Interesting: changing the name from "manga" to "comics" to reflect the desired scope of submissions.
"While this is the fourth time that this competition has been held, it is the first since its name was changed from the Morning International Manga Competition (M.I.M.C.) to the Morning International Comic Competition (M.I.C.C.). Throughout the previous three competitions, we found ourselves keenly noticing something. While in Japan the word "manga" (マンガ) encompasses many broad genres and is still home to innovation and freshness, the term "manga" abroad refers to works of fantasy that are drawn in a specific style, and further confined to a small genre.
This time, we saw an immediate change resulting from the contest's revised name, as we received many submissions that could be classified as "seinen manga," the genre that our magazine Morning primarily publishes. Not only that, we also received many highly exciting works with stories and visual designs that we could not imagine ever seeing from creators within the Japanese industry. We value this quality, as seen by the prize-winning works."
Home of the work-group building GNARP, based currently in an online Collaboratory of the Department of Comparative Literature at Stanford University. Features posts for discussion on various topics relating to graphic narratives such as graphic novels, manga and comics, as well as tools for interaction between members of the collaboratory. Contact the founder of this Diigo group for more information or to join the effort to pool the exciting scholarship being done on graphic narratives and its explosion in current pop culture.
Website of comics connoisseur Robert (Bob) A. Buethe:
From AllExperts:
About Bob Buethe
Expertise
Can answer questions about American (and some European and Asian) comic strips, cartoonists, and comic books. Also well-versed on topics related to cartooning techniques, composition, and art supplies.
Experience
Forty years reading and collecting comic books. Over twenty years as an amateur cartoonist. Extensive library of cartoon- and comic-related reference books.
Publications:
Hogan's Alley magazine
Mensa Bulletin
Mphasis