According to MediBang, Japanese manga publishers have recently had trouble finding new manga talent, partially because the language barrier has blocked potential non-Japanese creators from getting their works seen in Japan. With the ongoing contest, Shueisha and MediBang hope to change this by offering to localize any foreign works that make the cut into Japanese using Shueisha’s team of professional translators.

Foreign creators hoping to enter the contest are encouraged to use MediBang’s “Medi Paint” digital comics drawing program to draw up a one-shot manga story under 50 pages in length. Then it’s as simple as adding the tag “Jump+ Manga Contest” and your work will automatically be forwarded to the contest’s board of judges.

Apparently, just two stories will be chosen for publication, with prize money for the first, second and third-place winners set at ¥1 million, ¥300,000, and ¥100,000 respectively. Additionally, even entrants that don’t make the cut may receive feedback from Shueisha and MediBang if the judges feel the work is strong enough to warrant it, giving artists a chance to come back powered up for another crack at the contest next year.

Entries are being accepted until March 17, 2016. Click here for more details.

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