In collaboration with its web manga app counterpart Shonen Jump +, Shueisha is launching “World Maker” -a free smartphone-only service that allows users to produce manga storyboards(jap. ne-mu) on the Web.

The unique smartphone app is developed by Japanese developer Kayac Inc. aiming at finding the hidden talents who have the power to create manga but gets discouraged due to the perceived difficulty in drawing characters and making all of the elements of a manga come together, such as backgrounds, speech bubbles, effects, and page layouts.

With the forthcoming launch of the World Maker app beta, Shueisha is not only aiming to open up manga creation to anyone with a smartphone, but they’re also aiming to find the next undiscovered world-class mangaka with a contest that will feature Kōji Oishi (Lycopene the Tomatoy Poodle) or Shiro Usazaki (Act Age) illustrating the winning entry created with this app.

The World Maker app, even in its Beta version will allow anyone with a smartphone or tablet the ability to create their own fully-fledged short manga by breaking down the process into easy-to-understand steps and using preset templates for each step. The first step is dialogue, the next step is selecting characters, the text, backgrounds, and so on and so forth until the manga is complete.

An average of hundreds of templates is possible for each major element in the app features. However, as this closed Beta will not be available until September 8th. Only a selected 500 people can get the chance to experience this closed beta version following the registration process by following the official World Maker Twitter account. The registration closes on September 5th. Unfortunately, it will be unavailable to the mass to see what the app truly entails until the Open Beta begins on September 22nd.

To make this launch of the Beta more enthusiastic, Shueisha and Shonen Jump + will hold a contest in the World Maker Name Award where the winning entry submitted via the app’s social media tools and official hashtags will be illustrated by either Koji Oishi or Shiro Usazaki and a prize package worth ¥300,000, including a feature in the Shonen Jump + app.

Interested participants can submit their creations(maximum 4-page ne-mu) from September 8th to October 8th with prize announcements in December. The judging panel will include Oishi, Usazaki, and the editorial department of Shonen Jump+.

Source: World Maker Twitter, Note Website via Crunchyroll