The results of the Manga Jiman 2011 Competition were announced at a reception held at the Embassy of Japan on 3 February. The major manga-writing competition, now in its fifth year, continues to gain in popularity, and the high quality of entrants this year made the process of selecting a winner a difficult one for the judges.
The first prize was awarded to Elena Vitagliano, with her entry ¡ÆThe Deep Needs Train¡Ç. Of Ms Vitagliano¡Çs work, judge Kiriko Kubo said ¡ÈIt is not easy to make manga within eight pages. It needs certain technique to do that. People feel they can make a better story if they have more pages. But the artist of 'The Deep Needs Train' can make drama on a limited number of pages very well. The contents are very rich. It has a good narrative structure and combines nicely with the drawing. Each frame tells a lot. You feel you¡Çve read many more pages than the actual number.¡É
First prize winner, Elena Vitagliano
Lorenzo Fruzza received the second prize for his entry ¡ÆHeart's Orbit¡Ç while ¡ÆShear Brilliance¡Ç by Dean McKnight and Jade Sarson was placed third. Megan Wheeler won the prize for the most impressive Manga by an entrant aged between fourteen and sixteen for ¡ÆA Harvest Love¡Ç.
Competition judge Ilya, manga creator, tutor and editor, commented, ¡ÈI think this year the overall level of talent and execution was an improvement in general standards. This by itself is encouraging.¡É
Paul Gravett, also on the panel of judges, added, ¡ÈEntrants were generally more ambitious in their stories and more polished in their narrative techniques. Everyone shortlisted for this year's competition should be proud of their achievement and encouraged to pursue their passion for making their own kind of manga."
Second prize winner, Lorenzo Fruzza
Third prize winners, Jade Sarson and Dean McKnight
Manga Jiman 2011 Competition Results
Position
Name
Title of Artwork
1st
Miss Elena Vitagliano
"The Deep Needs Train"
2nd
Mr Lorenzo Fruzza
"Heart's Orbit"
3rd
Mr Dean McKnight & Miss Jade Sarson
"Shear Brilliance"
4th
Miss Vivian Truong
"Moving On"
5th
Mr Byron Reynolds
"Crash Course"
6th
Miss Gillian Sein Ying Ha
"To The Girl With The Butterfly Ears"
7th
Ms Anya Zhuravskaya
"Storyteller Sisters"
8th
Miss Ami Clark
"The Flower That Held Its Breath"
9th
Miss Rebecca Burgess
"Letters From England"
10th
Miss Sarah Burgess
"The Man and his Shadow"
Special Prize for most
impressive Manga by
entrant aged 14-16:
Miss Megan Wheeler
"A Harvest Love"
Manga Jiman 2011 Exhibition:6 - 28 February 2012
The Embassy of Japan
101-104 Piccadilly, London W1J 7JT
Open weekdays 09:30 - 17:30, closed weekends Admission is free, but photo ID is necessary to gain entry to the Embassy.
