Jun 03, 2024 09:00:00

'GIGAZINE Manga Award' June 2024 Entries Open & Top Illustrations Made by Artist

'The Part

-time Life of a Hero and a Corporate Slave ,' a story about a hero from another world who gets lost in modern Japan and ends up working for a black company, has been on a long hiatus due to production circumstances, but has resumed serialization from May 2, 2024. 'The Part-time Life of a Hero and a Corporate Slave' is a series that was submitted to the GIGAZINE Manga Award for both the original script and illustrations, and we are always looking for original scripts, illustrations, and of course manga works to be serialized together, so please enjoy the manga and apply. We asked cygnusil , the illustrator of 'The Part-time Life of a Hero and a Corporate Slave,' to draw an illustration to commemorate the resumption of serialization, so please check it out from the ' Top Illustration Making Commentary .'

Check out the ongoing manga and comics below!

Read 'The Part-Time Life of a Hero and a Corporate Slave' Death 1 'I've started working part-time!'

Read 'Secret Palace' Episode 1: 'Loneliness, a Beautiful Girl, and an Android'

Vampire x Maid x Garlic Gourmet ' Master, I Smell Like Garlic! ' Comic available below!

Also check out the comic '

Ame Ame Fure Fure Usoyandee ,' which depicts two weeks in the life of a girl who loves rain and a boy cursed by it!

◆Click here for the 'GIGAZINE Manga Award' application guidelines

If you've already read the recruitment guidelines and just want to apply, please fill out the application form .

◆ Send your portfolio to apply for illustrations, storyboards, and illustration help positions

◆Click here for original script submissions for novels and screenplays

◆Top image illustration making explanation
An illustration commemorating the resumption of serialization of 'The Part-Time Life of a Hero and Corporate Slave.' From the left, the 'Part-Time Hero Party from Another World' consists of the hero Kuzuru, the magician Ecclell, the priestess girl Faron, and the warrior Flare. Since Kuzuru is a 'part-time hero' who travels between the other world and modern Japan, he is holding a convenience store bag and smartphone in his hands.
cygnusil 'The setting is another world, Konam, where everyone is walking around eating the croquettes that Kuzuru bought in Japan. I was thinking of a second idea of a hero party having tea at a trendy Japanese cafe, but I put too much effort into the first idea, so I decided to just go with that one.'

Below is the first proposed rough draft.
cygnusil 'I decided to think in a direction that would emphasize the worldview while avoiding giving away spoilers of the main story. Because there are so many people I wanted to depict, I thought of multiple situations that would incorporate both the characters and the background well, and I decided on 'Everyone Goes Eating Out in Konam'. I imagined it to be like the cover of a travel brochure, showing off the scenery of the otherworldly Konam in a large size, while adding light shining through the clouds and street lamps around the bridge to make it more impressive and visually appealing. The setting is 'Imagine that Kuzuru has bought croquettes at a convenience store in Japan at the request of his friend.''

cygnusil: 'There seemed to be a lot of background detailing, so I decided to create a 3D model in

Blender and then add it in Clip Studio. I went back and forth between the two programs to solidify the rough image.'

cygnusil: 'I used Design Doll as a base to draw the line art for the characters. I printed out the background elements (bridge, river, house, mountains) separately. I had solidified the elements I wanted to draw, so I submitted them as rough sketches at this stage.'

cygnusil: 'We received feedback that Faron and Ecrel's facial expressions were similar, so we revised Ecrel's facial expression. We removed the baguette that Ecrel was holding and gave him a staff instead.'

cygnusil: 'I adjusted the perspective of the randomly arranged houses and the banks so that they all fit together.'

cygnusil: 'The background didn't look like it was dyed by the sunset, so I went with orange. I also changed the bridge tiles from Blender's built-in textures to hand-drawn textures. Finally, I fixed the details of the bridge and it was finished.'

cygnusil: 'The model I ended up using for the painting is shown below. It's a very rough design, as the purpose was to print it out as a drawing material.'

If you are interested in what 'The Part-Time Life of a Hero and a Corporate Slave' is about or would like to know what will happen next, please check out the article below.

