India is stepping into the global anime space with scale. IMAGE Infotainment Limited has announced “The GIANT Hunt”, a worldwide anime and manga contest that also aims to set a Guinness World Record for the largest competition of its kind.

The pitch is simple. Open the doors to anyone who can draw, from school students to professionals, and take it global. The prize pool stands at ₹3 crore, one of the biggest seen in this space. The top winner gets a 2BHK home. Other rewards include cars, bikes, gold coins and gaming consoles.

Entries open from April 1 and run till June 30. The contest will be fully online and accepts both hand-drawn and digital work. There is a clear line drawn on one point. No AI-generated art. The organisers say the idea is to keep the focus on human creativity at a time when machines are taking over large parts of design.

The competition is split into three age groups, starting from 8 years and above. Winners will be announced by the end of July, followed by an awards event in Chennai in August.

For Indian participants, there are a few extra hooks. Nine winners will get a trip to Japan. The first one lakh registrations from India will also receive small vouchers.

Behind the scale is a larger push. The organisers are trying to build a global stage for artists from India and beyond, at a time when anime is seeing a steady rise in the country. To make it easier for beginners, the platform will also offer tutorials and content in multiple languages.

The jury reflects that global intent. It includes artists and creators from Japan, the US and India, many of whom have worked on well-known anime and streaming projects.

The bigger question is whether India can move from being a large consumer of anime to a serious creator base. With “The GIANT Hunt”, the attempt is to test that ambition in one shot.

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