Anime NYC and the Japan Society announced that the American Manga Awards will be returning for its 2nd annual event! The awards ceremony will take place on August 21st 2025 at the Japan Society headquarters in New York City, coinciding with the first day of Anime NYC. This year’s Manga Awards will celebrate manga titles that were released in English in print or digital between August 1st 2024 to July 31st 2025.
In addition to announcing the date of the ceremony, the judges of this year’s American Manga Awards were also revealed. These judges will select which manga will be nominated and up for consideration in the categories of Best New Manga, Best Continuing Series, Best New Edition of Classic Manga, Best Translation, Best Lettering, Best Publication Design, and a new category announced for this year, Best One-Shot Manga.
Best New Manga nominees must have had their first volume published within these days, while Best Continuing Manga Series must have at least one volume published within them. Best New Edition of Classic Manga must be a new English edition of a manga that was originally published in Japan at least 20 years ago, with the cutoff date for this year’s awards being December 31st, 2025. Best One-Shot Manga can include omnibus editions of titles originally released as multiple volumes in their Japanese release so long as the English release is solely a single complete volume.
The Best New Manga, Best Continuing Series, Best New Edition of Classic Manga, and Best One-Shot Manga nominees will be selected by judges who have been active in the manga community as journalists, scholars, and librarians. The judges for the Best Translation, Best Lettering, and Best Publication Design categories will be selected from experts in those respective fields.
Among the judges for the best manga categories is Manga Mavericks’ very own editor-in-chief, Varun Gupta! Varun has released the following statement about his participation as a judge in the American Manga Awards:
“Manga has been an omnipresent part of my life since I was a kid, so being selected as a manga judge for the American Manga Awards is honestly a surreal experience. I’m also excited to be working with an amazing group of judges that I deeply respect. This has been an exciting past year for manga, and I can’t wait for us to celebrate it!”
In addition, Varun left the following comments about his criteria for evaluating manga as his Judge’s Statement on the American Manga Awards website:
“It’s an honor to be a manga judge for this year’s American Manga Awards! As the manga market continues to grow in America, so does the sheer volume of content available for us to consume. That said, how do you identify manga that truly stands out?
I don’t think there’s a single method of doing this, but I generally gravitate towards manga that have both a unique voice and a novel perspective to their premise. Beyond that, I also believe that the best manga are those that immerse you in their world. Whether it’s a hilarious gag-comedy or an emotional drama, I want to be lost in the manga that I’m reading to the point that it’s hard to put it down. I’m very excited to see what manga from the past year resonates with our manga judges the most!”
The complete list of judges for this year’s American Manga Awards can be found below.
Manga Judges:
Shige (CJ) Suzuki (manga scholar, translator, associate professor; Baruch College CUNY)
Ashley Hawkins (NYC librarian, writer; Booklist, Manga Librarian)
Katy Castillo (editor in chief, Yatta-Tachi)
Lynzee Loveridge (executive editor, Anime News Network)
Varun Gupta (editor in chief, Manga Mavericks)
Translation Judges:
Hiroko Yoda (translator, author; Yokai Attack!, Eight Million Ways to Happiness)
Matt Alt (translator, author; Pure Invention: How Japan’s Pop Culutre Influenced the World)
Lettering Judges:
Aditya Bidkar (letterer; DC Comics, Image Comics, Dark Horse Comics, DSTLRY, Abrams)
Ariana Maher (letterer; Superman, Justice League Unlimited, Psylocke, Avengers Academy)
Publication Design Judges:
Carina Taylor (Senior Graphic Designer at Scholastic Graphix, Art Director at Silver Sprocket)
Shigekazu Watanabe (Kinokuniya Bookstore’s East Coast Regional Manager)
American Manga Awards Planning Committee:
Deb Aoki (comics journalist; Publisher’s Weekly, Comics Beat, Mangasplaining)
Host:
Matt Alt (presenter, translator, author)
Learn more about this year’s American Manga Awards in the official press release below!
