RULES & GUIDELINES – SILENT MANGA AUDITION®︎

WHY JOIN THE AUDITION?

The SILENT MANGA AUDITION® (SMA) isn’t just a manga competition, it’s a gateway to your potential Japanese manga debut. By winning high awards in the contest, you will be invited to join the SMA MasterClass where our dedicated team of editors will help improve your abilities for a potential debut through a series of exclusive opportunities.

1. INTRODUCTION TO SILENT MANGA

1.1 The “LANGUAGE” of Silent Manga

A Silent Manga is a visual narrative told without dialogue, that relies entirely on illustration alone. You may, however, make use of onomatopoeia by incorporating SFX into your art.

We welcome all emotions – happiness, sadness, and everything in-between.
Like a good chef, the mixing of opposing flavors can sometimes produce the best results!

1.2 Judging

The entries will be judged mainly on “the creator’s ability to direct an effective narrative through an entertaining story.” As a creator, your story should be able to ignite your reader’s imagination!

The SMA Judges assess each entry’s “message and how it makes the reader feel within a short, limited number of pages.” There are no limitations to what you can draw, as long as it’s an original creation that perfectly captures the theme.

2. DRAWING YOUR SILENT MANGA

2.1 Page count

The page count for a single SMA entry is 17 pages or less. (The page count may change depending on the round so please be sure to always check the current round announcement page).

2.2 Canvas size

Paper

B4
Trimmed artwork area: 220mm x 310mm
Main content area: 180mm x 270
Trim margin: 20mm

If B4 paper is unavailable: You can use any paper size (e.g. A4) but please keep the drawing area’s aspect ratio unchanged.
A4
Trimmed artwork area: 279mm x 198mm
Main content area: 261mm x 180mm
Trim margin: 9mm

*Might differ according to paper brand, please take this as an average ratio. For A3 you can simply double the ratio.
NOTE: Entries done on paper should be scanned and digitized with a 300 dpi resolution.

2.3 Working in digital

Please follow the same dimensions stated in 2.2 Canvas size.
All digital drawing tools are welcome in SMA (Clip studio, Manga studio, GIMP, Adobe Photoshop, Medibang, Paint, etc).
Please DO NOT use any copyrighted materials, imagery, or characters as part of your creation. However, pre-set tools like brushes and screen tones are welcome.
Preset photos or drawings of people and backgrounds are FORBIDDEN by the submission agreement as their use may be subject to copyright infringement. The ONLY exception is photos you’ve taken yourself.

2.4 Final output

Entries should be TRIMMED at the trim lines before uploading to the Entry System.

3. TIPS AND ADVICE FOR YOUR SILENT MANGA

3.1 What IS NOT allowed

Dialogue: the use of dialogue to tell the story is strictly forbidden in SMA.
Copyright infringement: using copyrighted characters or imagery.
Distributing / uploading your ENTIRE entry to social media and other channels if you win an SMA award. However, uploading or distributing a PREVIEW of your entry is acceptable, and it is also acceptable to upload or distribute your entire entry if you do not receive an SMA award. If you receive an SMA award, your entry will be legally owned by COAMIX Inc., meaning you will not be able to sell or distribute your entry to any third party.

3.2 What IS allowed

Speech balloons containing “!?”: Exclamations and other punctuation marks are fine, but always keep in mind that they ENHANCE your characters’ expressive emotions, not SUBSTITUTE them. For example, many artists draw expressive marks near characters’ faces, often without speech balloons.
Signs (e.g., Parking / Flower Shop / Restaurants, etc.): Signage is also OK, provided they are very common and universally understood.
Onomatopoeia: drawn letters that represent sound is welcome and actually encouraged in ANY LANGUAGE. In most Japanese manga, sound effects are usually incorporated into the art by the original artist in a unique style that sets the tone of the sound.
Entries from partners, groups, etc.
Multiple entries are WELCOME!

3.3 To take into consideration

Utilize the first page as part of the storytelling and not just a cover page.
We encourage you to make good use of a “double page spread” (a pair of two adjacent pages in a book). Treat the page spread as ONE WIDE CANVAS.
Complex stories are often difficult to incorporate in SMA. It’s a good idea to plan ahead, and think of a simple, yet effective story before you begin your final manga.
We want to see what “message(s)” the story clearly presents to the reader – evoking emotions and feelings to entertain the reader.
FLOW: Though manga displays the action on a single page, it is designed to be read as a “double page spread”, with the action starting from the right and flowing from page to page. This same rule applies even when reading manga on a smartphone or tablet. The key is to ensure the reader turns the page! Use effective “Hiki-goma” (the last panel before turning over the page to the following panel) and other techniques for effective storytelling.

4. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

4.1 Starting your manga

We recommend starting your manga as A SINGLE PAGE on the left side of the spread.

4.2 Layout

Your manga should be drawn from right-to-left (Japanese standard).

4.3 Setting up and exporting your pages

Check out our tutorial on how to set up and export your pages in Clip Studio Paint EX!

4.4 Image data

Preparing the image data of your work (data format).
Please prepare the image data of your work according to the format below. (One image file for each page / two-page spread divided into two image files).

