The prestigious Harvey Awards, recognizing outstanding achievement in comics and sequential art, unveiled their 2025 nominees on Tuesday, August 12, 2025, with a strong showing from manga. Among the acclaimed titles vying for the “Best Manga” award are The Summer Hikaru Died, Wind Breaker, and Tokyo These Days, alongside other notable works. Voting is now open for eligible industry professionals, with winners to be announced at New York Comic Con in October.
Leading the Best Manga Category Nominees
The “Best Manga” category features five distinguished works, showcasing a diverse range of genres and storytelling from Japan. The nominated titles are:
- The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn’t a Guy at All by Sumiko Arai; translated by Ajani Oloye (Yen Press)
- The Summer Hikaru Died by Mokumokuren; translated by Ajani Oloye (Yen Press)
- Tokyo These Days by Taiyo Matsumoto; translated by Michael Arias (Viz Media)
- Wind Breaker by Satoru Nii; translated by Jacqueline Fung (Kodansha Comics)
- Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama; translated by Stephen Kohler (Kodansha Comics)
This marks a continued strong presence for manga in the Harvey Awards, with The Summer Hikaru Died and Witch Hat Atelier notably receiving nominations in the 2024 awards as well. Last year’s “Best Manga” winner was Ryoko Kui’s Delicious in Dungeon.
Other Noteworthy Manga-Related Nominations
Beyond the dedicated manga category, one-shot program manga Resenter by Gigi Murakami (VIZ Manga) also secured a nomination for “Digital Book of the Year.”
About the Harvey Awards
Named for the legendary creator Harvey Kurtzman (best known for co-creating MAD magazine), the Harvey Awards are one of the comic book industry’s oldest and most prestigious accolades. Founded in 1988, the awards recognize outstanding achievements in various categories, including “Book of the Year,” “Digital Book of the Year,” “Best Children’s Book,” “Best Young Adult Book,” “Best International Book,” and “Best Adaptation from Comic Book/Graphic Novel.”
Unlike some other industry awards, the Harvey Awards are unique in that they are both nominated and selected entirely by comic book professionals. This peer-voted system lends significant weight to the recognition received. The “Best Manga” category itself was introduced in 2018, reflecting the growing impact and recognition of Japanese comics within the Western industry. The inaugural winner in this category was Kabi Nagata’s My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness.
Voting Process and Ceremony Details
The 2025 nominees were selected by a curated committee comprising industry voices such as creators, publishers, retailers, educators, and librarians. Following the announcement, individuals approved for a Professional or Artist Alley badge at any ReedPop comic convention between 2016 and 2025 are eligible to cast their votes.
The winners of the 2025 Harvey Awards will be announced at a ceremony held during New York Comic Con, which takes place in October. The ceremony has been hosted at New York Comic Con since 2017.
