NEW DELHI: The countdown has begun for one of India’s most anticipated creative events of the year. After months of rigorous regional competitions and thousands of entries, the stage is now set for the national finale of the WAVES Anime & Manga Contest (WAM!), to be held during WAVES 2025, India’s largest-ever summit for media and entertainment.
The four-day summit will take place from May 1 to 4 at the Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai.
Organized by the Media & Entertainment Association of India (MEAI) and supported by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, WAM! is a flagship competition under the broader Create in India Challenges (CIC)—an ambitious initiative at the heart of WAVES (World Audio Visual Entertainment Summit).
With over 1 lakh registrations, including 1,100 international participants, Season 1 of CIC has made history by uniting emerging and seasoned talent from across the globe.
A Nationwide Talent Search
Finalists for WAM! were selected through a series of regional contests in 11 Indian cities—from Guwahati to Bengaluru, covering Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Varanasi, Delhi, Mumbai, Nagpur, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, and Chennai. These rounds uncovered some of the most promising anime artists, manga storytellers, voice actors, webtoon creators, and cosplayers in the country.
Each city’s winners were selected by a distinguished jury of experts from the fields of animation, visual effects, comics, and media production. Their mandate: to identify creators with original voices, culturally rooted ideas, and the potential to scale globally.
This city-to-city approach ensured a broad representation of India’s artistic diversity.
Riding the Anime Boom in India
India is now the second-largest anime market after China, with an estimated 180 million fans. Once a niche interest, anime and manga have evolved into a cultural force. In 2023, India’s anime market was valued at $1,642.5 million, and it’s projected to triple to $5,036 million by 2032.
WAM! taps into this explosive growth by giving Indian creators a rare opportunity to develop original intellectual properties (IPs).
Unlike platforms that only promote adaptations or imported content, WAM! focuses on original, locally inspired stories that can compete on a global stage. Through mentorship, pitch development, and exposure to production houses, WAM! is helping creators turn their ideas into market-ready content.
Contest Categories & Finalist Showcase
WAM! includes competitions in six key verticals:
- Manga (Student & Professional)
- Anime (Student & Professional)
- Webtoon (Student & Professional)
- Voice Acting
- Cosplay
From fantasy to folklore and sci-fi to slice-of-life, the entries reflect a wide spectrum of Indian storytelling styles reimagined through the lens of anime and manga.
The national finale in Mumbai promises not just glamour, but life-changing opportunities. Finalists will pitch their creations live to an international jury and audience that includes top studios, investors, and global media platforms.
Winners to Receive Global Exposure
The stakes are high. Prizes for winners include:
- An all-expenses-paid trip to Anime Japan 2026 in Tokyo
- Dubbing of selected anime entries in Hindi, English, and Japanese by Gulmohar Media
- Webtoon publishing deals with Toonsutra
This is more than a contest—WAM! is a cultural movement, addressing a critical gap in India’s creative ecosystem: the absence of scalable, export-ready original content rooted in Indian stories. It aims to position India not just as a consumer, but as a creator of global IPs.
As WAVES 2025 nears, anticipation is building. The summit will feature networking events, industry panels, live showcases, and interactive exhibitions, uniting talent from across AVGC-XR sectors (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, Extended Reality). The convergence of creators, educators, and industry leaders makes WAVES a unique launchpad for India’s creative economy.
With WAM! at its heart, WAVES 2025 is not just about celebrating talent—it’s about shaping the future of Indian storytelling.
Stay tuned as India crowns its next generation of anime and manga stars and takes its place on the global stage.