The Asahi Shimbun newspaper announced the winners for the 20th Annual Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize awards on Wednesday. Unlike previous years, the nominating committee chose two winners for the Grand Prize.

Grand Prize

Hanagami Sharaku

ukiyo-e-

Big Comic Special

Kei IchinosekiShogakukanIn the Edo period, the second son of a town official works as a flute player under kabuki master Ichikawa Danjūrō V at the Nakamura-za theater. However, when his older brother is killed he must once again learn to become a warrior. At the same time, a serial killer is targeting young girls in Edo. The kabuki- andthemed manga was serialized irregularly infrom 2003 to 2009.

Yotsuba&!

Kiyohiko Azuma

MediaWorks

The Koiwai family, little Yotsuba and her father, have just moved to a new town. As their new neighbours get to know them, it becomes obvious that Yotsuba is one very weird little girl...



New Creator Prize

Machida-kun no Sekai

Yuki AndōShueishaMachida is a quiet, awkward, bespectacled boy, whose slightly below-average grades belie his appearance. He thinks there is nothing special about himself, but all around him there are people who treasure him.

Short Work Prize

Jimihen

Big Comic Spirits

Tatsuya NakazakiShogakukanNakazaki's long-running manga collection of comedy short stories launched in 1991 and ended last August, after 25 years of serialization in Shogakukan'smagazine.

The committee awarded the Special Prize to the Kyoto International Manga Museum in recognition of its 10th anniversary and its contributions to manga culture.

This year's nominating committee — which includes novelist Atsuko Asano, actress Anne, manga creator Machiko Satonaka, university professor Shōhei Chūjō, manga editor Haruyuki Nakano, manga commentator Shinbo Nobunaga, manga creator and researcher Tarō Minamoto, and manga researcher Tomoko Yamada — selected the nominees and winners from among the works that were published from January to December 2015.

Last year, the judging committee nominated nine titles, and Yoriko Hoshi's Aisawa Riku won the Grand Prize.

The newspaper awards a 2-million-yen (about US$20,000) Manga Grand Prize along with a statuette of Tezuka's Mighty Atom (Astroboy) character, though this year the award money will be split among the two Grand Prize winners. In addition, 1 million yen (US$10,000) goes to each of the winners of the New Creator Prize, Short Work Prize, and the Special Prize every year. The actual awards presentation ceremony will take place on May 29.

Source: Comic Natalie