JEDDAH: Amateur artists who specialize in Japanese manga from across the world, including Saudi Arabia, are being invited to participate in the Third International Manga Awards 2009.
Katsunobu Takada, head of culture and education at the Japanese Embassy, said the contest aims to give Saudis and other nationals living in the Kingdom an opportunity to showcase their manga skills.
The Japanese animation culture is deeply rooted in Saudi society, as many generations grew up watching Arabic-dubbed Japanese animations on television. The demand for Japanese animations has increased recently, especially among the youth who have formed unofficial fan clubs and online groups that specialize in the Japanese art form.
Takada said last year’s manga awards included for the first time 15 participants from Saudi Arabia. “We hope to see more participants this year,” he said.
“Manga” originally meant “printed animation” in Japanese. “The word became an international term due to the high popularity of this kind of Japanese modern culture,” he added.
The golden prize of the Third International Manga Awards will be given to the best manga and around three works of merit will receive the silver prize, he said, adding that winners will be invited to Japan for around 10 days to attend the awards ceremony.
Prospective entries should comprise four or more pages. Works considered during the First and Second International Manga Award will not be eligible.
Application forms, rules and regulations for the award can be found at the website www.manga-award.jp.
Submissions can be sent to the awards’ executive committee or the Embassy of Japan before Jan. 31, 2009.
