Announcement & discussion of Anime Music Video contests
Forum rules
Coordinators who fail to maintain necessary communication with entrants, or provide timely updates on results may be barred from announcing future events.
To check the status of your AMV submission, visit the following link: http://goo.gl/NGhlXD
Please direct any questions or comments to:
amv(AT)anime-expo.org
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Most important changes compared to 2014's rules: 1) AMV freshness must be October 1st, 2014 or newer. [Bonus Category entries exempt] 2) Micro-vid reels [AKA: AMV-Hell entries] are no longer eligible to compete. 3) Lots of rules simplification and unnecessary verbiage removed to reduce TL;DR.
Submission Instructions
• Step One: Register using the provided link. Do this even if your AMVs are not yet ready. We will email you an entrant code within 48 hours along with further instructions.
• Step Two: As you wait for your code, please prepare a way for us to obtain your AMVs. We recommend a cyber-locker service such as Dropbox. *
• Step Three: When you receive the email with your entrant code, follow its instructions.
We must be able to obtain your submissions by the deadline date! **
(*) You must provide a file. We will not accept links to YouTube, Vimeo, or similar.
(**) Postal mail entries are no longer accepted.
Questions or comments? Contact us at:
amv[AT]anime-expo.org
Category Choices:
Entrants are to classify each entry under any one of the category choices below.
Limited Category Restrictions: Two entries maximum. Neither entry may be in the same category.
Standard Categories: ** • Comedy/Humor • Fun • Upbeat/Dance
Standard Category Restrictions: Three entries maximum, minus the number of Limited Category entries you submit. Multiple entries may be sent to the same category, but only one will be able to advance to the finals.
Maximum total of entries you may submit (Limited Categories + Standard Categories): Three
(*) Limited Categories differ from Standard Categories only in that there are stricter limits on how many you may submit.
(**) Depending on the kind of entries we receive, these categories may be rearranged or combined to ensure competitive balance.
Bonus Categories:
• TV Commercials • