Submission Details

To qualify for the Rising Stars of Manga competition, all entries must meet the following specifications. Note: this is not a replacement of the Official Rules. To avoid possible disqualification, please read and abide by the Official Rules.

1.    Each eligible manga submission must be a self-contained story between 15 and 20 pages in length. That’s not to say that the submission can’t be part of a larger arc, but only that the judging panel will consider all submissions as stand-alone narratives and those narratives should not exceed 20 pages.

2.    No manga with blatant or explicit sexual content or grotesque depictions of carnage will be considered. (Though they might be enjoyed privately by a large portion of the TOKYOPOP staff.) This means that the judging panel will disqualify any submissions that contain explicit nudity, disemboweling, decapitations, dismemberment, and gushing streams of blood. Insinuations of sexual situations and slaughter are allowed, however the judges will be extremely critical of gratuitousness.

3.    Only the following genres will be accepted: Action, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Romance & Sci-Fi.  Item two (above) precludes the submission of blatant or explicit sexual content and grotesque horror, but love stories and horror stories are more than welcome if they are driven more by insinuation and less by disturbingly graphic images.

4.    Plagiarized work will be disqualified.

5.    Previously published or publicly displayed work will be disqualified.

6.    The primary language of all work must be English. (Old, middle or modern—your choice.) A synthesis of languages within a manga submission will be accepted as long as an English-speaking reader is able to understand the whole story.

Technical Guidelines for Submissions

1.    All submissions must be received in printed form and via regular mail. While you can download an Entry Form here, we do not accept actual manga submissions in digital formats, such as computer disks, CDs, or email attachments.

2.    We will not accept cover art for the initial submission. We will send winners detailed instructions on any artwork requirements, which may include cover art.

3.    All entrants should be aware that winning submissions may be published in an anthology whose page size will be 5” x 7-7/16“. Submissions must be photocopies sent on 8-1/2” x 11” paper and proportionately scalable to a 5” x 7-7/16” format. Please refer to our Mechanical Specification Guidelines for further help.

4.    The manga must read from left to right, governed by the movement of English language.

5.    Group submissions are OK—who knows, you and your co-creators might be the next CLAMP! However, should a group submission win, all members of the group share the allocated prize equally. And remember: all group members must complete and sign the competition entry form.

6.    Submissions must be in black-and-white; no color, please.

7.    There are no requirements to use particular kinds of paper or special writing instruments.

8.    Our Mechanical Specification Guidelines contain some very useful info on how to deal with trim sizes and bleeds in order to enhance the presentation of your manga pages.

General Contest Details

1.    All winning entries are eligible for publication in the TOKYOPOP Rising Stars of Manga™ 8          anthology presently scheduled for release in July of 2008 and have a chance to pitch a   
        full-length manga story to TOKYOPOP’s top brass.
2.    The Best Action entry will receive a cash prize of $1,000.
3.    The Best Comedy entry will receive a cash prize of $1,000.
4.    The Best Drama entry will receive a cash prize of $1,000.
5.    The Best Fantasy entry will receive a cash prize of $1,000.
6.    The Best Horror entry will receive a cash prize of $1,000.
7.    The Best Mystery entry will receive a cash prize of $1,000.
8.    The Best Romance entry will receive a cash prize of $1,000.
9.    The Best Sci-Fi entry will receive a cash prize of $1,000.
10.    The Online People’s Choice winner will receive a cash prize of $500.
11.    Submissions will be accepted from June 15, 2007 through  January 11, 2008.
12.    Although we would love the case to be otherwise, our editorial panel is simply unable to
         provide individual feedback—in the form of constructive criticism or suggestions—to  
         every  work.
13.    Please mail all submissions to TOKYOPOP at:

TOKYOPOP Inc.
Rising Stars of Manga 8
5900 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 2000
Los Angeles, CA  90036

14.    Along with his/her manga, each entrant—or each group—must fill out an Entry Form. This form requires information about the creator(s) and his/her/their manga submission, and also contains a statement of agreement to the Official Rules and other legal releases. Group entrants only need to submit one Entry Form, but each member of the group must complete and sign the Form. If there are more than four members of a group, just add more copies of the Form, but please staple them together and write ADDITIONAL PAGE on the extra page.

15.    TOKYOPOP will not return any submissions. However, one of the factors the judges will take into consideration is the quality of the images. So, please send us the most legible photocopy of your work that you can produce. Do not send originals. No submission will be returned.

16.    We require a title page that contains the title of the work and the name(s) of all creator(s) printed clearly. A “creator” is any writer, artist, editor, penciler, inker, or toner who has contributed to the submission. The title page must also include the number of pages in the submission. Do not submit a cover for your manga unless TOKYOPOP contacts you with a specific request for a cover.

17.    Entrants are also required to write the following information on the front of EACH of their manga pages:

Their name, or names (in the case of a group submission), phone number(s), and title of the manga

18.    All entries must be single-sided only; there should NOT be manga art on both the front and back of any piece of paper.

19.    So, to be valid, each submission must include:

-Completed and signed entry form
-15-20 pages of manga, no more and no less
-8-½” x 11” photocopies -- do not send originals
-Name(s), phone number(s) and title printed on the front of every page
-Title page that includes name(s) of creator(s), title of work, total number pages
-A postmark on or before  January 11, 2008
-Pages affixed by paper clip -- no staples