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| Shogakukan Manga Award | |
|---|---|
| Name | Shogakukan Manga Award |
| Awarded for | Excellence in manga |
| Presenter | Shogakukan |
| Country | Japan |
| First awarded | 1955 |
Shogakukan Manga Award is a long-running Japanese manga prize established by the Shogakukan publishing company to honor serialized and published comics. The award recognizes works across multiple categories and has been presented to creators associated with major publishers, magazines, and studios. Over decades it has intersected with prominent creators, magazines, and cultural institutions in Japan and internationally.
The prize was inaugurated in 1955 within the milieu of postwar publishing alongside institutions such as Kodansha, Kadokawa Shoten, Futabasha, Hakusensha, and Shueisha. Early decades saw recognition of works serialized in magazines like Weekly Shōnen Sunday, Weekly Shōnen Jump, Big Comic, Nakayoshi, and Bessatsu Margaret, reflecting the growth of periodicals including Garo and Monthly Afternoon. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s the award paralleled developments associated with creators from studios such as Tezuka Productions and figures like Osamu Tezuka and Ikki Kajiwara. In the 1980s and 1990s the prize highlighted series tied to multimedia franchises involving Toei Animation, Studio Ghibli, and Production I.G. Into the 21st century the award has interacted with global markets involving Viz Media, Dark Horse Comics, Vertical, Inc., and festivals such as Angoulême International Comics Festival.
Award categories have evolved to reflect publishing segments among shōnen, shōjo, seinen, and josei readerships, with works appearing in magazines such as Monthly Shōnen Magazine and You (magazine). Past and current classifications echo market divisions tied to publications like CoroCoro Comic, Ribon, LaLa (magazine), and Princess (magazine). Eligibility typically requires publication by companies including Shogakukan, Kodansha, Shueisha, Hakusensha, Kadokawa Corporation, or serialization in outlets such as Champion (magazine), Monthly Ikki, and Afternoon (magazine). The award has at times created or retired subcategories reflecting trends observed in outlets like Comic Beam and Dengeki Daioh.
Judging panels have historically included editors and critics from publishers like Shogakukan and peers from Kodansha and Shueisha, alongside scholars affiliated with institutions such as Waseda University and Keio University. Selection rounds reference criteria internal to magazines such as Weekly Shōnen Sunday and Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine, and sometimes consider adaptations produced by companies like Toei Animation and Madhouse. The process engages industry stakeholders from firms including Bandai Namco, Sony Music Entertainment Japan, and Kadokawa Pictures, with deliberations influenced by editorial standards practiced at houses like Gentosha and Enterbrain. Panels have awarded both serialized narratives from outlets like Young Magazine and complete-volume works released by imprints such as Shogakukan Junior Bunko.
Recipients include creators who published in magazines such as Weekly Shōnen Jump and Big Comic Spirits, with multiple-award winners associated with names like Monkey Punch, Rumiko Takahashi, Takehiko Inoue, Naoki Urasawa, and Keiko Takemiya. Awarded works have included titles serialized in Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine and Monthly Flowers, and series that later spawned adaptations at studios such as Sunrise and Bones. Records cite repeat winners with ties to publishers such as Hakusensha and Futabasha, and landmark recipients whose works were translated by Kodansha USA and Yen Press. Honorees have ranged from creators active in movements connected to Gekiga and magazines like COM to modern auteurs whose series ran in Weekly Young Jump and Margaret (magazine).
Ceremonies have been hosted in venues associated with media corporations such as Shogakukan headquarters and cultural sites linked to NHK Hall and Tokyo Big Sight, often attended by editors from Shueisha and representatives from Kodansha USA and Viz Media. Prize packages have included trophies, financial awards administered by publishers like Kadokawa, and publication promotions coordinated with magazines such as Weekly Shōnen Sunday and distributors like VIZ Media. Announcements are publicized through press arms including NHK, Asahi Shimbun, and Yomiuri Shimbun, and covered by trade outlets like The Japan Times and Anime News Network.
The award has influenced careers at studios and houses such as Tezuka Productions, Studio Ghibli, Production I.G, and Toei Animation, bolstering international licensing deals with firms like Viz Media and Kodansha USA. It has shaped trajectories of magazines such as Nakayoshi, Weekly Shōnen Jump, Afternoon (magazine), and Young Champion, and contributed to critical discourse in journals affiliated with Waseda University and Sophia University. The prize remains a barometer referenced by festivals including Comiket and Manga Barcelona and has informed retrospectives at institutions like Tokyo National Museum and cultural programs organized by Japan Foundation.
Category:Japanese comics awards