SILENT MANGA AUDITION® ROUND TEN 2018 Event Announcement

Rocket-start your MANGA career, with generous prizes and the chance to work with manga pros from Tokyo!

THEME: “FRIENDSHIP” / “EFFORT” / “VICTORY”

The three pillars that hold up Japan’s largest Manga magazine, “Weekly Shonen JUMP”!

“FRIENDSHIP”

Not just a friendly disposition, but FRIENDSHIP forged in ACTION! (e.g. Helping your friends; Understanding and answering your friend’s call; Caring for your friend’s well being)

“EFFORT”

Not just doing your best, but STRIVING TOWARDS A SINGLE GOAL.

“VICTORY”

Not just winning, but GRABBING VICTORY FROM THE HEART, after numerous “Beautiful Defeats”.

These elements are vital in creating a manga that captures the heart of its readers!

Utilize one, two or all three of these themes and create a manga that shakes the soul of its readers!

In SMA9, we selected the three themes mentioned as the principle of Olympism; “Fair Play”, “Teamwork”, and “Respect”, thereby capturing the spirit of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic/Paralympics. But what embodies these Olympian themes? Well, we believe it is “FRIENDSHIP”, “EFFORT” and “VICTORY”. These three golden principles are know well among Manga fans the world over. Originally, these very words were voted the most popular among Japanese children as the “most heartwarming”, “most precious” and the “most delightful word”, respectively. As a result, the people at JUMP believed these inspiring words represented what the reader wanted from their Manga, establishing them as the core of the JUMP editorial mission…the rest, as they say, is history. Manga is a method of entertaining readers by portraying a character’s life through drawings. We believe this method has something in common with the Olympic/Paralympic games, where we watch the action unfold through sports. We sincerely hope to be entertained by your charming and engaging characters and their journey through your manga!

Audition Details

RULE:

・“NO DIALOGUE”. Use only drawings to tell your story. ・31 PAGES OR LESS

DEADLINE:

“30th SEPTEMBER, 2018”

JUDGES:

・Tsukasa Hojo – Creator, “City Hunter” series, etc. ・Tetsuo Hara – Co-Creator, “The Fist of the North Star” series, etc. ・Ryuji Tsugihara – Creator ,”Mecha-Doc” series, etc. ・Nobuhiko Horie – CEO, Coamix Corp. (Former Chief Editor, “Monthly Comic ZENON”, “Weekly Shonen Jump”, etc.) ・Comic ZENON Editorial Team ・WEB Comic-ZENYON Editorial Team ・SMAC! Web Magazine Editorial Team ・The SILENT MANGA AUDITION Committee

Tsukasa HOJO

Tetsuo HARA

Ryuji TSUGIHARA

PRIZES:

・GRAND PRIX : JPY 500,000 ・GRAND PRIX RUNNER-UP : JPY 300,000 ・EXCELLENCE : JPY 100,000 ・EXCELLENCE RUNNER-UP : JPY 30,000 ・HONOURABLE MENTION : JPY 10,000

・SPONSORS’ AWARD : Wacom & CLIP STUDIO PAINT ・SPONSORS’ AWARD RUNNER UP : Wacom & CLIP STUDIO PAINT

“Wacom Mobile Studio Pro 13 (DTH-W1320L)” Details >> “CLIP STUDIO PAINT” Details >>

HOW TO ENTER:

1.ONLINE ENTRY (strongly recommended) Submit your application via Entry System. How to UPLOAD Your Work >>

2.By Post

Send Application to: The SILENT MANGA AUDITION Committee 3rd Floor, Kichijoji Zizo bld., Kichijoji-Minami Cho 1-9-9, Musashino, Tokyo, JAPAN, 180-0003

*If you wish to have your submission returned to you, please provide a self-addressed envelope with appropriate postage. If sending by post we advise you to keep a photocopy of the work, in case there may be problems during transmission.

LINKS:

Previous Audition Results(SMA8 Winners) >> How to ENTER SMA >> How to UPLOAD Your Work >> Submission Agreements >>

ENTER THE AUDITION! (Upload your MANGA!)

SPECIAL THANKS

GUIDELINE & TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

GENERAL GUIDELINES:

Please note SILENT MANGA AUDITION® is about the creator’s will to tell stories – NOT a trial of skills to fit a pre-set standard. Anything a creator sees fit is most likely welcome! Be creative and entertain readers by igniting their imagination!
“A creator’s ability to tell a story, through visual execution” is the main focus of evaluation.
We welcome all emotions – happiness, sadness and everything in-between. However, we recommend you always end with a positive heart-moving message. We like both sweet and bittersweet chocolates. We don’t like the bitterness of raw cocoa powder alone – we welcome good chefs of a story who always add a pinch of happiness to the mix.

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS:

Your manga must be 31 pages or less. Use of the appropriate amount of pages for a theme is a part of the evaluation process. We welcome short, focused stories.
Your manga must start from A SINGLE PAGE, on the left side of the spread.
All Manga is to be drawn for “Right-to-Left” (Japan standard) Page order. This is to help with the publication of the compilation volume.
You are encouraged to make good use of “W-Page spread ( a pair of 2 adjacent pages in a book )” at all times. Treat each page pair (“spread”) as ONE WIDE CANVAS. Use “Mekuri (page turns)” other techniques for storytelling benefits.
Pages MUST BE upload as “1 page / 1 Image”. For “W-Page Spreads”, each spread must be saved as “2 separate image files”.
Images will be displayed on the web, exactly as you upload. Please TRIM AND CROP your images. All gutter, trim marks and other parts of the image you wouldn’t present to a reader, should be trimmed off.
Those comfortable with preparing print-ready images may upload “print-ready” images as one .zip file, accompanying the separate page images. ( Doing so has no affect on the evaluation process – It ensures your work will be presented in the best image quality possible upon winning an award. )

RECOMMENDATIONS & ADVICE:

Don’t kill characters. Imagine entertaining athletes and audiences who gather for a sporting event.
Utilize the 1st page, as part of the storytelling and not just a cover page.
“Complex stories” are often inappropriate to tell in a silent manga. Plan ahead, before you begin the final drawing.
“Simple message, told well” will be awarded higher than, “Complex story told not-so-well”.
THE STORY ITSELF is NOT a part of the assessment. Instead, we see what “Message(s)” the story clearly presents to the reader – evoking emotions and feelings. The clearer the message, the higher the title will be awarded. No need for complex plots, and we strongly recommend to keep it short and focused.
For all other guidelines and tutorials, please see our regular contents like “FAQ Section”, and tutorials like “Japanese Manga 101 with Taiyo & Mayu”
While drawing can be a tough challenge, always remember to have fun and enjoy yourself. Then do your best to entertain the readers. 🙂
Thank you for reading the small prints! Please spread the words to your friends 😉

ENTER THE AUDITION! (Upload your MANGA!)