Hello.
I’m a writer interested on collabing with some artists on small projects for upcoming Manga contests being held in both English and Japanese.
A lot more of my information can be found on my portfolio, but a quick introduction. I’m an experienced writer who has collabed with plenty of artists before and am currently working with a handful on various projects, both as the project lead/head writer and as a secondary lead/Editor.
I really do urge anyone to check out my portfolio before commenting. It has many dozens of works on it and multiple pages of information and question answering. And links out to further resources with even more information.
And I just want to real quick say to at least keep reading for the explanation of the contests since they are interesting and I will briefly be explaining the posts made purely in Japanese.
With that said, I do want to eventually do a broader post at a later date, just more generally looking for people to partner up with who are interested in getting published in Japan. Which I am always open to discussing with anyone, but the focus of this post will be on the contests.
Speaking of the contests, there are three main ones I am primarily discussing that are coming up / running. And then a couple additional ones that are slightly different in style but are also of interest. With multiple being in Japanese, with me serving as the translator for the application/project.
And just to have a very quick introduction to my Japanese. I am not a native speaker, but I have been studying Japanese for quite some time and very easily can handle the translation work for a few short entries like these contests are asking for. And since I would be the original writer, nothing should be lost in translation.
Onto the explanation of the contests.
Zenon 4 Page Breakthrough:
The contest is starting at a minimum of 4-Pages of Manga. With a deadline of Saturday, January 20, 2024.
This one is super low commitment, given that the minimal pages is 4 and the contest prioritizes short entries. This one however is strictly for interties in the Japanese language (but accepts submissions from around the world).
It also is a super simple application, because you can just post the Manga on twitter with the hashtag and it’s submitted.
This is the one I would urge people towards the most. Very low commitment. Because it is exclusively in Japanese there have been minimal entries. If we make something good and have some luck on our side there is a fair chance at placing (or who knows even winning). And just outside of that, working on a low stakes short project like this can just be a fun collaboration and test out working together. Plus at the end we’ll have a series that’s in multiple languages which is kind of cool. And we can say we’ve entered into a Japanese Manga contest.
Silent Manga Contest:
Page Count 5-17 Pages. Deadline: December 4th – 2023. No Dialogue Allowed.
Obviously very well known as one of the only English worldwide contests.
A massive benefit to the silent manga route is that it could be an entry into each of these contests. (And no worries or extra work on the translation front).
I have a section on my Portfolio under the “Short Scripts” section for Silent Manga scripts. And have added a temporary section for silent manga pitches. (Which I will be adding and subtracting from depending on if they are picked up for scripts. And based on the fact pitching a short story silent manga is a little tricky).
It also is by far the largest contest with the most eyes on it, by people in multiple different industries.
I have worked on a complete Silent Manga before, and they are surprisingly fun to do. Since it asks for more creative out of the box thinking.
One-Point Breakthrough Manga Award:
Another contest open to the world, but only accepting Japanese submissions. Page count being 5-17. With the submission deadline being 2024, February 2nd.
Once again there is the possibility to double up with entries here. The 4+ page series could also be sent in to this contest. And I don’t see a reason not to after it has already been translated and made. It also gives a far more flexible deadline. And it would be very possible to start with a short 4-5 page entry, to make sure something is done on time, before developing that idea or another one into a more fleshed out entry.
That's a quick run down on the core contests I was currently looking at, but I do have a few other things that might be of note to people.
Viz Submissions:
Viz is once again taking submissions. With the cost/reward of them being really great.
It has two submission categories. Series submissions and One-Shot submissions.
Both with similar potential rewards. Having an editor look over and critique the work. Being digitally published onto Viz’s platform. Having the submission published officially. And being offered a potential full serialization.
And one thing that I think is really awesome about it, is that it says even if you are given a full-publication (or less) that you still maintain IP ownership. Which I think is a massive upside.
The One-Shot submission is fairly self-explanatory. Send in a one-shot and see if they like it.
The series submission is a bit more interesting. You can obviously send in a one-shot, along with additional information and resources on the project for them to look over.