| Anime NYC and Japan Society Announce 2025 American Manga Awards and Nominating Judges to Celebrate Excellence in Manga New York City, NY – April 29, 2025 – Anime NYC and Japan Society are excited to announce the 2nd annual American Manga Awards, set to take place on August 21, 2025, at the historic Japan Society in New York City. The event will coincide with the first day of Anime NYC at the Javits Center, which is expected to draw over 100,000 attendees across four days.VIZ Media, one of the leading publishers and distributors of manga and anime in North America, is the Gold Sponsor of the 2025 American Manga Awards. Home to iconic series such as One Piece, My Hero Academia, and Naruto, VIZ Media’s support underscores its commitment to uplifting the global manga community and celebrating the creators, translators, designers, and publishers. Professionals from the comics publishing world will serve as the nominating judges tasked with selecting the best manga released in English between August 1, 2024, and July 31, 2025. Categories include: Best New Manga, Best Continuing Series, Best New Edition of Classic Manga, Best Translation, Best Lettering, Best Publication Design, and new for this year: Best One-Shot Manga. Profiles for the nominating judges can be found at https://info.urban-expo.com/e/338151/american-manga-awards-judges-/5bsc6v/1493140861/h/xu_iIbzKGBXgY1_8w6NxDB9a9_cLItsFn37WZ4ZtJ24 “After such an amazing response to the inaugural American Manga Awards, we’re thrilled to return for year two and continue celebrating the creativity and global impact of manga,” said MK Goodwin, Anime Portfolio Vice President at LeftField Media, the company that produces Anime NYC. “This year, we’re building on that momentum to further honor the creators, stories, and publishers shaping the medium and to spotlight the passion that connects fans and creators across cultures.” Best Translation nominees will be selected by translators and authors Matt Alt (Pure Invention: How Japan’s Pop Culture Influenced the World) and Hiroko Yoda (Yokai Attack! and the upcoming Eight Million Ways to Happiness). Best Lettering nominees will be selected by comics lettering professionals Aditya Bidkar and Ariana Maher. Bidkar and Maher’s credits include work with DC Comics, Image Comics, Dark Horse, Oni Press, and Boom! Studios. They have both been nominated for Eisner Awards for Best Lettering. Best Publication Design nominees will be selected by Kinokuniya Bookstore’s East Coast Regional Manager, Shigekazu Watanabe, and Senior Graphic Designer at Scholastic Graphix and Art Director at Silver Sprocket, Carina Taylor. Best New Manga, Best Continuing Manga and Best New Edition of Classic Manga nominees will be selected by comics journalists Lynzee Loveridge (Anime News Network), Varun Gupta (Manga Mavericks), Katy Castillo (Yatta-Tachi), manga scholar and translator CJ Suzuki (Baruch College CUNY) and NYC Librarian Ashley Hawkins (Booklist). The 2025 American Manga Award nominees will be announced to the public on June 17, 2025. The winners will be determined by votes received from professionals working in an editorial capacity with North American (US/Canada) manga publishers, who have either registered to vote via the American Manga Awards website or have been invited to vote by the American Manga Awards Planning Committee. The American Manga Awards Planning Committee is led by manga industry veteran Deb Aoki, a comics journalist with Publishers Weekly and Comics Beat, and co-host of the Mangasplaining podcast. The ceremony will be hosted by author, translator, and presenter Matt Alt. The invite-only awards ceremony will be held for manga industry professionals and press at Japan Society’s landmark headquarters located at 333 East 47th Street. Designed by Japanese architect Junzo Yoshimura, Japan Society’s headquarters has welcomed U.S. Presidents, Japanese Prime Ministers, and Nobel Prize Winners. For over 100 years, Japan Society has played a key role in US-Japan business, policy, art, culture, and education. The ceremony will be held in conjunction with Anime NYC’s annual convention (August 21-24 at the Javits Center), which will see major manga publishers and retailers, including Kinokuniya, Kodansha USA Publishing, Seven Seas Entertainment, VIZ Media, Yen Press, and more participating. Submissions for the American Manga Awards are open now, with detailed guidelines and entry instructions available on Anime NYC’s website. For more information about the American Manga Awards and to stay updated on the latest announcements, please visit www.animenyc.com/americanmangaawards/ and follow Anime NYC and Japan Society on social media. About Anime NYC: Anime NYC is the East Coast’s largest anime convention. The event has received the award of Consul General from the Japanese Ambassador for providing a gateway to Japanese culture. Anime NYC brings fans and publishers together for four days of unique exhibits, exclusive screenings, extensive panels, and appearances by some of the biggest creators in Japan. The next event takes place August 21-24, 2025 in New York’s Javits Center, and we invite you to join thousands of fans for a celebration of Japanese animation, manga, pop culture, cosplay, fashion, food, games, toys, and more in the heart of NYC. For more, visit www.AnimeNYC.com. About Japan Society: Japan Society is the premier organization connecting Japanese arts, culture, business, and society with audiences in New York and around the world. At Japan Society, we are inspired by the Japanese concept of kizuna (絆)–forging deep connections to bind people together. We are committed to telling the story of Japan while strengthening connections within New York City and building new bridges beyond. In over 100 years of work, we’ve inspired generations by establishing ourselves as pioneers in supporting international exchanges in arts and culture, business and policy, as well as education between Japan and the U.S. We strive to convene important conversations on topics that bind our two countries together, champion the next generation of innovative creators, promote mutual understanding, and serve as a trusted guide for people everywhere who seek to more fully appreciate the rich complexities and abundance of Japan. From our New York headquarters, a landmark building designed by architect Junzo Yoshimura that opened to the public in 1971, we look forward to the years ahead, which will be defined by our digital and ideational impact through the kizuna that we build. Our future can only be enhanced by learning from our peers and engaging with our audiences, both near and far. |
