AnimeGO! Japan Pop Culture Festival

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4-Koma Manga (Yonkoma)
Competition

Information

The AnimeGO! Japan Pop Culture Festival aims to promote and celebrate Japanese pop culture in Australia. Manga from Japan has become a worldwide phenomenon, and we would like to celebrate this through a 4-Koma (Yonkoma) Manga Competition.

Each year, a theme is introduced to encourage cultural learning and understanding of Japan. The focus of the competition is the incorporation of the theme and overall quality. We encourage everyone around the world who enjoys drawing manga and story telling to apply with an entry. 

Entries are closed for this year, so keep an eye out for the 2024 competition launch.

Each year, a theme is introduced to encourage cultural learning and understanding of Japan. The focus of the competition is the incorporation of the theme and overall quality. We encourage everyone who enjoys drawing manga and story telling to apply with an entry.

This year’s theme is

「義理・人情」[giri / ninjyou] Refers to one’s duty to one’s social obligations (giri) and one’s personal desires, feelings and nature (ninjyou). In Japanese culture these dual ideas shape one’s thinking around life decisions.

 

Registration Open: 11th April 2024 at 10:00pm (Australian Central Standard Time)

Registration & Submission Deadline: 22nd September 2024 at 11:59pm (Australian Central Standard Time) 

Results Announcement: AnimeGO! Japan Pop Culture Festival 26th October 2024

Register and submit a 4-koma manga, and be in the running to win a $300 cash prize.

​Budding artists get creative and get seen! All 4-koma manga submissions will be reviewed by our judging panel comprised of industry professionals, and the top twenty entrants will be on display at the AnimeGO! Japan Pop Culture Festival.

2024 Terms and Conditions (English)
2024 Terms and Conditions (日本語)
2024 Registration Form

Keep an eye out for the registration opening of the 2023 competition!

Prizes

Grand Prize

The winner(s) will receive a cash prize of $300 and supporters prize pack, brought to you by the Japan Australia Friendship Association (JAFA)

Runner-up(s) (2 winners)

The runner-up(s) will receive a cash prize of $100 and supporters prize pack, brought to you by the Japan Australia Friendship Association (JAFA).

Judging Criteria

JAFA will appoint a judging panel to judge the manga entered in the 4-Koma Manga Competition. 

 

The members of the panel will review the submissions and judge them between the 30th of September and 13th of October 2024. The judges will decide the best twenty (20) submissions that meet all requirements (Top Twenty Submissions) and then determine the overall best submission that will be the winner(s) of the 4-Koma Manga Competition Winner(s).

 

The winner(s) will be announced during the award ceremony at the AnimeGO! Japan Pop Culture Festival 2024. The top twenty submissions and the ultimate winner(s) will be decided based on judging criteria determined by the panel.

The panel will be asked to consider the use of the cultural theme and the following categories: Originality, Storytelling, Character Design, Manga Artistic Ability and Style.

 

If there is no evidence of the cultural reference, then the manga will be disqualified.

The panel’s decision will be final and no communications in relation to their decision will be allowed.

The top twenty submissions will be on display during the AnimeGO! Japan Pop Culture Festival 2024 or an alternative date specified by JAFA. The creators of these submissions will be notified of their selection within 12 days of the panel’s decision. 

 

The top twenty submissions upon selection may be placed into a people’s choice competition which will be conducted and announced during or after the AnimeGO! Japan Pop Culture Festival.

 

For full list of judging critierial, refer to the 4-Koma Manga Competition Terms and Conditions.

 

2024 Judges

David Blaiklock

David Blaiklock is the Director of the Bachelor of Design (Illustration and Animation) program at the University of South Australia, Creative Unit. He is an internationally recognized Illustration teacher/practitioner, his research centers on the nature of Illustration professional expertise in relation to practice, education, and storytelling.

Ari Chand

Ari Chand is an Illustrator and Designer, and Lecturer and Researcher in Illustration and Animation at the University of South Australia. Ari’s work blends traditional techniques with digital tools, creating rich immersive illustrations. Ari is also a dedicated educator, sharing his expertise through teaching. His passion for illustration, art history, storytelling and visual communication have established him as an emerging figure in the illustration community. 

Ethan Harris

Ethan is an Australian illustrator and comic creator. He has a passion for creating diverse sci-fi/fantasy narratives and bringing them to life through his illustrations and comics.
He has studied a bachelor of Design, Illustration & Animation and a bachelor of Creative Arts (Honours) at the University of South Australia. He now tutors illustration and character model making at the university.
Ethan is a co-founder of the Illustration & Animation community Squish Squash, an Australian community connecting emerging creatives, active professionals and industry sectors. Details can be found here: Squish Squash.

