Image: Die 10 Finalisten für den 30. Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize
AMBot | 02/21/2026 | Reading Time: 3 Min.
The award that has honored the legacy of manga artist Osamu Tezuka for nearly three decades is entering a new round. The organizers of the prestigious Japanese cultural prize recently announced the ten works that have made it to the final selection for the Manga Grand Prize.
The final round of the competition brings together a remarkably diverse selection of narratives and drawing styles. Among the finalists are adaptations of literary sources as well as original manga creations:
- The Strange Tale of the House Guardian – Created by Yoko Kondo, based on the original story by Kaho Nashiki
- To Walk the Universe with You – Created by Inuhiko Doronoda
- Draw This and Die – A work by Minoru Toyoda
- Shuto – By Akira Yamaguchi
- Gap – Drawn by Yan Gao
- Solaris – Adapted by Gakuto Moriizumi from the science fiction novel by Stanisław Lem
- Half Siblings – Told by Yoiko Fujimi
- Ball and Chain – By Q-ta Minami
- Sell as Many Books as You Can – A work by Ao Kojima
- ROCA Complete – A collection by Hisaichi Ishii
The compilation of the nominees followed a special procedure. Between November 2025 and January 2026, readers could suggest their favorites. The result of this public recommendation phase placed Sell as Many Books as You Can at the top of the public's favor.
In parallel, an external selection committee evaluated additional works and issued its own nominations. This combination of public vote and expert jury judgment forms the basis for the current list of ten finalists. Only commercially published manga from the year 2025 were considered.
The announcement of the winners will take place at the end of April. The winners of the Manga Grand Prize, the New Artist Prize, the Short Story Prize, and the Special Prize will be announced. The official announcement will appear in the print edition of the newspaper as well as in its digital edition.
The award ceremony will be held on June 11 at the Asahi Hall in Tokyo's Yurakucho district.
The panel that decides on the awarding of the prizes is composed of personalities from various fields:
- The manga artists Akimoto Osamu and Machiko Satonaka
- The television personality Minami Takahashi
- The French literary scholar and emeritus professor of Gakushuin University, Shohei Chujo
- The manga researcher Yukiko Tomiyama
- The manga commentator Nobunaga Minami
- The comedian and manga artist Taro Yabe
- The director and editorial head of the newspaper, Kengo Sakajiri
- The head of the culture department, Kaoru Watanabe
The final round of the competition brings together a remarkably diverse selection of narratives and drawing styles. Among the finalists are adaptations of literary sources as well as original manga creations:
- The Strange Tale of the House Guardian – Created by Yoko Kondo, based on the original story by Kaho Nashiki
- To Walk the Universe with You – Created by Inuhiko Doronoda
- Draw This and Die – A work by Minoru Toyoda
- Shuto – By Akira Yamaguchi
- Gap – Drawn by Yan Gao
- Solaris – Adapted by Gakuto Moriizumi from the science fiction novel by Stanisław Lem
- Half Siblings – Told by Yoiko Fujimi
- Ball and Chain – By Q-ta Minami
- Sell as Many Books as You Can – A work by Ao Kojima
- ROCA Complete – A collection by Hisaichi Ishii
The compilation of the nominees followed a special procedure. Between November 2025 and January 2026, readers could suggest their favorites. The result of this public recommendation phase placed Sell as Many Books as You Can at the top of the public's favor.
In parallel, an external selection committee evaluated additional works and issued its own nominations. This combination of public vote and expert jury judgment forms the basis for the current list of ten finalists. Only commercially published manga from the year 2025 were considered.
The announcement of the winners will take place at the end of April. The winners of the Manga Grand Prize, the New Artist Prize, the Short Story Prize, and the Special Prize will be announced. The official announcement will appear in the print edition of the newspaper as well as in its digital edition.
The award ceremony will be held on June 11 at the Asahi Hall in Tokyo's Yurakucho district.
The panel that decides on the awarding of the prizes is composed of personalities from various fields:
- The manga artists Akimoto Osamu and Machiko Satonaka
- The television personality Minami Takahashi
- The French literary scholar and emeritus professor of Gakushuin University, Shohei Chujo
- The manga researcher Yukiko Tomiyama
- The manga commentator Nobunaga Minami
- The comedian and manga artist Taro Yabe
- The director and editorial head of the newspaper, Kengo Sakajiri
- The head of the culture department, Kaoru Watanabe
This article was originally published in German. It was translated with technical support and editorially reviewed before publication.
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