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SMA15 THEME:

“Moments of CRYING, SMILING or LOVE”

ABOUT THE THEME

Moments of CRYING, SMILING and LOVE cover a wide and varied spectrum of emotions. These three fundamental elements are also the cornerstones of every Japanese manga published, ensuring the work contains one of the most important aspects of storytelling… RELATABILITY.

CRYING

We cry when we are upset and in pain; when we laugh and even when we’re unbelievably happy! Crying is perhaps one our most versatile signs of unmasked emotion that shows our true selves. An honest and endless source of manga inspiration.

SMILING

If crying shows our honesty, then smiling is our mask! Yes, we smile when we are happy or amused, but smiling can be a sign of an altogether darker nature. Can you build a story around a smile of happiness, or a smile of menace?!

LOVE

Love is a universal human theme, complex and bulging with emotion. From the bronze age Fall of Troy and the tragedy of star-crossed lovers, to an endless list of romcom movies, love is the timeless emotion that has launched a thousand stories. 

STORY REQUIREMENTS

We want to see a short, dialogue-free manga that encompasses ONE of these key emotional elements. Let your imagination run wild with stories of any genre that utilizes crying, smiling or love as its core. As always, the legendary SMA judges will evaluate your artistic techniques, your ability to build drama with an effective climatic twist and your paneling/directorial techniques.

THE PRIZES

Invite your friends!

Tell your friends about the SMA and invite them to the audition! Feel free to share the info by using the links below.

Just 3 Easy Steps to Enter!

Audition Details

RULE
  • NO DIALOGUE: tell your story through images alone.
  • Manuscript: Reading order from the right to left, monochrome only.
  • Number of pages: 5 – 17
  • Page file size: Not to exceed 2mb
  • Genre: Any genre.
  • NO plagiarism; nudity; explicit violence, or material that is likely to cause offence.

For more information, please refer to the Rules and Guidelines page

DEADLINE

“27th January, 2021”
12:00 noon in YOUR time zone

HOW TO ENTER

1.ONLINE ENTRY

How to upload your entry: Online Entry guide >>
Submit your application via: Entry portal

*We no longer accept postal entries.

JUDGES

Tsukasa Hojo

Creator : “City Hunter”

Tetsuo Hara

Co-Creator : “Fist of the North Star”

Ryuji Tsugihara

Creator : “Yoroshiku Mecha-Doc”

Jun Tomizawa

Creator : “Koroshi-ya Menkichi (Menkichi the Avenger)”

Nobuhiko Horie

CEO, Coamix Corp. (Former Chief Editor, “Monthly Comic ZENON”, “Weekly Shonen Jump”, etc.)

SMA21