Jo Mignone

Jo Mignone is a recognised and awarded illustrator, artist and academic with over 25 years of practice. Jo’s creative practice has been awarded, including as an international finalist by the Mumedi Museum of Design, and three-time international finalist for the Lethbridge Small Scale Art Award, as well as having her creative work displayed in galleries locally and internationally. She has also been recognised for her academic excellence in her field of illustration and drawing as a Fellow by Advance HE and Jo’s current academic research work explores how neurodivergent comic artists may be better supported throughout the creative and publishing process.

James Calvert

James is an educator, researcher and internationally recognised VR director, animated film maker and game designer. With over 20 years’ experience creating engaging content for all screen types, he has an enduring passion for immersive storytelling. James is currently a senior animation lecturer at the University of South Australia. Prior to joining academia, James was a founder and director at the People’s Republic of Animation, where he directed short films and projects for international clients. He is also a video game designer with two successful mobile games released on the app market.

Judging Panel

David Blaiklock

Program Director of the Bachelor of Design (Illustration and Animation) program at the University of South Australia, School of Art, Architecture and Design.

David is a recognized Illustration teacher and practitioner with a Distinguished Teaching Award from the Australian Council of University Art and Design Schools (ACAUDS) and Australian Office for Learning and Teaching.  

His practice is internationally recognized through invited representation at International Design Awards and exhibitions, including, 100 Typographic Posters, International Invitational Exhibition, China (2013) Graphic Advocacy: International Posters for a Digital World (2012), Hong Kong International Poster Triennial (2010), awarded Gold and Bronze. David’s academic research centers around the nature of Illustration expertise, education and professional practice.

Agnieszka Woznicka

Agnieszka Woznicka

Agnieszka Woznicka is an independent animator, visual artist and educator who works across animation, film, drawing and fiber art. In her work she examines the physical and metaphorical dimensions of materials and explores the mysteries of the natural world and human existence. 

Her films have been shown and recognized at numerous international film and animation festivals and curated programs, including screenings at MoMA New York in 2003, the Pompidou Center in Paris in 2004 and the Institute of Contemporary Arts in Boston in 2007 and 2010. 

Agnieszka was Associate Professor at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in USA from 2000-2019. She currently teaches part-time in the Illustration/Animation Program at the University of South Australia and works from her studio in Adelaide Hills. 

Matthew Wills

Matthew Wills

Creator of Sword Comics.

Let’s Qwest! Game tester, cartoonist and creator of the world of Swords Comic and the ‘the most wholesome thing on the internet’ (BBC 23/10/2020). Matthew Wills is a New Zealand artist who through years of dedication and developing the craft has formed characters and a world beloved by thousands across the world. Soon Sword Comics will be joined by the approaching Swords Game, allowing you to play as some of your favourite characters in distinct stories. 

Check him out here at: www.swordscomic.com 

Ana María Méndez Salgado

Ana María Méndez Salgado

Ana is a visual storyteller passionate about designing stories, characters and worlds for animation, illustration and comics. She finds inspiration in the metaphors and poetry inhabiting film, picture books and sequential narrative, as well as in children’s conversations, Nature, traditional folk tales and old cities. Originally from Bogotá, she currently lives in Adelaide where she works as an animation production designer, freelance illustrator, comic artist/author and University lecturer.

David Blaiklock

Program Director of the Bachelor of Design (Illustration and Animation) program at the University of South Australia, School of Art, Architecture and Design.

David is a recognized Illustration teacher and practitioner with a Distinguished Teaching Award from the Australian Council of University Art and Design Schools (ACAUDS) and Australian Office for Learning and Teaching.  

His practice is internationally recognized through invited representation at International Design Awards and exhibitions, including, 100 Typographic Posters, International Invitational Exhibition, China (2013) Graphic Advocacy: International Posters for a Digital World (2012), Hong Kong International Poster Triennial (2010), awarded Gold and Bronze. David’s academic research centers around the nature of Illustration expertise, education and professional practice.

Nicholas Godfrey

Lecturer (Scholarly Fellow Academic) in Screen and Media at Flinders University.

Nicholas is the author of The Limits of Auteurism: Case Studies in the Critically Constructed New Hollywood (Rutgers University Press, 2018).

His research and teaching interests include Hollywood cinema, film aesthetics, the history of film distribution, Australian national cinema and Asian cinema.

Nicholas has taught media studies at Flinders University, the University of Adelaide and the Chinese University of Hong Kong School of Continuing and Professional Studies. He is a contributor to Metro and Senses of Cinema, and has been involved with curating films for the Adelaide Film Festival and the Mercury Cinema.

He has also been a judge for the South Australian Screen Awards and the Australian Teachers of Media Awards.

Dr Aaron Humphrey

Lecturer in Media and Digital Humanities School of Humanities at the The University of Adelaide.

Dr Aaron Humphry’s research combines critical analysis with creative practice to investigate the relationships between images and texts, and between media and society.

 

His academic writing has been published in the International Journal of Cultural Studies, Media International Australia, Composition Studies, Digital Humanities Quarterly, The Comics Grid and The Conversation. As a cartoonist, his comics are currently used in digital rhetoric courses and for postgraduate medical education. As a filmmaker, his short films have screened in festivals in Australasia and North America.

