Award-Winning Works Selected from 1,126 Global Entries; Winners Announced for 'Wordless World Manga Contest'

KADOKAWA CORPORATION (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President and Member of the Board: Takeshi Natsuno; hereinafter "KADOKAWA") has announced the winning w orks of its global manga competition, the Wordless World Manga Contest, on April 3 0, 2025.

This was the very first edition of the contest, and it received an overwhel ming response from around the globe—a total of 1,126 entries from creators across 104 countries and regions. We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to everyo ne who submitted their passionate and inspiring works.

After careful judging, eight outstanding works were selected as winners: In the Original Manga Award, 1 Gold Prize, 2 Silver Prizes, and 4 Bronze Prizes were awarded. In the Themed Manga Award, 1 Bronze Prize was selected.

All of the winning works are now available via our website. Please take a m oment to enjoy these gems of visual storytelling from across the world—tales that transcend the boundaries of language.

▼ Official Website for “Wordless World Manga Contest"
English: https://wordlessmanga.com/eng.html
Japanese: https://wordlessmanga.com/

■ List of Award-Winning Works – Wordless World Manga Contest

[Original Manga Award]
■ Gold Prize
“My Hope In Bloom”
by cocosm / Canada

[Comment from the Winner] We feel so fortunate to have been able to participate in this contest alongside so many talented creators. Working on our entry was such a joyful experience for us a nd we are beyond honoured to receive this award. The KADOKAWA Wordless World Manga Contest allowed us to truly challenge ourselves and we are so grateful to have bee n a part of it.

We're an artist-writer duo who grew up reading manga and we've been drawn to it ever since. Our connection was built on a love for storytelling and art, and nothi ng fulfills us more than creating together. We're excited to continue learning as we explore our next story.

Thank you so much for reading My Hope In Bloom.

[ Read here: https://comic-walker.com/detail/KC_006576_S ]

■ Silver Prize
“Heartsteel”
by masterlynx / India

[Comment from the Winner]
I am truly honored to receive the Silver Prize for my work Heartsteel.

I discovered the contest in February and began working on it the very next day. It was a challenging but rewarding experience!! I poured my heart into every page. Th e first few days were intense, and though I struggled in the beginning, I found gr eat joy especially in creating the action scenes.
I genuinely didn't expect to win, so receiving the email was both overwhelming an d unforgettable. I deeply admire the judges and their work, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to have my manga read and recognized by them.

This award means a great deal to me, and I look forward to continuing to grow as a n artist and storyteller.

[ Read here: https://comic-walker.com/detail/KC_006577_S ]

■ Silver Prize
“Dungeon Duo”
by REKU / United States

[Comment from the Winner]
I would like to thank Kadokawa for having this contest and other manga publishers for contests like it, they provide so much potential for artists all over the worl d to participate in an industry they cherish. I for one, cherish manga dearly and cannot begin to express how much this award means to me.

I was initially worried about the length of my entry because I unfortunately only discovered the contest 3 weeks before the deadline, which forced me to cut some id eas that I'd hoped to include. But sometimes creativity thrives under pressure and ultimately, I am very proud of this work.

I hope to do more with Kadokawa and thank them for this opportunity!

[ Read here: https://comic-walker.com/detail/KC_006578_S ]

■ Bronze Prize
“Mother”
by Lizard B.Rain / Taiwan

[Comment from the Winner]
“Mother” is the story of a big, jellyfish-like machine and how it was affected b y a gruesome tragedy. I came up with this short story a few years ago when I had n either the writing ability nor the drawing skills to tell it well. The Wordless Wo rld Manga Contest offered the perfect opportunity to brush off the dust from this idea and give it another go.

It was a fun challenge trying to convey the emotions of something that cannot emot e as a human can, and the restriction on exposition and dialogue really suited the tone of the story.

In these deathly quiet halls, actions of the past and present echo endlessly on.

