If you’re looking for summer reading, the American Manga Awards are back for 2026 with the third year’s batch of nominated high-flyers. Decided via manga industry professional ballot, the winners will be declared at a special ceremony August 20 at the Japan Society, New York City – coinciding with Anime NYC (August 20-23). Registration and voting is now open, with a deadline set for July 20.
This year saw 320 entries from 31 different publishers (with a limit of three titles per category), with judges also able to nominate titles for consideration.
Deb Aoki, Committee Chair of the American Manga Awards said,
“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.”
Committee member and Japan Society’s Director of Film, Culture & Community, Peter Tatara said:
“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.”
He added:
“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.”
This year’s nominees once more come from a solid mix of publishers, big and small. Alongside work from the most recognisable commercial names in the business (Viz, Kodansha, Yen Press), there are books from DENPA, Glacier Bay, Peow2, Last Gasp, and more; plus manga titles from generalist or boutique comics/graphic novel publishers such as Abrams ComicArts (via their Kana imprint), Drawn & Quarterly, Dark Horse, New York Review Comics and Fantagraphics.
2026’s judges in the main manga categories are manga specialist, writer and curator Frederico Anzalone; archivist, comics critic, and zinemaker Helen Chazan; manga artist, illustrator and content creator Gigi Murakami; content creator and graphic designer Dani Kingston; rounded off by journalist and Global Editior in Chief of Crunchyroll News Kyle Cardine.
Judges for the specialist categories were scholar Andrea Horbinski and Museum of Art (MOA) deputy director Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere on Translation; veteran industry letterers Taylor Esposito and Pat Brosseau on Lettering; with Skybound Entertainment’s Creative Director, Editorial Andres Juarez, and lucky risograph co-founder Amanda Chung overseeing Design.
The 2026 inductee into the American Manga Awards’ Manga Publishing Hall of Fame will be advisor and former executive director of the Tuttle-Mori Agency, Chigusa Ogino. Since the 1990s, Ogino has played a pivotal role in international licensing rights for manga, fleshing out the Japanese literary agency’s manga division which today facilitates local language edtions of manga for publishers across twenty territories – not least in North America.
BEST NEW MANGA
- Billy Bat Vol. 1, by Naoki Urasawa & Takashi Nagasaki; translation by Kristi Iwashiro (Kana/Abrams ComicArts)
- Bug Ego Vol. 1, by ONE & Kiyoto Shitara; translation by Jan Mitsuko Cash (Viz)
- The Credits Roll Into the Sea Vol. 1, by John Tarachine; translation by Jocelyne Allen (Dark Horse)
- The Horrors of Noroi Michiru Vol. 1, by Noroi Michiru; translation by Dan Luffey (Star Fruit Books + Glacier Bay Books)
- Love Bullet Vol. 1, by inee; translation by M Fukushima (Yen Press)
BEST CONTINUING MANGA SERIES
- The Climber Vols. 3 – 6, by Shin’ichi Sakamoto, based on the 1973 novels by Jiro Nitta; translation by John Werry (Viz)
- March Comes in Like a Lion Vol. 4, by Chica Umino; translation by Jocelyne Allen (DENPA)
- Our Not-So-Lonely Planet Travel Guide Vol. 7, by Mone Sorai; translation by Katie Kimura (TokyoPop)
- Search and Destroy Vol. 3, by Atsushi Kaneko, based on Osamu Tezuka‘s Dororo; translation by Ben Applegate (Fantagraphics/Mangasplaining Extra)
- The Summer Hikaru Died Vol. 6, by mokumokuren; translation by Ajani Oloye (Yen Press)
BEST ONE-SHOT MANGA
- Akari, by Marco Kohinata; translation by Jan Mitsuko Cash (Glacier Bay)
- Box Garden Beetle, by Akino Kondoh; translation by Ryan Holmberg (Glacier Bay)
- cocoon, by Machiko Kyo; translation by Jan Mitsuko Cash (Viz)
- My Life in 24 Frames per Second, by Rintaro; translation by Montana Kane (Kana/Abrams ComicArts)
- The Strange Tale of Panorama Island, by Suehiro Maruo, based on the 1926 novel by Edogawa Ranpo; translation by Ajani Oloye (Last Gasp)
BEST NEW EDITION OF CLASSIC MANGA
- Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow, vol. 3 – 5, by Asao Takamori & Tetsuya Chiba; translation by Annelise Ogaard (Kodansha)
- The Legend of Kamui, vol. 2-3, by Sanpei Shirato; translation by Richard Rubinger (Drawn & Quarterly)
- Mushishi Collector’s Edition Vol. 1-2, by Yuki Urushibara; translation by Andres Oliver (Kodansha)
- Stop!! Hibari-kun! Vol. 1, by Hisashi Eguchi; translation by Jocelyne Allen (Peow2)
- Ultra Heaven Vol. 2, by Keiichi Koike; translation by Ajani Oloye (Last Gasp)
BEST TRANSLATION
- Jan Mitsuko Cash – Magica, Vol. 1 (Kodama Tales)
- Alexa Frank – Miss Ruki (New York Review Comics)
- Andres Oliver – Mushishi Collectors Edition Vols. 1-2 (Kodansha)
- Kiki Piatkowska – A Starlit Darkness, Vol. 1 (Square Enix)
- Annelise Ogaard– Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow Vols. 3-5 (Kodansha)
BEST LETTERING
- Brendon Hull – Cyberpunk: Edgerunners MADNESS Vol. 1 (Dark Horse)
- Madeleine Jose – Maid to Skate (Viz)
- Vadim K. – Don’t Feed the Trolls (J18 Publishing)
- Vladyslav L. – Sweet and Spicy (J18 Publishing)
- Vanessa Satone – One Piece Vol. 112 (Viz)
BEST PUBLICATION DESIGN
- Wendy Chan – Fruits Basket: The Complete Box Set (Yen Press)
- chichols – Magica, Vol. 1 (Kodama Tales)
- Ti Collier – A Cat Is a Cat in Any Life (Square Enix)
- Patrick Crotty – Stop!! Hibari-kun! Vol. 1 (Peow2)
- emuh ruh – Baku-chan (Glacier Bay)