Kirabunni

Professional Illustrator and Artist – Instagram & Twitter @kirabunni

Kira is a professional illustrator based in Sydney. They have traveled around Australia to different anime conventions selling their artwork.

 

Kira has worked on many projects, ranging from event illustrations for SMASH!, campaigns with AnimeLab and Hasbro, to a personal kickstarter, all while working on commissions in their own time.

Submission Criteria

  1. The manga must refer to the cultural theme 「義理・人情」[giri / ninjyou] –  referring to one’s duty to one’s social obligations (giri), and one’s personal desires, feelings and nature (ninjyou), and must be referenced visibly in the 4-koma manga.
  2. The manga must be of a single page traditional Yonkoma (four panel).
  3. The manga must be made specifically for the purpose of the AnimeGO! Japan Pop Culture Festival 2024.
  4. The manga must be written in English.
  5. The entry can be in either colour or black and white.
  6. The AnimeGO! Japan Pop Culture Festival 2024 must be the first public displaying of the manga.
  7. The manga and stories must be of original work. No copyright or fandom material allowed.
  8. The manga must not contain explicit or inappropriate material.
  9. The manga must comply with the technical specifications provided in the competition terms and conditions.
  10. Submission must be completed either online (pdf format) through an application form or be sent and received to a nominated PO Box, before the deadline at 11:59pm (Australian Central Standard Time) on September 22nd 2024.

Register Now

  1. Click and read the “Terms and conditions”.
  2. Click the “Register” button, read and fill out the registration form carefully.
  3. Once this process has been completed, a confirmation email will be sent including your SUBMISSION ID for this year’s submission required for manga application. RETAIN YOUR SUBMISSION ID.
  4. Registrants will also receive instructions on how to upload or send their manga entries via email before the submission deadline. Please ensure you follow these instructions as failure to submit the entry correctly may result in disqualification.
  5. Ensure the manga meets all the specifications outlined in the competition terms and conditions.
  6. The manga must be uploaded or sent with a name containing the submission ID and the name of the manga as written on the submission form in the following format [SUBID###-NAMEOFMANGA].
  7. Successful submissions will receive a confirmation email within 72 hours from the Japan Australian Friendship Association (JAFA).

Previous Finalists

4-Koma Manga Competition 2022

The theme for 2022 was 「先⽣」” Sensei”, the Japanese term for teacher, and also used with professions like lawyer and doctors. Following on from 「先輩・後輩」 SENPAI/KOUHAI theme from the 2021 4-Koma Manga Competition, this theme tackled the important relationship that mentors, teachers, and knowledgeable people that guide and nurture have with those in Japan.

Winner

‘Slimy Business’

by Ashley Kobayashi

Runner-Up

‘Any Fin is Possible’

by Gemma Mason

Runner-Up

‘Meditation Class’

by Myka Staude

4-Koma Manga Competition 2021

The 2021 theme was「先輩・後輩」”SENPAI / KOUHAI”,  which is used to refer to senior/junior members of work places, schools, clubs and the relationship or bonds between these two. 2021 proved to be a tough year for everyone across the world, and the importance of bonds and

connections with people are part of essence of AnimeGO! Japan Pop Culture Festival.

Winner

‘The Unexpected Junior’

by Chi Ta

Runner-Up

‘Letters Across Boundaries’

by Mey Wong

Runner-Up

‘Sketchy Impressions’

by Alex Lam

4-Koma Manga Competition 2020

The 2020 theme was「頑張る」”GANBARU”,  which means to do one’s best in any given situation. With 2020 being a year of global hardship, we would like to spread this ideology from Japan to help strengthen the hearts of people.

Winner

‘Ganbaru’

by Declan Luke and Isabelle Seretis

Runner-Up

‘Hungry Cat’

by Shae Mellors

Runner-Up

‘Be your best self!’

by Yi-Ting Feng

4-Koma Manga Competition 2019

The 2019 theme was Hachiko. Based on a true story, Hachiko is a dog who is well known for his loyalty to his owner. Hachiko was adopted as a puppy and loved picking up his owner at the train station every afternoon when the owner returned from work. Hachiko and his owner were the best of friends. However, one sad day, his owner passed away at work. Hachiko, unaware of his owner’s death, continues to return to the station every day in hope that one day, his owner would return. Hachiko faithfully kept waiting for his owner for the next 10 years until he finally passed away. Hachiko’s faithfulness over those 10 years has moved many passers-by at the station and eventually became a national icon that symbolises loyalty, love and devotion.

Winner

‘Different Yet The Same’

by Stella Arhontoulis

Runner-Up

‘One Encounter One Chance’

by DuDu Sunny

Runner-Up

‘Good Boy Training’

by Alicia Kidd

Thanks to our Supporters

Manga Arts