Hyderabad hosts regional WAM! contest for anime and manga enthusiasts

Hyderabad: The Telangana Academy for Skill and Knowledge (TASK) at Masab Tank hosted the Hyderabad chapter of WAM! (WAVES Anime & Manga Contest) on Saturday, attracting participants from across the state. The event saw students, professionals and enthusiasts compete in categories such as anime, manga, webtoons and cosplay.

Organised by the Telangana VFX, Animation and Gaming Association (TVAGA), the competition aimed to promote original Indian content in visual storytelling formats that are gaining popularity among younger audiences. Selected finalists will represent Hyderabad at the national finals, where they will compete for a sponsored trip to Anime Japan 2026 in Tokyo.

The winners in the Cosplay category were Satya (winner), Bharath (runner-up) and Tharun R (second runner-up). In the Manga category, the student winner was Saakshi Shirali and the professional winner was Vamsi Bandaru. In the anime category, the professional winners were Premanand, Sai Charan and M Sai Sudeep.

The anime finalists will have their pilots dubbed in multiple languages by Gulmohar Media, while the webtoon winners will be featured on Toonsutra's global platform. WAM! is part of the WAVES (World Audio Visual Entertainment Summit) initiative supported by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Govt of India.