When did the Japan Media Arts Festival start?
The Japan Media Arts Festival began in 1997. It has been held annually since then by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs, with the 25th edition taking place in 2022.
Questions about Japan Media Arts Festival
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What categories are awarded at the Japan Media Arts Festival?
The festival awards prizes in four categories: Art (formerly Non-Interactive Digital Art), Entertainment (formerly Interactive Art, including video games and websites), Animation, and Manga. Each category offers one Grand Prize, four Excellence Prizes, and, since 2002, one Encouragement Prize.
What video games have won the Japan Media Arts Festival Grand Prize?
Grand Prize winners in the Entertainment category include The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time in 1998, Dragon Warrior VII in 2000, Ōkami in 2006, Wii Sports in 2007, Ingress from Google's Niantic Labs in 2014, and Shin Godzilla in 2017. Final Fantasy VII won an Excellence Prize in the first festival in 1997.
Which anime films have won the Japan Media Arts Festival Animation Grand Prize?
Grand Prize winners include Princess Mononoke in 1997, Spirited Away and Millennium Actress in a tie in 2001, Mind Game in 2004, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time in 2006, Summer Wars in 2009, Puella Magi Madoka Magica in 2011, Your Name in 2017, Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! in 2021, and The Fourth Wall in 2022.
What manga have won the Japan Media Arts Festival Manga Grand Prize?
Grand Prize winners include Vagabond by Takehiko Inoue in 2000, Disappearance Diary by Hideo Azuma in 2005, Vinland Saga by Makoto Yukimura in 2009, JoJolion by Hirohiko Araki in 2013, and March Comes In Like a Lion by Chica Umino in 2021.
Is the Japan Media Arts Festival open to international works?
Yes. The festival regularly recognizes work from outside Japan across all four categories. Examples include the French animation La Maison en petits cubes, which won the Animation Grand Prize in 2008, and the Belgian comic series Les Cités Obscures by Benoit Peeters and Francois Schuiten, which won the Manga Grand Prize in 2012.