUG

Artists Village SMA MasterClass Mage’s Japanese manga debut (also serialized in Monthly Comic ZENON)

2025/APR

Artists Village SMA MasterClass Sone Amaya’s Japanese manga debut (tankobon published digitally and in print)

2025/FEB

SMA Taiwan Round Announced

2024/NOV

Artists Village SMA MasterClass Moritaka Neko’s Japanese manga debut

2024/APR

Webtoon drawn by the Artists Village SMA MasterClass members serialized on major Japanese manga platforms

2023/APR

SMA Editorial Departments joins hands with Takamori High School to welcome the first generation of students in the “Manga Course”, the first such course in a public high school in Japan.

2023/APR

Five additional MasterClass members arrive at the Artists Village Aso 096k

2023/APR

Manga to CM Anime project with KURE Engineering Ltd

2022/DEC

The first five MasterClass members arrive at the Artists Village Aso 096k

2022/JUL

10th Anniversary of SMA

2022/FEB

Supplier partnership with Too Marker Products Inc., developer of Copic and I・C (SMA18)

2021/JUL

4th Kumamoto International Manga Festival

2020/NOV

3rd Kumamoto International Manga Camp (held online)

2019/NOV

“Angel Sign,” a live action movie anthology based on 5 SMA awarded entries, released. (General director Tsukasa Hojo; Lead actors Dean Fujioka & Nao Matsushita)

2019/OCT

3rd Kumamoto International Manga Festival

2019/SEP

2nd Kumamoto International Manga Camp held in Takamori

2019/SEP

SMA13 – UNESCO Round announced, in collaboration with UNESCO Bangkok, the United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture, and the Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education

2019/FEB

SMA-EX5 announced, in collaboration with Kumamoto Prefecture

2019/JAN

Partnership with CELSYS,Inc., the developer of CLIP STUDIO PAINT

2018/SEP

1st Kumamoto International Manga Camp held in Takamori

2018/SEP

2nd Kumamoto International Manga Festival

2018/AUG

SMA-EX4 “KitKat Round” announced, in collaboration with Nestlé S.A.

2018/FEB

SMA-EX3 announced, in collaboration with Kumamoto Prefecture

2017/APR

1st Kumamoto International Manga Festival

2016/NOV

SMA-EX2 announced, in collaboration with Kumamoto Prefecture

2016/FEB

SMA MasterClass 2016 Certification Ceremony is held, awarding 14 creators

2015/DEC

First SMA Extra Round (SMA-EX1) in collaboration with the “Fukushima Sakuramori Project”

2015/JAN

SMA MasterClass 2015 Certification Ceremony is held, awarding 11 creators

2012/JUL

First International SILENT MANGA AUDITION® (SMA1)