They also accept Names/Storyboards. Which I think is a great low-commitment project that can be worked on. No need to commit to many hours of drawing. Still a storyboard does take time, but hopefully it would be more of a through-and-through fun project then having to grind out a finalized manuscript.
Magcomi:
They host Monthly Contests for both full manuscripts and another for Storyboards. (Along with occasionally running bonus contests).
This one however seems to only accept Japanese submissions. Much the same with this as Viz, where it can be lower commitment and also is running consistently so no real major deadlines.
Future contests:
And of course there are contests that are held monthly, every six months, and annually. I don’t want to overwhelm with info and again for this particular post I am focused more on short term projects. However, as I said I am always looking for an artist who is interested in getting published in the Japanese Manga industry and would be interested in partnering up to accomplish such a goal.
For these short term projects, I think it is a good opportunity to build a repour and get a small project finished, with some additional potential upsides. Again, I think the best mindset to have is to work on something that regardless of placement was a worthwhile experience and that we are glad we made.
Winning or even placing is never guaranteed and from my perspective its simply best to go in with zero expectations and just make sure the work speaks for itself.
But if we work together on a short five page submission, or a Name/Storyboard and then there is a desire to build up to bigger projects that I think would also be good.
Pitches and your projects:
I do want to heavily note that I am more than happy to work on your project and help support you and what you want to work on. Just pitch me the idea and if it is interesting I would be down to work on it.
Of course, generally, I do like trying to come up with an original idea that takes into account the artist’s interests and art-style in order to tailor a story to them. So that it is a story the artist themselves would enjoy reading and which their art style compliments it.
But I am incredibly flexible and willing to work on anything as long as it is interesting.
On commissions:
If you are an exclusively commission based artist, feel free to send in your rates. I have commissioned artists before and will continue to do so. And obviously I am all for people trying to make a living with their art. I work on a bunch of projects and never know when a particular art style might just be perfect for it.
For this exact post I have it marked as unpaid, because I am interested in finding people genuinely interested in the project and who believe in it. But again, even for one of these contests if someone sends in a proposal that just makes a ton of sense and really could be something awesome, I would obviously be down.
Really, at the end of the day I have a kind of romantic, adventurous dream in my head. Of finding that artist I click with and the two of us pouring our hearts and souls into a series that either wins a contest or gets accepted by an editor. That we then get published and everyone lived happily ever after. I know it seems silly, but I want to hold out on the off chance something like that could actually happen.
To close things out. I really do like collabing with people and obviously think it is mutually beneficial. I know there is a bit of a hesitancy around writers looking for collaborators, but I really want to assure anyone that there is no pressure at all. A short storyboard, a five page entry, or even less is fine. I like working with people and I’ll try to carry as much weight of the project as I can.
And it is a hundred percent good if someone wants to try for a contest but has to drop out or not meet the deadline for any reason. I want to work with people who want to have fun and improve their skills while working on an interesting project.
Again, I am super flexible and am open to any possible suggestions. As long as the idea is good, whether it be for a story, or the way it's released, or anything, I am open to it as long as it sounds interesting.
I am open to answering any questions. I am most active on Discord, so that will be the quickest and easiest way to reach me.
I do somewhat insist that you make sure the question isn’t already answered on my portfolio, because it does have a lot of core things already answered. (But again, not a big deal, no such thing as a stupid question and all that).
To really close things off. I am going to sign off with the message I always sign off with.
That being regardless of interest in these projects or collabing, I am more than happy to help anyone with any of their projects. Whether that be an extra set of eyes, someone to give feedback, to answer questions, talk writing, art, or anything else to do with the creative process.
Again I get plenty of writers (and sometimes artists) coming to me for advice and feedback and I am more than happy to do so whenever. And I am currently the official Editor for two (unreleased) projects. And I am open to consulting or taking on a more official role on projects, again coming down to the keyword of if I think it is interesting.
That’s it. Sorry I say lots of words. I just want to be very thorough and clear.
I look forward to hearing from people. And wish everyone luck on their own artistic adventures.