Witch Hat Atelier Takes Best Manga at the Harvey Awards Again

The Harvey Awards, which celebrate outstanding work in comics and sequential art, revealed this year’s winners on Friday at New York Comic Con.

Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama, published in English by Kodansha USA and translated by Stephen Kohler, took home Best Manga. It is the second time the series has claimed the honor, having also won back in 2020.

The Best Manga category, which the Harvey Awards introduced in 2018, has become a nice annual spotlight for the medium, and Witch Hat Atelier’s repeat win speaks to its lasting acclaim.

Elsewhere, several WEBTOON Originals competed in the Digital Book of the Year category, including The Mafia Nanny, Morgana and Oz, and Castle Swimmer, alongside a Viz one shot. In the end, though, the award went to Sarah’s Scribbles by Sarah Anderson.

It made for a strong showing for comics of all kinds, with manga, webtoons, and indie work all sharing the stage.

My take: Witch Hat Atelier winning twice is no surprise given how breathtaking its art is, and it is wonderful to see manga and webtoons recognized side by side with western comics. A great night for the medium overall.