Nagpur, 26 March 2025

Union Ministry of Information & Broadcasting in collaboration with The Media & Entertainment Association of India (MEAI), and G. H. Raisoni College of Engineering and Management (GHRCEM), Nagpur successfully hosted WAM! (WAVES Anime & Manga Contest) Nagpur 2025. This event, a part of WAVES (World Audio Visual Entertainment Summit)’s Create in India Challenge initiative brought together some of Central India’s most promising artists, animators, voice actors, and cosplayers. The WAVES summit will be organised in Mumbai during 1 to 4 th May 2025.

WAM!  Nagpur continued its mission to promote and nurture India’s emerging talent in anime, manga, and webtoon, driving the initiative forward. The event witnessed enthusiastic participation across multiple categories, including Manga (Japanese-style comics),Webtoon (digital comics),Anime (Japanese-style animation),Voice Acting Showdown  and Cosplay Competition

The WAM  event in Nagpur was judged by a distinguished panel of industry veterans which includes Sushil Bhasin – CMD, Bhasin Group & President, Media & Entertainment Association of India, Arpit Dubey – CEO, Kyra Animation Pvt Ltd & Co-Chairman, MP AVGC-XR ,Media and Entertainment Association and Nilesh Patel – CEO, Nilesh Patel Animation Studio & Vertical Director, MP AVGC-XR Media and Entertainment Association.

The award ceremony of WAM event was graced by  the dignitaries from GHRCEM, Nagpur, including: Dr. Vivek Kapur, Director, GHRCEM, Nagpur, Prof. Anupam Chaube, Dean, Science & Technology, GHRCEM, Nagpur, Dr. Sandhya Dahake, HOD, MCA Dept., GHRCEM, Nagpur and  Prof. Neeraj Kumar Jha, Co-ordinator, WAM, GHRCEM, Nagpur MCA Department, G. H. Raisoni College of Engineering and Management (GHRCEM), Nagpur played a crucial role in coordinating and facilitating the entire event.

Results of WAM! Nagpur 2025

• Cosplay

Winner: Mahewish Shoukat Sayyad

First Runner-up: Shantanu Deshpande

Second Runner-up: Vansh Naik

• Manga competition 

Winner - Anisha Bangre (Student)

• Webtoon

Winner: Anjali Verma (Professional).

• Anime

Winners:  Shubhranshu Singh, Shephali Singh, Nihal Dungdung, Pratham Virani

All winners were awarded with Pen Tablets and Cash Rewards. Additionally, Anime winners are promised English, Hindi, and Japanese dubs for their pilot episode, ensuring global reach. Toonsutra has confirmed distribution of Webtoon winners’ work on their platform. A few organizations also assured job placements for WAM! winners and internships for budding artists looking to start their careers in the animation industry.

The earlier editions of were conducted in Mumbai, Guwahati, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Varanasi, and Delhi.

About WAVES

The Government of India is set to host the first-ever World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES), a landmark event for the Media & Entertainment (M&E) sector, from May 1^st to 4^th, 2025, in Mumbai. Whether you're an industry professional, investor, creator, or innovator, WAVES – as a global platform - offers the ultimate platform to connect, collaborate, innovate and contribute to the global M&E landscape.

With a vision to position India as a global creative powerhouse, WAVES aims to set new benchmarks in creativity, innovation, and influence on the world stage. The summit will magnify India’s creative strength, amplifying its position as a hub for content creation, intellectual property, and technological innovation. Industries and sectors in focus include Broadcasting, Print Media, Television, Radio, Films, Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, Sound And Music, Advertising, Digital Media, Social Media Platforms, Generative AI, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and extended reality (XR).

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