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The state-level qualifying rounds for the WAVES Anime & Manga Contest (WAM!) concluded with its Bengaluru chapter event held on April 15, 2025. The stage is now set for the winners upcoming National Finale at WAVES 2025.
The final qualifier took place at VVN Degree College in Basavanagudi, Bengaluru. The event saw participation from diverse age groups, including contestants as young as nine years old, and drew creators from other cities like Raipur and Chennai.
A jury panel, including Veerendra Patil (Founder, Zebu Animation), Ajay Apparoop (Head of Special Projects, Studio Illuzion), Sushil Bhasin (Chairman & Managing Director, Bhasin Group), and Vishakh Vijayan (ToonSutra), evaluated entries based on imagination, technical skill, and storytelling.
A note was made of the Indian-themed narratives and worldbuilding across the categories.
Winners announced at the Bengaluru event across various categories were:
- Manga: Rohit Sharma (Student), Mukunda K (Professional)
- Webtoon: Vishal Maravi (Professional)
- Anime: Ganesh (Professional)
- Cosplay: Puneeth v (Winner), Prerana Bagrecha (Runner Up), Sherone D’Souza (Second Runner Up)
- Voice Acting: Poonam Tripathi (Winner), Sherone D’Souza (Runner Up)
Winners from the Bengaluru round, along with those from previous state-level competitions, will now advance to the WAM! National Finale, scheduled to be held during the WAVES – World Audio Visual Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025 event which will be held May 1-4, 2025.
Participants in the finale will compete for prizes including an all-expense-paid trip to represent India at Anime Japan 2026 in Tokyo. Additional support for national winners includes dubbing for anime pilots by Gulmohar Media and digital distribution for webtoons via Toonsutra.
“WAM! Bengaluru exceeded all expectations. As the final state-level qualifier, it was a showcase of raw talent and boundless imagination,” stated Ankur Bhasin, Secretary of MEAI. He added that Bengaluru proved itself a hub for creators who will be showcased on the national platform.
The Bengaluru event also marked the official launch of the Anime Bengaluru Club, a new community group for local fans.
Founder-President Sayantan Ghosh shared that the club will organize regular meetups, anime watch parties, manga reading circles, and other community-building activities throughout the year.
The WAM! initiative is supported by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India, and operates as part of WAVES, described as the country’s largest summit for the Audio Visual, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality (AVGC-XR) industry.
Organized by the Media & Entertainment Association of India (MEAI), WAM! aims to promote original Indian intellectual property in anime, manga, webtoons, and cosplay.