I am grateful that “Mother” was picked as a winner in this contest, and I hope it brings some enjoyment to whoever chances upon it.

[ Read here: https://comic-walker.com/detail/KC_006579_S ]

■ Bronze Prize
“Pierrot inside me”
by Marika Mangaka DZ / Algeria

[Comment from the Winner]
This is something I created a while ago, when manga was my main focus. At its cent er is a joyful, colourful presence—but beneath the smile is Pierrot, the sorrowful reflection in the mirror. Sometimes, those who offer joy are the ones who quietly lack it most.

Revisiting it, I found that some moments still lingered—like petals drifting from where he had left his heart, as if waiting for him to return. Looking at this piec e again felt much the same; I didn't enter with expectations, just a wish to brin g it back into the light. I wasn't sure how it would be received, but I'm gratef ul it was recognised. Thank you for giving it a quiet place to return to.

[ Read here: https://comic-walker.com/detail/KC_006580_S ]

■ Bronze Prize
“Hear No Evil”
by Sodafungi / Indonesia

[Comment from the Winner]
Hi everyone, Sodafungi here! To begin with, I would like to thank Kadokawa for org anising this competition and I am honored to have received this award.

What had initially stemmed from curiosity and fun turned into a 3-month race again st time, with many sleepless nights and hectic working days. Nonetheless, I hope r eaders would enjoy reading “Hear no Evil” as much as I did enjoy producing it. Finally, I would like to thank my friends and colleagues for their unwavering supp ort, as well as my 5 year old ipad for withstanding this arduous project.

I await with ultimate excitement the outcome and growth my art journey promises, a nd I look forward to collaborating with Kadokawa in the future!

[ Read here: https://comic-walker.com/detail/KC_006581_S ]

■ Bronze Prize
“No Rain, No Rainbow” (Original title: 雨の日も好きになるように)
by Shizu (静) / Taiwan

[Comment from the Winner] *Translated by the contest office
I'm so happy that my work has been recognized!

I put a lot of care into drawing the rain scenes, aiming to create visuals that wo uld let the characters laugh and dance even in the rain.
Rain often makes us feel down or irritated, but if, in those moments, someone happ ens to recall a rainy scene from this manga and it helps ease their mood even just a little, that would mean the world to me.

[ Read here: https://comic-walker.com/detail/KC_006582_S ]

[Themed Manga Award]
No entries were selected for the Gold or Silver Prizes in the Themed Manga Award.

■ Bronze Prize
“The Don's Final Quest”
by Mari Kosaki

[Comment from the Winner]
In the early stages of brainstorming this manga, I wasn't sure what it might expr ess, but it slowly took shape: two lives, generations apart, connecting through a tale they both loved. Unintentionally, they created a version of it together—a jou rney they had always longed for. I wanted to explore how stories connect people be yond words, across time, age, and distance.

After years of collaborative work across different art mediums, this was a quiet r eturn to solo manga creation. It reminded me how demanding it is to handle everyth ing alone, though looking back, it makes me smile. I'm truly grateful for this re cognition—for noticing this piece, and what its silence holds.

[ Read here: https://comic-walker.com/detail/KC_006583_S ]

*Listed in order of submissions for ties.

*On the official website, you can also find comments from supporters and editorial teams for each award-winning work.
In addition, we have listed the titles of the finalist works that narrowly missed receiving an award.

*The schedule for the next manga contest has not been decided yet. Once it is confirmed, we will announce it on the official website.

■ Overview of KADOKAWA CORPORATION

KADOKAWA CORPORATION develops a wide range of entertainment including publi shing, videos, games, Web services, education, merchandising, actual events, and b usiness for inbound customers. By advancing digital transformation with our new em ployee working style Activity Based Working (ABW), KADOKAWA CORPORATION implements a global media mix strategy, focusing on stable Intellectual Property (IP) creatio n and delivering it to the world in a variety of forms.