The third annual American Manga Awards took place on August 20, 2026, at the Japan Society in New York City. The ceremony happened the night before Anime NYC 2026 opened at the Javits Center. The awards celebrate manga creators and publishers who have helped grow manga’s popularity in North America and Japan. Zack Davisson hosted the evening.
Best New Manga Goes to Billy Bat
Billy Bat (volume 1) by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki won the Best New Manga award. The series is published by Kana and Abrams ComicArts. The editor for the winning volume was Kristiina Korpus.
Other nominees in this category included:
- Bug Ego by ONE and Kyoto Shitara (Viz Media)
- The Credits Roll into the Sea by John Taranchine (Dark Horse)
- The Horrors of Noroi Michiru by Noroi Michiru (Star Fruit Books and Glacier Bay Books)
- LOVE-BULLET by inee (Yen Press)
Best Continuing Manga Series Award
The Summer Hikaru Died (volume 6) by Mokumokuren won Best Continuing Manga Series. The series is published by Yen Press. Jacquelyn Li served as the editor.
The category also included:
- The Climber (volumes 3-6) by Shin’ichi Sakamoto (Viz Media)
- March Comes in Like a Lion (volume 4) by Chica Umino (Denpa)
- Our Not-So-Lonely Planet Travel Guide (volume 7) by Mone Sorai (Tokyopop)
- Search and Destroy (volume 3) by Atsushi Kaneko (Fantagraphics/MSX)
Best One-Shot Manga Winner
Cocoon by Machiko Kyō won the Best One-Shot Manga award. Viz Media published the work.
The other nominees were:
- “Akari” by Marco Kohinata (Glacier Bay Books)
- “Box Garden Beetle” by Akino Kondoh (Glacier Bay Books)
- “My Life in 24 Frames per Second” by Rintarō (Kana/Abrams)
- “The Strange Tale of Panorama Island” by Suehiro Maruo (Last Gasp)
Best New Edition of Classic Manga
Mushishi Collector’s Edition (volumes 1-2) by Yuki Urushibara won Best New Edition of Classic Manga. Kodansha published the edition. Maggie Le was the editor.
Nominees included:
- Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow (volumes 3-5) by Asao Takamori and Tetsuya Chiba (Kodansha)
- The Legend of Kamui (volumes 2-3) by Sanpei Shirato (Drawn & Quarterly)
- Stop!! Hibari-kun! (volume 1) by Hisashi Eguchi (Peow2)
- Ultra Heaven (volume 2) by Keiichi Koike (Last Gasp)
Best Lettering Award
Madeleine Jose won the Best Lettering award for her work on Maid to Skate by Suzushiro. Viz Media published the manga. Jack Carrillo Concordia was the editor.
Other nominees were:
- Brendon Hull for Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Madness (Dark Horse)
- Vadim K. for Don’t Feed the Trolls (J18 Publishing)
- Vladyslav L. for Sweet and Spicy (J18 Publishing)
- Vanessa Satone for One Piece (volume 112) (Viz Media)
Best Translation Award
Jan Mitsuko Cash won the Best Translation award for her translation of MAGICA (volume 1) by Yuzuko Hoshimi. Kodama Tales published the manga. The editor was Haize.
Nominees included:
- Alexa Frank for Miss Ruki by Fumiko Takano (New York Review Books)
- Andres Oliver for Mushishi Collectors Edition (Kodansha)
- Kiki Piatkowska for A Starlit Darkness (Square Enix Manga & Books)
- Asa Yoneda for Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow (Kodansha)
Best Publication Design
Wendy Chan won the Best Publication Design award for Fruits Basket: The Complete Box Set by Natsuki Takaya. Yen Press published the box set. Editors were Danielle Niederkorn and JuYoun Lee.
Other nominees were:
- chichols for Magica (volume 1) (Kodama Tales)
- Ti Collier for A Cat Is a Cat in Any Life (Square Enix Manga & Books)
- Patrick Crotty for Stop!! Hibari-kun! (Peow2)
- Emuh Ruh for Baku Chan (Glacier Bay Books)
Hall of Fame Inductees and Award of Distinction
The ceremony inducted two people into the Manga Publishing Hall of Fame. Chigusa Ogino, former Executive Director and Advisor, received the honor for her work in connecting international publishers with Japanese manga copyright holders.
Akiko Higashimura, the creator of Princess Jellyfish, received the American Manga Award of Distinction. She attended Anime NYC and accepted the award in person.
Previous Hall of Fame inductees include Studio Proteus, Toren Smith, Dana Lewis, Alan Gleason, Frederik Schodt, Tomoko Saitō, Adam Warren, Tom Orzechowski, and L. Lois Buhalis.
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Voting Process
Professionals working in editorial roles at North American manga publishers voted to determine the winners. Deb Aoki from Publishers Weekly, Comics Beat, and the Mangasplaining podcast leads the American Manga Awards Planning Committee. Kyle Cardine, Editor-in-Chief of Crunchyroll News, served as a judge.
The American Manga Awards continue to grow in importance within the industry, recognizing excellence across all aspects of manga publishing in North America.
Also Read: Seven Seas Entertainment Announces 18 New Manga, Audiobook, and Novel Licenses at Anime NYC 2026
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