Anime NYC and the Japan Society have joined forces to launch the American Manga Awards, the first awards program dedicated to honoring manga creators, stories, and the publishing professionals who bring them to readers in the U.S. and Canada.

The awards ceremony will take place on August 22, 2024, at the Japan Society's Lila Acheson Wallace Auditorium in Midtown Manhattan, the night before Anime NYC kicks off.

The invitation-only event will be hosted by author and translator Matt Alt and will recognize achievements in eight categories:

• Mangaka Hall of Fame
• Manga Publishing Hall of Fame
• Best new manga
• Best Ongoing Manga Series
• Best new edition of classic manga
• Best Translation
• Best lyrics
• Best Publication Design

To be eligible for submission, the manga must be published in English (print or e-book) between August 1, 2023 and July 30, 2024.

Other submission guidelines include:

• Best New Manga must have the first volume published (print or digital) within these eligibility dates
• The Best Ongoing Manga Series must have at least one volume published (print or digital) within the eligibility dates.
• The Best New Edition of Classic Manga must be a new English edition of manga (single story or multi-volume series) that was originally published in Japan at least 20 years ago (for 2024, the cutoff date is December 31, 2004)

Publishers may submit up to three titles per category.

More information about the submission guidelines can be read here.

A panel of industry experts will select nominees for the first-ever American Manga Awards.

The nominees for Best Translation will be chosen by translators and authors Matt Alt and Hiroko Yoda. Comic book letterers Tom Orzechowski and Nate Piekos will select the nominees for Best Lettering. Kinokuniya Bookstore East Coast Regional Manager Shiegkazu Watanabe and Publication Designer Sasha Head will decide the nominees for Best Publication Design.

A committee consisting of Brigid Alverson (ICv2, School Library Journal), Shaenon Garrity (Otaku USA, Publishers Weekly), Minovsky, Renee Scott (Senior Librarian at the New York Public Library), and Lynzee Loveridge (ANN) will select nominees for Best New Manga, Best Ongoing Manga, and Best New Edition of Classic Manga.

Source: New York Anime