Kamome Shirahama‘s Witch Hat Atelier was recently named Best Manga at the 37th Harvey Awards.
The fantasy manga, which follows a young girl who becomes a witch-in-training after an incident and is translated in English by Stephen Kohler, previously won the award in 2020.
Vanessa Tenazas, an English editor for Kodansha, accepted the award on behalf of Shirahama and read out a message from the manga creator. As part of that message, Shirahama said, “When accepting my first Harvey, I talked about how I started Witch Hat Atelier because I wanted to convey the idea that anyone, no matter who they are, can use magic and become a witch capable of changing the world.
“Although the characters have been on many adventures since then, that core theme has not changed. I continue writing with the belief that the pens people hold in their hands are not swords meant to hurt people who are weaker than them, but magic wands to change the world for the better. The inner spark in each of us that can bring about that happier place.
“In receiving this award tonight, I hope that message can reach even more out there.”
Witch Hat Atelier debuted in 2016 in Kodansha’s Monthly Morning Two and will get its 15th volume on November 21, 2025 JST. A TV anime adaptation is scheduled for a 2026 release, following a delay from its 2025 premiere plans.
This year, it competed against The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn’t a Guy at All (Sumiko Arai, translated by Ajani Oloye for Yen Press), The Summer Hikaru Died (Mokumokuren, translated by Ajani Oloye for Yen Press), Tokyo These Days (Taiyo Matsumoto, translated by Michael Arias for VIZ Media), and Wind Breaker (Satoru Nii, translated by Jacqueline Fung for Kodansha Comics).
The 37th Harvey Awards ceremony was held at New York Comic Con 2025.
Source: @KodanshaManga