The eight nominees of the coveted 15th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize has just been announced on the newspaper, Asahi Shimbun! The awards commemorate the contributions of the God of Manga, Osamu Tezuka (Astro Boy [pictured], Kimba the White Lion, Phoenix, Black Jack) by recognizing the manga that best follow his tradition. Past winners of this award include: Doraemon (1997), Vagabond (2002), Moyashimon (2008) and Ooku (2009).
This year's nominating committee, which includes renowned manga-ka Go Nagai (Mazinger Z, Devilman), manga-ka Keiko Takemiya (Toward the Terra), novelist Shion Miura, essayists, and university professors selected from among the works that were published from January to December of 2010.
The winner will be awarded 2 million yen (about US$24,000) Manga Grand Prize along with a statuette of Tezuka's Mighty Atom character (pictured on the left). In addition, 1 million yen (US$12,000) goes to each of the winners of the New Artist Prize, Short Work Prize, and the Special Prize every year.
The winners will be announced in the middle of April, and the actual awards presentation ceremony will take place on May 27.
The list of nominees are as follows, on the top are: Chūshun Komawari-kun by Tatsuhiko Yamagami, Fantasium by Ami Sugimoto, Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa and Jin by Motoka Murakami.
The nominees on the bottom are: Ōma ga Hashi by Yōko Kondō, Shigurui by Takayuki Yamaguchi and originally created by Norio Nanjo, Tentai Senshi Sunred by Makoto Kubota and Takemitsuzamurai with Story by Issei Eifuku and Art by Taiyo Matsumoto.
Source: Anime Anime Japan via Anime News Network, tokyohive
The nominees on the bottom are: Ōma ga Hashi by Yōko Kondō, Shigurui by Takayuki Yamaguchi and originally created by Norio Nanjo, Tentai Senshi Sunred by Makoto Kubota and Takemitsuzamurai with Story by Issei Eifuku and Art by Taiyo Matsumoto.
Source: Anime Anime Japan via Anime News Network, tokyohive