In News:

In line with the vision of “Create in India, Create for the World,” the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, in partnership with the Media & Entertainment Association of India (MEAI), is hosting WAVES 2025—India’s largest summit for the Media & Entertainment (M&E) sector. A major highlight of this summit is the WAM! (WAVES Anime & Manga Contest)—India’s first national initiative to promote original Indian IPs in anime, manga, webtoons, and cosplay.

What is WAM!?

• Full Form: WAVES Anime & Manga Contest.
• Nature: India’s first national initiative focused on discovering and nurturing original Indian creative intellectual properties (IPs) in:Anime, Manga, Webtoons&Cosplay
• Organisers: Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, in collaboration with MEAI.
• Finale: To be held at WAVES 2025, from May 1–4, 2025, at the Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai.
• Participants: Finalists from 11 cities selected through regional contests.

Global Support & Incentives

• Crunchyroll, a global anime platform (a joint venture of Sony Pictures Entertainment and Aniplex, Japan), is the Title Sponsor of WAM! 2025.
• It has introduced a Creator Development Grant to support Indian talent and foster global-ready original content.

Grant Details

Category       Student (INR)       Professional (INR)

Manga          25,000                    25,000

Webtoon      25,000                    25,000

Anime           50,000                    50,000

• Winners of WAM! 2025 will represent India at Anime Japan 2026 in Tokyo—one of the world's leading anime conventions—marking India’s presence on the global animation stage.

About WAVES 2025

• Full Form: World Audio-Visual & Entertainment Summit.
• Objective: Showcase India's capabilities in content creation, technological innovation, and media & entertainment IP development.
• Hosted by: Government of India.
• Venue: Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai

Key Pillars of WAVES 2025

• AVGC-XR Sector Focus:Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics&Extended Reality (XR) including AR, VR, and Mixed Reality.
• "Create in India" Challenges (CIC):
  • Season 1 witnessed over 1 lakh registrations, including 1,100 international participants.
  • 750+ finalists selected through 32 unique creative challenges.
• Thematic Focus Areas:
  • Broadcasting, Films, Television, Radio
  • Print & Digital Media, Advertising, Social Media Platforms
  • Sound & Music
  • Generative AI, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Extended Reality (XR)
• Target Audience: Content creators, industry professionals, investors, technology innovators, and global studios.