Taiwanese cartoonists Eli and MurJi won gold and bronze medals at the Kadokawa World Comic Contest

Taiwanese manga creator Eli Lin’s work Cells Within the Body is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo courtesy of Kadokawa

Staff writer, with CNA

Taiwanese manga creators Eli Lin (伊拉) and MurJi received gold and bronze prizes respectively in the Wordless Manga category at the Kadokawa World Manga Contest awards ceremony in Tokyo on Monday.

The contest, organized by leading Japanese publisher Kadokawa, garnered 1,959 entries from 118 countries and regions. The winners were announced in May.

Gold, silver and bronze prize winners received US$10,000, US$5,000 and US$3,000 respectively.

The ceremony brought together the six creators who won gold, silver and bronze in the Manga and Wordless Manga categories. The winners are from Taiwan, Vietnam, France and Switzerland.

Lin won the Gold Prize in the Wordless Manga category for her work Cells Within the Body.

Noboru Segawa, chief editor of Kadokawa’s World Manga Editorial Section, praised the work for its delicate artwork and its ability to tell a compelling story entirely through images.

Lin said in her acceptance speech that support from the Ministry of Culture enabled her to transition from an office worker to a professional manga creator just a few years ago.

Being in Tokyo to accept the award felt “incredible,” she said.

MurJi received the Bronze Prize in the same category for Hitokuji, which Segawa praised for its “overwhelming cuteness.”

MurJi said she hopes to create manga that can be a companion for readers in the same way manga has been for her, bringing comfort and a smile to those feeling exhausted or discouraged.

The winning works are available on Kadocomi, Kadokawa’s online manga platform.

Kadokawa is known for publishing iconic series such as Neon Genesis Evangelion and the manga adaptation of Your Name.

Taiwanese manga creator MurJi’s work Hitokuji is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo courtesy of Kadokawa