The 30th Osamu Tezuka Cultural Award Winners
The winners of the 30th Osamu Tezuka Cultural Award sponsored by Asahi Shimbun have been announced, and the Manga Award, which is given to the most outstanding work throughout the year, has been decided to go to Sei Kojima's 'If it's a book, it'll sell.'
'The more I sell books' is a story about how a variety of customers visit Togatsudo, a used bookstore run by a young man, and how books connect people. It has been serialized in KADOKAWA since September 2023, and three volumes have been published. It has also been selected as the Grand Prize of the 'Manga Awards 2026' and the 1st place for men in 'This Manga is Amazing! 2026'.
The Shinsei Award and Other Winners
The Shinsei Award, which is given to an author with innovative expressions and groundbreaking themes, goes to Saito Mado for 'Dissecting a Monster,' a story about a monster scientist who conducts an autopsy on the corpse of a gigantic monster. Saito was praised for his high level of skill in balancing entertainment and sociability in an outstanding setting. The short story award, which is given to works and authors who have achieved outstanding results in short stories, four-panel frames, one-panel frames, etc., was awarded to Kawajiro for 'A New Friend: Kawajiro Short Stories', which depicts the thoughts that come across in everyday life. The special award, which is given to individuals and organizations that have contributed to the development of manga culture, went to Kazuyoshi Takeda for 'Peleliu: Guernica in Paradise', a story about young people who lived on Peleliu Island at the end of the Pacific War in 1944. Both the original manga and the movie version are being praised for the new frontier in expressing war, and for the powerful message of anti-war peace they sent out in 2018, 80 years after the end of the war.
Presentation Ceremony and Talk Event
The presentation ceremony will be held on June 11th at Yurakucho Asahi Hall in Tokyo. After the presentation ceremony, a talk event will be held where Tezuka's eldest daughter Rumiko Tezuka, selection committee members Yukiko Tomiyama, Taro Yabe, Chu Galitto and Yoshinari Fukushima will discuss the charms of Osamu Tezuka. 350 general participants were invited to the ceremony free of charge. Visitors will receive a commemorative booklet containing original drawings and messages from the winners, as well as reviews from the selection committee, as well as an original commemorative pin badge. The application deadline is May 15th.