What does it mean to be both a 'hero' and a 'corporate slave'? A look back at the highlights of the manga 'The Part-Time Life of a Hero and a Corporate Slave' and a look ahead to future developments - GIGAZINE

We will not only continue to serialize and solicit manga, but will also be releasing and explaining various behind-the-scenes footage, so if you have any comments or thoughts like 'I'd like to see this behind-the-scenes footage too!' or 'I'd like to know more behind-the-scenes information,' we would appreciate it if you could send us your feedback via the Contact Us form.

◆ 'GIGAZINE Manga Award' Application Guidelines

・What happens if you serialize a manga on GIGAZINE?
・Completely remote work & work timing can be left to your discretion

・Serialized manga will be published on GIGAZINE, so people can read it first.

No strict deadlines make scheduling easy

- No restrictions on genre or target audience, anything is OK as long as it's interesting

・Assistants will be available to help with coloring and backgrounds (no need to pay for yourself)

・Because we are still a young label, it is easier for our opinions and requests to be accepted, just like a venture company!

・For those who have concerns about working as a freelancer, such as 'Is it okay if I don't know anything about laws or taxes?' or 'What is it like working on a serial with an editor?', we have

published 'Guidelines for creating an environment where freelancers can work with peace of mind' in line with the guidelines of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. We have compiled a Q&A to answer any questions or concerns you may have, so please check it out.

Etc. If you have any other questions, please click here to contact us.

・Basic conditions:
・It is assumed that it can be read on a smartphone (no double pages, vertical scrolling is the standard)

・Full color, full digital (black and white works may be treated as 'original works', but applications are welcome)

・Any genre and the completed manuscript of 'Episode 1' and its behind-the-scenes materials should be submitted. Please send behind-the-scenes materials including character designs and settings, as well as a summary of the entire story in a range of 200-800 characters. Please note that if the content of your application is insufficient, we may not be able to proceed with the review.

・Manuscript format:
Please refer to ' The Princess and the Gamer ' for aspect ratio, file size, and resolution.

・Number of manuscript pages:
Free. Any number of pages is OK.

·others:
・Original works that you have already published in other media or on other platforms are OK

・Works that were published in magazines but never published in book form, or that were discontinued midway through due to unavoidable circumstances, are also OK. Please don't give up.

·The deadline:
Sunday, June 30, 2024, 11:59:59 p.m.

・Review process:

After the first round of selection by the editorial team, the review process is scheduled as follows: The review process and stages may be subject to slight changes, so we will send you separate explanations and confirmations before the first round of review.

Phase 1: Evaluation in a closed environment that can only be viewed by GIGAZINE Secret Club members + Evaluation including making materials by the editorial department
↓
Stage 2: In a format more geared towards serialization, we will review your work after you have prepared additional necessary information, such as the first episode manuscript and a plot up to the final episode. If you make it this far, we will almost guarantee that your work will be serialized in some form.
↓
Final stage: The serialized manuscript will be judged by the editor-in-chief of GIGAZINE, evaluated by GIGAZINE Secret Club members, and judged by guests such as writers currently serializing in GIGAZINE, to determine the winner of the Grand Prize. In addition, if the work remains in the final stage, the serialization will be guaranteed.

・Rewards:

All the people who passed the first round and were selected for the first stage:
Prize money: 30,000 yen

2nd stage advancement:
An additional 20,000 yen prize will be awarded, plus an editor will be assigned to serialize the work.

Finalists:
If you advance to the final stage, you will receive an additional 50,000 yen prize (total of 100,000 yen) plus a guarantee that your submitted work will be serialized after being polished.

Winners and above:
Additional prize money from 100,000 yen + guaranteed serialization

Grand Prize:
Prize money of 1 million yen + guaranteed serialization of submitted work

・Results of submitted works selection
For works that proceed to the first stage of judging, we will contact you via email at the address you provided when you applied by the end of the month following the month of application with details about the judging.
Please note that in other cases, we will not generally notify you of the results of the screening.

・Procedure after winning the award
After the serialization on GIGAZINE is over, the work will be made into an e-book and sold on Amazon. We will pay you the prescribed manuscript fee and royalties. GIGAZINE will also be responsible for the sale and promotion of the e-book.