Image format: JPG or PNG format
File size: 1 file 2 MB or less
Image file name: Your image files should be labeled with a two digit number in sequential order based on the page number of the image file (Example: page_01.jpg, page_02.jpg, etc.)
Resolution: 300 dpi

4.5 Uploading

Pages MUST BE uploaded as “1 page / 1 image”. For “double page spreads,” please upload each page as “2 separate image files.”

If the file name is not correct, it may be displayed in the wrong order after uploading.

[Correct example]: page_01.jpg, page_02.jpg, etc. …
[Incorrect example]: page1.jpg, 1_page.jpg, etc. …

　　 *NOTE: Be sure to omit the first zero when you reach double figures.

[Correct example]: page_10.jpg, page_11.jpg, etc. …
[Incorrect example]: page_010.jpg, page_011.jpg, etc. …

4.6 Editing

Images will be displayed on the web exactly as you upload them, so please be careful about gutter, trim marks, etc.

5. PREPARATION OF YOUR WORK INFORMATION

The following information is required when you upload your entry on our web system.

5.1 Entry information

When your entry is published on our website at the time of the event results announcement.

Entry title
Detailed Credit (in case of a team creation, team pen name)
Comments (to the SMA Editorial Dept. / the reader)

5.2 Personal information

This information is necessary at the registration stage in the event of winning an award. All information will be treated with the strictest privacy. You may add a pen name later by filling in the field “Nickname” and then selecting that pen name in the “Display name publicly as” option.

Full legal name
Address and country
Email address
Phone Number

5.3 Deadline

The deadline for each round is listed on the current round announcement page.

*However, we will consider delays due to internet connectivity issues, etc. In this case, the SMA Editorial Department will approve your entries, so please do not panic even after the deadline.

6. UPLOADING YOUR SILENT MANGA

6.1 Step 1: Creating an account

Create an account to upload your manga. For those who have already set up an account, please skip to “Step 2: How to enter the Audition”. Entry portal (Create account / Log in) >>

On the Login screen, click “Create account to enter your Manga!”
Complete the “Username,” “Email,” “Password,” and “Confirm Password” fields, and click “REGISTER”.
*Your username will be used for all future logins and cannot be changed later.
*For security reasons, the username and password you entered will NOT be sent by email. Please keep it in a safe place.
Once registered, please complete your CREATOR PROFILE. Please fill in all the information required in both the public and private sections.
(Information in the private section will NOT be displayed online.)
Once you have filled in all the fields, click “UPDATE PROFILE” to complete your account setup.

* In cases of login issues, click “Lost Password” to reissue your password or contact the SMA Editorial Department.

6.2 Step 2: Uploading your entry

Check out our tutorial on how to upload your silent manga to the entry system!

Log into your account.
In the entry system menu, click “MAKE NEW ENTRY”.
Click the banner of the SMA round you are entering.
Enter the information about your manga (you can edit this information before the deadline):
- [ Manga Format ]
  Single page or double page spread / page order
- [ Entry Title + Creator Name ]
  The manga title and the creator’s name (this can be different from your profile name. Please use this feature to write your pen name or your partnership / group’s name)
- [ Creator’s Favorite Part / Message for the Readers / Open Message for SMA Community ]
  Introduce your work. This will be displayed online, together with your manga.
- [ Detailed Credit ]
  If you worked as a team, enter the names of all contributors here.
- [ Message to the SMA Editorial Dept. ]
  A chance to give your thoughts to the SMA Editorial Dept.
In the “UPLOAD FILES” section, please add your manga’s files to the field by using the“Drag and Drop” function, or click “ADD FILES” and select your page image files.
Once you have successfully added all your page files, click “CONFIRM ENTRY” If there are no upload errors you will be directed to the “SUBMIT ENTRY” pop-up menu and can submit your entry. Congratulations!

*NOTE: We HIGHLY recommend uploading your entry via a computer, not smartphone or tablet. Our entry system does not work well with entries being uploaded from smartphones.

If you fail to upload images, please use the Quick Uploader. *No need for registration. Refer to the page information details to know how to upload your work correctly.
*You need to enter a temporary username and password. Click here to see the temporary username and password for the Quick Uploader.

6.3 STEP 3: Checking your entry has loaded successfully

In the side menu, click “DASHBOARD”. Initially, your entry will have “1. Awaiting verification” status. The SMA Editorial Department will confirm each new entry, so please allow 5-10 days for this to happen. (You will receive an email when this has occurred).

Please ensure that your entry is displayed correctly in the viewer. If you experience any problems, please use the “Contact SMA Editorial Dept.” box to send a message.

6.4 Editing an entry

Until your work is published, you may make alterations to an existing entry. To edit, click on “EDIT THIS ENTRY.”
The following screen allows you to preview and edit the entry. Once you have finished editing, click “SAVE CHANGES.”
You will then see “Update Success” displayed. Once finished, return to your dashboard and reconfirm your changes.
You will receive an email within 5-10 days when your entry has been successfully uploaded.
By submitting work to the SMA, you agree to be bound by the following Submission Agreement.
*Please note that the only way to edit your entry’s actual pages is to delete your existing entry and re-upload the pages as a new entry.

7. THE RESULTS

7.1 Results announcement

The results will be announced between three to four months after the deadline, and the exact date will be announced through the SMA social media accounts.

7.2 Winning an award

SMA winners will be contacted via email in one to two weeks after the results are announced. The SMA Editorial Dept. will then guide all of the winners through the process of receiving their prizes!

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