With a career spanning over 40 years, Takahashi has long been considered one of the most influential manga artists ever. Many of her stories have been adapted into anime, film, live-action, video games, and other mediums for both Japanese and international audiences. Her nine works spanning 200 volumes have sold over 200 million copies worldwide. In 1994, she became a recipient of San Diego Comic-Con’s Inkpot Award, and in July 2018 she was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Awards Hall of Fame after being previously nominated in 2014, 2016, and 2017.
The Grand Prix is awarded each year to one cartoonist in honor of their lifetime achievements as selected by an international group of cartoonists. In addition to Takahasi, the 2019 finalists included Chris Ware and Emmanuel Guibert. Previous winners of the Grand Prix have included Will Eisner, Art Spiegelman, and Bill Watterson, among others.