・Question Form:
If you have any questions about applying, please click here to contact us. If we receive similar questions repeatedly, we will compile them as an FAQ, so we appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

・Manga Award Application Form:

Click here

◆Applications for illustration staff, storyboard staff, and illustration helpers

・How to apply for 'drawing only':
Just show the URL of your portfolio or collection of works in the Manga Award application form . Please write 'Applying for illustrations only' in the 'Other' column. There is no limit to the number of illustrations or manga for your portfolio, and there is no line on how many you need, but the more you have, the easier it will be to get recognition.

・How to apply for 'Name Composition Manager'
We are also looking for 'name composition' who will turn the original text script into a name. As with the illustration only, please send us as much information as possible about your portfolio, names of works you have created in the past, and manga works.

・Judging process for 'Artwork only' and 'Storyboard composition':
If you pass the first stage of the screening, which is based on your portfolio, we will contact you by the month after you submit the form. In the second stage, we ask you to actually draw a trial original. If you pass, it will move on to the final stage of the voting.

・Rewards:
Participants who passed the first stage portfolio screening and participated in the second stage:
Prize money: 50,000 yen
*Because this stage of judging requires additional manuscript work, all applicants who advance to the second stage will receive a stipend.

Winners of the final judging:
Additional prize of 100,000 yen + serialization guarantee

Grand Prize:
Additional prize of 200,000 yen + serialization guarantee

*Due to the nature of the original script, we cannot guarantee that your work will be serialized immediately, but we will guarantee that it will be serialized by making it a priority proposal.

・How to apply for help:
We are also looking for helpers who can help with the production of full-color manga. We also welcome helpers with underpainting characters, text placement, and backgrounds. This is a completely remote project and you can participate from home only when you can.

·conditions :
Nothing in particular. The flow is 'if you can work, choose what you want to take on from the task list and work on it,' so it's possible to not participate if you're busy.
You can also help out, earn some pocket money and improve your skills, while also creating original works and making suggestions to the editors.

・Rewards :
For 'coloring help' and 'background help,' the hourly rate is calculated using work management software. The hourly rate is set as a trial period at first, and can be increased based on the level of skill and the number of contributions made.
In the case of 'name composition', the manuscript fee will be calculated per page.

·Application method :
On the GIGAZINE Manga Award application form , paste the URL where you can view your past color manuscripts and portfolios instead of the 'address/URL for downloading the work file.' Also, in the last 'Other necessary information we need to know,' enter the appropriate information you would like: 'Coloring help,' 'Background help,' or 'Name composition.'

・Manga Award Application Form:
Click here

◆ Original script submission requirements

・In addition to the manuscript for Episode 1 , please also prepare a plot (synopsis) from Episode 1 to the final episode . The synopsis should be a detailed summary of the entire story, between 100 and 800 characters, on the first page of the manuscript.

・The first round of judging will simply look at the entertainment value of the story and the completion of the first episode. If you make it through the second round to the final round, you will be judged on whether you can consistently write stage directions right up to the final episode, with the idea of actually creating the original manga.

・If you are submitting an 'original work only' and it is text only, you can simply paste the text into a Google document and enter the address of the shared link in the application form. In this case, please do not edit the document after submitting.

・Please make sure that your Google sharing settings are set to 'Anyone with the link.' If you leave it set to 'Restricted,' submitted work will not be readable. For more information, please check 'Share files publicly' in the Google Docs Help .

・Rewards:
All the people who passed the first round and were selected for the first stage:
Prize money: 30,000 yen

2nd stage advancement:
An additional 20,000 yen prize will be awarded, plus an editor will be assigned to serialize the work.

Finalists:
If you advance to the final stage, you will receive an additional 50,000 yen prize (total of 100,000 yen) plus a guarantee that your submitted work will be serialized after being polished.

Winners and above:
Prize money of 100,000 yen + serialization guarantee

Grand Prize:
Prize money of 200,000 yen + guaranteed serialization of submitted work

*Due to the issue of matching with illustrators, we cannot guarantee that your work will be serialized immediately, but we will guarantee that your work will be serialized by making it a priority proposal.

Click here for the application form

The Manga Award selection process includes the 'GIGAZINE Secret Club (GSC) Closed Review.' Whether you are a GSC member or not, please take this opportunity to become a member of GSC and witness the birth of a future masterpiece. Register for the GIGAZINE Secret Club here .

We look forward to receiving your submissions from all creators. Thank you very much.