India has witnessed a remarkable celebration of creative talent in anime, manga, and webtoons through the WAM! (WAVES Anime & Manga Contest) Nagpur 2025, organized under the auspices of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. This event, conducted on March 25 at G. H. Raisoni College of Engineering and Management in Nagpur, brought together Central India’s most promising artists, animators, voice actors, and cosplayers, advancing India’s position as a global creative hub.
The contest was part of the larger Create in India Challenge under the World Audio Visual Entertainment Summit (WAVES) initiative. The WAVES Summit, scheduled to take place in Mumbai from May 1 to May 4, 2025, aims to position India as a global leader in the media and entertainment industry. WAM! Nagpur 2025 served as a vital prelude, providing an unparalleled platform for burgeoning artists to showcase their talent.
Participation in WAM! Nagpur extended across several categories, including manga (Japanese-style comics), webtoons (digital comics), anime (Japanese-style animation), voice acting, and cosplay. The event attracted widespread enthusiasm and featured impressive displays of creativity, innovation, and artistry. The entries were evaluated by a distinguished panel of industry veterans, including the chairman of the Media and Entertainment Association of India, the chief executive of Kyra Animation, and the head of Nilesh Patel Animation Studio.
The award ceremony honored winners across multiple categories. In the cosplay competition, Mahewish Shoukat Sayyad secured the top position, followed by Shantanu Deshpande as the first runner-up and Vansh Naik as the second runner-up. The manga competition was won by student participant Anisha Bangre, while professional artist Anjali Verma triumphed in the webtoon category. The anime competition recognized Shubhranshu Singh, Shephali Singh, Nihal Dungdung, and Pratham Virani for their exceptional creative efforts.
Winners received pen tablets and cash rewards as tokens of appreciation for their contributions. Additionally, the anime category winners were promised English, Hindi, and Japanese dubs for their pilot episode, ensuring their work reaches a global audience. Toonsutra, a leading webtoon distribution platform, confirmed plans to showcase the winning entry in the webtoon category. The event also offered job placements for winners and internships for aspiring professionals, serving as a launchpad for careers in animation and digital content creation.
The contest enjoyed strong institutional support from G. H. Raisoni College of Engineering and Management, whose faculty played a crucial role in coordinating and facilitating the event. The college’s leadership, including its director, deans, and coordinators, actively participated in the ceremony, reinforcing the institution’s commitment to nurturing creative talent.
WAM! Nagpur 2025 is the latest chapter in a series of events hosted in cities across India, including Mumbai, Guwahati, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Varanasi, and Delhi. Each edition reflects the government’s dedication to promoting Indian creative industries on both national and international stages.
The upcoming WAVES Summit in Mumbai represents the culmination of these efforts, aspiring to amplify India’s creative strength in broadcasting, film, television, gaming, digital media, and immersive technologies like virtual and augmented reality. With the WAVES initiative, India is set to establish new benchmarks in creativity and innovation, furthering its vision to become a global creative powerhouse.
