The growing popularity of anime, manga, and original character design among young artists across the world, especially in India, is opening new opportunities across the animation, VFX, gaming and comics (AVGC) ecosystem. Tapping into this momentum, The Giant Hunt – International Anime Art Contest 2026, organised by Image Group, has been launched as a global platform inviting all anime enthusiasts to design original anime-style characters and compete for over Rs 3 crore worth of prizes, including a 2BHK house as the grand prize, the largest prize pool in any anime event, ever!
The Giant Hunt is also an official Guinness World Records title attempt for the largest Anime Art Contest, expected to become the most participated anime art contest globally.
The contest aims to nurture emerging talent within the anime and manga community. Participants are invited to create original characters inspired by anime storytelling traditions while bringing their own creative voice and visual identity.
To make the contest accessible to anime lovers at different stages of their lives, the competition is structured into three age categories:
- Nine to 15 years
- 16 to 24 years
- 25 years and above
Participants may submit hand-drawn or digitally created artwork, provided the characters are completely original and not derived from existing franchises.
Beyond the prizes, the initiative aims to highlight the growing enthusiasm for anime-style storytelling and character design in India’s creative industry, while also connecting aspiring artists with established professionals from the animation ecosystem.
How anime fans who are not into art can participate
Interestingly, the contest also welcomes amateur artists. Anime fans who may not yet be confident about their drawing skills can also participate. Right which anime man would want to miss a guinness milestone event, like this?
To support beginners, over 50 hours of guided tutorial content will be made available to registered participants. These tutorials will guide aspiring creators through the fundamentals of anime-style character design, storytelling, and visual development.
In addition, participants will gain access to online workshop conducted by renowned manga artists, including Jazyl Homavazir, who is widely recognised for his anime art works and the creator of The Beast Legion, India’s first and longest-running webmanga. The contest also plans to include more workshops and sessions led by industry professionals.
Industry veterans join the jury panel
A distinguished jury panel, featuring professionals from across the animation and creative industries, will evaluate the Giant Hunt. The panel includes AnimationXpress founder chairman and editor-in-chief Anil NM Wanvari, Indian animation filmmaker Nina Sabnani who known for blending animation with ethnographic storytelling, Shambhoo Phalke – an experienced industry professional with expertise in animation production, Tokyo Oni creative studio director and CEO Hiroshi Takane and Homavazir, just to name a few.
The jury panel is expected to welcome more industry experts and global creative leaders.
Encouraging original anime IP from emerging artists
As global demand for anime-inspired content, webcomics, games, and animation intellectual property continues to grow, initiatives like The Giant Hunt aim to encourage creators to move beyond fan art and develop original characters and stories that could evolve into future IPs.
By combining creative competition, industry mentorship, and significant rewards, the contest hopes to inspire a new generation of artists to explore character design, manga storytelling, and anime-style visual narratives.
Registrations now open
Registrations for The Giant Hunt – International Anime Art Contest 2026 are now open. The submission portal will shortly be opened. Artists from around the world are invited to create and submit their original anime character designs for a chance to be recognised by an international jury, win major prizes and let’s not forget the guinness world records participation certificate.
Participants can register and learn more about the contest at: https://www.thegianthunt.com/partners/animeindia/defaultapp.aspx
