The nominees for the Manga Awards 2026 (sponsored by the Executive Committee), in which manga-savvy bookstore employees choose the manga they most want to recommend to friends right now, were announced on January 20th. The 12 works selected include "Ichi the Witch ," currently serialized in "Weekly Shonen Jump" (Shueisha), "Thank You Pitch," currently serialized on Shueisha's manga app "Shonen Jump+," "Dan Mitsu" by Kiyono Tooru, and "Roadside Fujii" by Nabekura Otoko.
The Manga Taisho is a manga award established in 2008, and is characterized by the fact that no one with a direct vested interest in the sales of manga, such as manga artists, editors, or book designers, is involved in the judging process. Works selected as the Grand Prize attract attention and experience a sudden increase in sales, which can lead to media development such as anime or film adaptations. This year's award is open to manga published between January 1st and December 31st, 2025, with a total of eight volumes or less (past Grand Prize winners excluded).
Previous Grand Prize winners include Yuki Suetsugu's "Chihayafuru," Chika Umino's "March Comes in Like a Lion," Mitsuharu Yanagimoto's "Hibiki: How to Become a Novelist," and " Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, " written by Kanehito Yamada and illustrated by Tsukasa Abe . In 2025, the award went to Kiko Urino's "Alice, Wherever the Universe"
◇ "Manga Taisho 2026" nominated works (titles omitted)
"My Little Sister Knows" by Ganki Mari▽"Welcome Back to the Horizon" by Watanabe Taiyo▽"Dissecting the Monster" by Saito Mado▽"Thank You Pitch" by Sumiyoshi Kyu▽"The Evil God's Bento Shop" by Ishiko▽"Dan Mitsu" by Kiyono Tooru▽"My Former Friend: A Collection of Works by Kinuta Miya" by Kinuta Miya▽"The Man-Eating Apartment and the Landlord's Maison" by Tanaka Sora and Akima▽"I Would Sell My Books" by Kojima Ao▽"The Ichi the Witch" by Usazaki Shiro and Nishi Osamu▽"RIOT" by Tsukada Yuta▽"Fujii by the Roadside" by Nabekura Osamu
◇ Past Grand Prize winning works (titles omitted)
"Gake" by Shinichi Ishizuka▽"Chihayafuru" by Yuki Suetsugu▽"Thermae Romae" by Mari Yamazaki▽"March Comes in Like a Lion" by Chika Umino▽"Silver Spoon" by Hiromu Arakawa▽"Our Little Sister" by Akimi Yoshida▽"Otoyomegatari" by Kaoru Mori▽"Blank Canvas: My So-Called Artist's Journey" by Akiko Higashimura▽"Golden Kamuy" by Satoru Noda▽"Hibiki: How to Become a Novelist" by Mitsuharu Yanagimoto▽"BEASTARS" by Paru Itagaki▽"Astra Lost in Space" by Kenta Shinohara▽"Blue Period" by Tsubasa Yamaguchi▽"Frieren: Beyond Journey's End" by Kanehito Yamada and Tsukasa Abe ▽"The Darwin Incident" by Shun Umezawa▽"Kore Kaite Shine" by Minoru Toyoda▽"To Walk Through Space with You" by Inuhiko Doronota▽"Alice, Dokomademo"by Kiko Urino
