Anime NYC and Japan Society Announce Nominees for Third Annual American Manga Awards!
The third annual American Manga Awards (AMAs) nominees were announced today by Anime NYC and Japan Society. The ceremony will be held on August 20, 2026 at the historic Japan Society in New York City. This year’s class features 35 nominees from across the industry, representing major manga publishers including Kodansha, VIZ Media, Square Enix Manga & Books, Yen Press, and more.
Each year, the American Manga Awards are held in conjunction with Anime NYC, the largest Japanese pop culture event on the East Coast. The event draws more than 150,000 fans of anime and manga from across the country and around the world to the Javits Center in midtown Manhattan, running August 20 - 23, 2026.
The American Manga Awards celebrates outstanding achievements in manga (Japanese comics), honoring the creators, publishers, and industry professionals who have significantly advanced manga’s popularity in both North America and Japan. The AMAs recognize exceptional manga stories and the dedicated publishing professionals who bring these works to readers across the US and Canada.
VIZ Media, one of North America's leading publishers and distributors of manga and anime, is the Gold Sponsor of the 2026 American Manga Awards. Home to iconic series such as One Piece, My Hero Academia, and Naruto, VIZ Media’s support underscores its commitment to uplifting the global manga community and celebrating the creators, translators, designers, and publishers. The American Manga Awards is also fortunate to have the support of the Brooklyn Museum, which will host the highly anticipated exhibition,
Art of Manga, opening October 3, 2026, as well as Nakama Press/Mad Cave Studios.
The American Manga Awards Hall of Fame honors Japanese manga creators and publishing professionals who have made significant contributions to the growth and popularity of manga in America. The 2026 recipient of the Manga Publishing Hall of Fame Award will be Chigusa Ogino, Advisor and former Executive Director, Board of Directors for Tuttle-Mori Agency, a leading literary agency responsible for licensing Japanese works abroad, including novels, picture books, non-fiction, light novels, and manga.
Ogino played a pivotal role in international manga licensing. In 1991, Japanese publisher Shueisha received faxes in Spanish that they couldn’t figure out. It was an inquiry to publish
Dragon Ball by Akira Toriyama. At the time, most Japanese publishers focused on manga as something mostly for readers in Japan.
Ogino was born in Japan, but grew up in the UK and Germany, so she was well-equipped to help Shueisha bring
Dragon Ball and other beloved manga series to readers around the world. As part of Tuttle-Mori Agency, Ogino built and led their manga licensing division, which is today, responsible for manga translation rights to over 20 countries around the world.
In addition to the Hall of Fame honorees, the nominees for the other awards were selected by subject matter experts in manga, Japanese-to-English translation, lettering, and publication design. Five nominees were selected in each of these six categories:
- Best New Manga
- Best Continuing Manga Series
- Best New Edition of Classic Manga
- Best Translation
- Best Lettering
- Best Publication Design
In this third year, the American Manga Awards received 320 entries from 31 different publishers. Publishers were allowed to submit up to 3 titles per category for consideration, and judges were also able to nominate individual titles that they felt were noteworthy.
“I’m very proud of our judges for picking an exciting mix of manga for this year’s American Manga Awards nominees. From horror to romance, slice-of-life to science fiction, innovative indie comics to fan favorite bestsellers - there is something for almost everyone here,” said American Manga Awards Committee Chair, Deb Aoki.
"The American Manga Awards were built on a simple belief: the professionals shaping manga publishing in North America deserve recognition for the art and expertise they bring to their work every day,” commented Peter Tatara, AMA Committee Member and Director of Film, Culture & Community with Japan Society. “With each passing year, the AMAs grow stronger as a reflection of the incredible talent driving this industry forward. We are proud to honor not just the stories themselves, but the translators, designers, letterers, and publishers whose craft brings manga to life for readers across North America."
The winners will be determined by votes from professionals working in an editorial capacity with North American (US/Canada) manga publishers, who have either registered to vote via the American Manga Awards website or have been invited by the American Manga Awards Planning Committee. Professionals from the US, Canada, Japan, and countries outside of North America are welcome to register to vote. Voting will not be open to the general public.
Voter registration for the
American Manga Awards will open tomorrow, starting June 16, until July 20. All who are involved in manga publishing in Japan, the US, or Canada are welcome to register to vote, with detailed guidelines for eligibility and voting procedures available on
Anime NYC’s website. Approved voters will receive an email with voting instructions shortly after registering.
