Painter Nguyen Thanh Phong representing authors of the comic received the prize at a ceremony held at the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ HQ in Japan on February 26.
‘Long Than Tuong’ dates back to the Tran dynasty (1225-1400), a glorious period in Vietnamese history, with a focus on the country’s struggle against the second invasion of the Mongolian Empire in 1285.
Phong and his schoolmate Nguyen Khanh Duong first published ‘Long Than Tuong’ in a series for a local magazine in 2004, it went on to receive a wide following from readers. They then started a funding drive, calling on readers to make financial contributions to facilitate the comic’s publication. They have so far sold 2,000 copies of the book.
The International MANGA Award is presented by the Japanese ministry to MANGA artists who have contributed to the promotion of MANGA around the world.
Painter Nguyen Thanh Phong speaks at the awards ceremony in Japan on February 26.
Chairman of the jury board is the Japanese top cartoonist Machiko Satonka, along with the board’s members who are leading comics artists and comics publishers in Japan.
This year’s event drew the participation of 259 entries from 46 countries and territories.
A total of 14 winners, including one Gold Award work and three Silver Award works were selected. The Gold Award went to an entry from Israel entitled ‘Divine’.
The Silver Award was a surprise to the authors of ‘Long Than Tuong’, said painter Nguyen Thanh Phong at the awards ceremony. He expressed his sincere thanks to the Japanese Foreign Ministry for holding such a significant event, creating a chance for Vietnamese comics authors to introduce their works in addition to Vietnamese culture and history with international friends.
The Award has been held annually since 2007 with the aim of introducing Japanese culture and promoting international exchanges through comic culture that is widely popular around the world.
