sma22 swa1 sma22
Check the Last Round’s Results!

The World's Biggest Manga Audition.That could launch your japanese manga career!

The SILENT MANGA AUDITION® (SMA) is the world’s biggest manga audition, exclusively with manga without dialogue. Through silent manga, talented international creators have the same chance as Japanese creators to join the manga world. Draw your characters’ expressions full of emotion and heart to work towards your dream debut!

Message from the judges

Tsukasa HOJO
Tsukasa HOJO
The quality of the entries is getting better and better after every round. Remember, we evaluate how you express your characters’ emotions rather than your drawing ability, so EVERYONE is welcome in SMA!
Tetsuo HARA
Tetsuo HARA
SMA is an AUDITION, so you don’t need to draw perfectly to win. After we scout you for SMA, we’ll guide you on improving every aspect of your future masterpiece!
Ryuji TSUGIHARA
Ryuji TSUGIHARA
Each round’s theme is there to give you a glimpse of the emotion we want to see the most. As long as you have that MOMENT in your work clearly showing that particular emotion, any story is fine!
Jun TOMIZAWA
Jun TOMIZAWA
I’ve had the privilege of judging SMA works for many years, and I’m always amazed by the quality of manuscripts international creators produce. I can’t wait to read what you’ll be creating this time!
Nobuhiko HORIE
Nobuhiko HORIE
NO LANGUAGE BARRIER, NO AGE LIMIT, NO ENTRY LIMIT. One entry could open the doors to your professional mangaka future and give you the chance to work in Japan with us. We’re waiting for you!
ZENON Editorial Dept.
ZENON Editorial Dept.
To draw manga, all you need is a pen and a piece of paper. Everyone can draw manga, but what’s important is to think about who that manga is made for. Always think about your readers!

About the Theme

BIGGEST SURPRISE

People can experience many different kinds of surprises in their daily lives: surprises of happiness, amusement, sadness, confusion, embarrassment… What will be the BIGGEST SURPRISE in the lives of your characters?!

Title: Marmoris

Creator: nemuisemi

Monthly Comic ZENON’s 26th Manga Taisho – Excellence Award Runner-Up

READ HERE

Title: The Lady Afraid of Flowers

Creator: Andrea Jen

Monthly Comic ZENON’s 26th Manga Taisho – Honorable Mention

READ HERE

Title: My Friend Mana

Creator: monotone_ink

COAMIX’s Kyushu International Manga Award – Excellence Award

READ HERE

Submission Process

Submission Period
April 2nd2024
July 1st2024
Judging Period
July 1st2024
August 31st2024
Results Announcement
September2024

Enter SMA for Exciting opportunities!

*Such projects are open exclusively to our MasterClass creators.

How to Join

Join SMA to Make Manga at the Artists Village Aso 096k in Japan!

Top-awarded entrants who show their talent, professional approach, and will to work in Japan may be invited to the Artists Village Aso 096k in Takamori Town (Aso, Kumamoto)! There, you will learn the art and technique of creating great manga by working next to other manga creators in the Village and will start “Ticking towards your Dreams.”

VIEW MORE

Prizes

GrandPrix ¥500,000

Offer to Enter the MasterClass and Receive Editorial Support Introduction to the Artists Village Aso 096k Project

GrandPrix Runner-Up ¥300,000

Offer to Enter the MasterClass and Receive Editorial Support Introduction to the Artists Village Aso 096k Project

Excellence Award

¥100,000

Excellence Award and Above to be Published on “MangaHot”

Excellence Award Runner-Ups and Above to be Featured in Monthly Comic ZENON

Excellence Award Runner-Up

¥30,000

Excellence Award Runner-Ups and Above to be Featured in Monthly Comic ZENON

Honorable Mention

¥10,000

Participation Prizes

ALL Entries Receive Editorial Feedback

EVERY entry receives professional editorial feedback! The feedback will contain your entry’s strong points and highlight things we’d like you to practice and learn more about in order to create professional-level manga.

All entrants receive FREE 3 Month Trial Clip Studio Paint EX

ALL entrants who complete a survey after joining SMA20 will receive a Clip Studio Paint EX 3-month activation code! Clip Studio Paint is the artist’s drawing, painting, comic, webtoon, and animation tool, loved by professionals. Don’t miss out on your chance to try Clip Studio Paint!

Judging Details and Rules ( Click to learn more )

The SMA Judges evaluate SMA entries based on the following criteria. Above all, conveying your characters’ expressions is the most important.

Emotions

Characters’ emotions are expressed and displayed clearly.

Originality

The story and setting display your originality.

Composition

The theme is conveyed well through a story that’s easy to understand with enjoyable paneling.

Rules

MANUSCRIPT
  • NO DIALOGUE. Tell your story through images alone.
  • Reading order from right to left, monochrome only.
  • Use the theme of “The Biggest Surprise” as the core of your story.
PAGES
  • 5 – 17 pages.
FILE SIZE
  • 2MB or under.
WHAT IS ALLOWED
  • Multiple entries.
  • Entries from partners, groups, etc.
WHAT IS NOT ALLOWED
  • Plagiarism, nudity, explicit violence, or material that is likely to cause offense.
  • Copyrighted pictures in your entry.
  • Preset photos or drawings of people and backgrounds.

SMA Rules and Guidelines Page　>>

Canvas Size

B4
  • Trimmed artwork area: 220mm x 310mm
  • Main content area: 180mm x 270mm
  • Trim margin: 20mm
A4
  • Trimmed artwork area: 279mm x 198mm
  • Main content area: 261mm x 180mm
  • Trim margin: 9mm

NOTE: Entries done on paper should be scanned and digitized with a 300 dpi resolution. Page Layout Guidelines HERE (B4 Size) >>

Judges

Tsukasa HOJO Tetsuo HARA Ryuji TSUGIHARA Jun TOMIZAWA Nobuhiko HORIE Monthly Comic ZENON Editorial Department SMA Editorial Department

Meet the Judges　>>

Submitting Your Entry

Submission Agreement　>>

Enter the Audition

About COAMIX Inc.

COAMIX Inc. is a Tokyo-based manga publisher founded by worldwide famous manga creators. Among its many titles, Record of Ragnarok, MOTHER PARASITE, Keiji’s Kabuki Adventure, and The War of Greedy Witches stand out for being the most recent and internationally acclaimed manga series from the publisher.

Tell Your Friends!

Invite your friends to be part of one of the biggest manga communities in the world! Share the SMA21 theme announcement page by using the buttons below.