The nominees for the 2026 American Manga Awards are:
BEST NEW MANGA
Billy Bat Vol. 1, by Naoki Urasawa (Kana / Abrams ComicArts)
Bug Ego Vol. 1, by ONE and Kyoto Shitara (VIZ Media)
The Credits Roll Into the Sea Vol. 1, by John Taranchine (Dark Horse)
The Horrors of Noroi Michiru Vol. 1, by Noroi Michiru (Star Fruit Books and Glacier Bay Books)
Love Bullet Vol. 1, by inee (Yen Press)
BEST CONTINUING SERIES
The Climber Vols. 3 - 6, by Shin’ichi Sakamoto, based on the novel by Jiro Nitta (VIZ Media)
March Comes in Like a Lion Vol. 4, by Chica Umino (Denpa)
Our Not-So-Lonely Planet Travel Guide Vol. 7, by Mone Sorai (TokyoPop)
Search and Destroy Vol. 3, by Atsushi Kaneko (Fantagraphics / MSX)
The Summer Hikaru Died Vol. 6, by mokumokuren (Yen Press)
BEST ONE-SHOT MANGA
Akari by Marco Kohinata (Glacier Bay Books)
Box Garden Beetle by Akino Kondoh (Glacier Bay Books)
cocoon by Machiko Kyo (VIZ Media)
My Life in 24 Frames per Second by Rintaro (Kana / Abrams)
The Strange Tale of Panorama Island by Suehiro Maruo (Last Gasp)
BEST NEW EDITION OF CLASSIC MANGA
Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow Vols. 3-5, by Asao Takamori and Tetsuya Chiba (Kodansha)
The Legend of Kamui Vols. 2 - 3, by Sanpei Shirato (Drawn & Quarterly)
Mushishi Collector’s Edition Vol. 1-2, by Yuki Urushibara (Kodansha)
Stop!! Hibari-kun! Vol. 1, by Hisashi Eguchi (Peow2)
Ultra Heaven Vol. 2, by Keiichi Koike (Last Gasp)
BEST LETTERING
Brendon Hull for
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners MADNESS Vol. 1, by Bartosz Sztybor, Asano (Dark Horse)
Madeleine Jose for
Maid to Skate, by Suzushiro (VIZ Media)
Vadim K. for
Don’t Feed the Trolls, by Karasu Chan (J18 Publishing)
Vladyslav L. for
Sweet and Spicy, by Shimimaru (J18 Publishing)
Vanessa Satone for
One Piece Vol. 112, by Eiichiro Oda (VIZ Media)
BEST TRANSLATION
Jan Mitsuko Cash for
Magica, Vol. 1, by Yuzuko Hoshimi (Kodama Tales)
Alexa Frank for
Miss Ruki, by Fumiko Takano (New York Review Books)
Andres Oliver for
Mushishi Collectors Edition Vols. 1-2, by Yuki Urushibara (Kodansha)
Kiki Piatkowska for
A Starlit Darkness, Vol. 1, by Yuu Toyota (Square Enix Manga & Books)
Asa Yoneda for
Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow Vols. 3-5, by Asao Takamori, Tetsuya Chiba (Kodansha)
BEST PUBLICATION DESIGN
Wendy Chan for
Fruits Basket: The Complete Box Set, by Natsuki Takaya (Yen Press)
chichols for
Magica, Vol. 1, by Yuzuko Hoshimi (Kodama Tales)
Ti Collier for
A Cat is a Cat in Any Life, by Ema Tohyama (Square Enix Manga & Books)
Patrick Crotty for
Stop!! Hibari-kun! Vol. 1, by Hisashi Eguchi (Peow2)
emuh ruh for
Baku-chan, by Masumura Jushichi (Glacier Bay Books)
For more information about the American Manga Awards and to stay updated on the latest announcements, please visit
www.animenyc.com/americanmangaawards/ and follow Anime NYC and Japan Society on social media.
In addition to the American Manga Awards, returning this year to Anime NYC is the highly anticipated Educator & Librarian Friday Programming Track. Qualifying educators and librarians can apply for a Free Friday Professional badge in order to attend this curated track of educational programming as well as networking events. Professionals can also earn CTLE credits for attending select panels. Find out more at
https://animenyc.com/librarians/.
New for 2026, Anime NYC will officially be hosting the Anime NYC & X Tracks Licensing Summit. The summit, taking place on Thursday, August 20, 2026, during Anime NYC, is the first executive forum dedicated to the business of anime, manga, gaming, and Asian pop culture licensing. With the goal of providing a focused business environment where the companies shaping this market come together to share insight, strategy, and partnerships, the summit will be open to trade professionals only. To see more info about the summit and to apply to go, please visit:
https://animenyc.com/licensing/.
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