IN 2007, the then-27-year-old Malaysian Benny Wong put his country on the manga (Japanese comics) world map as his work was named second runner-up in the inaugural International Manga Award.
Dubbed the “Nobel Prize of Manga”, the award was presented by the then-Minister for Foreign Affairs and current Prime Minister of Japan, Taro Aso.
Now other budding local manga artists aspiring to emulate Benny’s success have a chance to do so.
Intrepid Works Sdn Bhd, Liquid Media Communications, Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) and Animax Asia have joined hands to debut Malaysia's National Manga Competition.
The competition seeks original manga works in terms of its storytelling, layout and design, character development, use of onomatopoeia and signifiers of manga, as well as artistic ability and style. Submissions must abide by all contest rules found at the contest's official website www.mymanga.com.my. All entries have to be accompanied by the official entry forms, which can be downloaded from the same website.
This is phase one of a five-year pilot project, whose data and artwork will be used to help chart the course of manga in Malaysia and in the region," said Intrepid Works Sdn Bhd special projects director Desmond Flaivel. “We also plan to give out scholarships for talented individuals to pursue diplomas or degrees in the creative arts,” he added. Government agency MDeC is supporting the manga contest to spur the growth of the country’s creative multimedia content industry. “Comics and manga lead to other creative forms like animation and games. We also believe we have what it takes to go global, with manga one of the media to spearhead this,” said MSC Malaysia Animation and Creative Content Center head Hasnul Hadi Samsudin.
“We are backing the contest because our role is to nurture, inspire and create awareness of the opportunities within the creative multimedia industry.” As the National Manga Competition’s official regional and online media partner, Animax will promote the contest on air and online at www.animax-asia.com, and will feature some of the contest’s top entries exclusively on its TV channels and websites. “Benny Wong is a shining example of what young people with passion and talent can achieve. Animax will spare no effort in supporting youth who follow their hearts even if it means taking career paths less travelled,” said Animax Asia vice president and general manager Gregory Ho. The competition is open to all Malaysians in the following categories: Primary School Open for ages 7-12, Secondary School Open for ages 13-17 and Amateur Open for those older than 17.
Deadline for submissions is Oct 9, with results to be announced several weeks later, followed by the prize presentation in December.
Further details on the contest is available at its website.
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