Qatar Museums Announces Second 'Manga Style!' Competition

"Manga Style!" is back, and we're searching for visual storytellers to offer their opinions on Qatar's diverse culture. The Qatar Museums Years of Culture initiative, in collaboration with the Embassy of Japan in Qatar and Geekdom – Doha Film Institute, launched the second edition of "Manga Style!" to commemorate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Qatar and Japan, and as part of the robust cultural ties firmly established during the Qatar-Japan 2012 Year of Culture. Under the theme of "Friendship," the competition welcomes Qatari and resident manga fans to contribute visually spectacular stories that highlight both nations' cultures.

All three mangas will be shown during the next Geekdom, which will take place in November as part of the Ajyal Film Festival.

"The Years of Culture program has produced a rich legacy of collaboration between Qatar and the ten nations that have worked with us in the decade since the project was launched," said Aisha Ghanem Al Attiya, Director of Cultural Diplomacy, Qatar Museums. We are pretty proud to have developed long-lasting ties with Japan, our very first Year of Culture partnership, which have only grown stronger over the last decade."

The "Manga Style!" competition aims to bring together two distinct cultural legacies rooted in rich storytelling practices: the Arab world's famed oral storytelling traditions and vivid manga-style graphics. Manga is a collection of graphic novels or comic books. The majority of comics are created in a late-nineteenth-century Japanese style.

The first-place winner will be awarded QAR 20,000, the second-place winner will be awarded QAR 15,000, and the third-place winner will be awarded QAR 10,000. Geekdom - Doha Film Institute, a competition partner, will distribute copies of the winners' manga during the next gathering in November. Throughout the campaign, more collaborations and prizes will be announced on the Years of Culture website and social media channels (May-July, 2022).

From early May to July 31, 2022, original stories in Arabic or English can be submitted to the Years of Culture website (yearsofculture.qa). The competition is free to enter, and entrants can submit up to three distinct stories. Each entry should be at least 16 pages long.

All entries will be gathered and shared with the Curatorial Team of Qatar Museums, where they will be thoroughly reviewed. The Judging Panel will be made up of representatives from Qatar Museums, the Qatar Embassy in Tokyo, the Embassy of Japan in Qatar, and Geekdom - Doha Film Institute. In early September, winners will be announced by presenting a digital copy of their winning story on the Years of Culture website (yearsofculture.qa) and social media.