The prestigious Harvey Awards have unveiled their nominations for the 2025 ceremony, with a strong showing for Japanese comics in the Best Manga category. Noteworthy titles such as Mokumokuren’s The Summer Hikaru Died, Satoru Nii’s Wind Breaker, and Taiyo Matsumoto’s Tokyo These Days are among the nominees, celebrating excellence in the sequential art medium. The winners will be revealed at a gala event during New York Comic Con in October 2025.
Leading the Pack: Best Manga Nominees for 2025
The Best Manga category for the 2025 Harvey Awards showcases a diverse range of critically acclaimed series. The full list of nominees includes:
- The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn’t a Guy at All by Sumiko Arai (Yen Press)
- The Summer Hikaru Died by Mokumokuren (Yen Press)
- Tokyo These Days by Taiyo Matsumoto (Viz Media)
- Wind Breaker by Satoru Nii (Kodansha Comics)
- Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama (Kodansha Comics)
These nominations highlight both established hits and emerging works, reflecting the growing impact and popularity of manga in the Western market. The Summer Hikaru Died and Witch Hat Atelier were also nominated in the 2024 awards, with Delicious in Dungeon by Ryoko Kui ultimately winning the Best Manga category that year. Tokyo These Days by Taiyo Matsumoto previously secured an Eisner Award in July 2025.
The Significance of the Harvey Awards
Named in honor of legendary cartoonist Harvey Kurtzman, co-creator of MAD magazine, the Harvey Awards have celebrated outstanding achievements in comics and sequential art since 1988. Unlike some other industry accolades, the Harvey Awards are nominated and selected by comic book professionals, including creators, publishers, retailers, educators, and librarians. This peer-voted system adds a unique layer of prestige to the honors.
Voting and Ceremony Details
The nominations for the 2025 Harvey Awards were officially announced on August 7, 2025, with some reports indicating August 12, 2025. Voting is open to industry professionals who have been approved for a Professional or Artist Alley badge at any ReedPop comic convention between 2016 and 2025. The voting period will close on September 2, 2025.
Beyond the Best Manga category, the Harvey Awards recognize excellence across several other 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. For instance, “Resenter” by Gigi Murakami from VIZ Manga received a nomination for Digital Book of the Year.
The eagerly anticipated winners will be revealed at a special ceremony held during New York Comic Con in October 2025. This event serves as a significant moment for creators and publishers within the comics community, recognizing the best works of the preceding year.
