Maruko Kohinata's 'Akari' Wins French ACBD Asia Award, Nominated in US

Manga artist Maruko Kohinata's work 'Akari' has won the 2026 ACBD Asia Award, a major French comics prize. The story, published in English and French, was also nominated for the American Manga Awards and France's West France Prize.

The ACBD Asia Award is presented annually by the French Critics and Journalists Association for Comics (ACBD) to the best Asian comic published in French.

'Akari' tells the story of Kagari, a stained-glass artist who has lost his purpose after his wife's death. His life changes when his long-lost granddaughter, Akari, visits him, and the two reconnect through the craft of glassmaking.

The French edition, published by Le Lezard Noir, was nominated for the West France Prize at the Quai des Bulles festival. The English edition from Glacier Bay Books is a nominee for Best One-Shot Manga at the 2026 American Manga Awards, with winners to be announced at Anime NYC in August.

Kohinata created 'Akari' as an homage to her grandfather, a stained-glass craftsman who passed away in 2018. The Japanese edition was published by Heroes in 2022. The artist, who debuted while at Musashino Art University, is currently serializing a new work, 'Watashi wa Obake,' in Monthly Comic Beam.

Source: PR Times via 一般財団法人出版文化産業振興財団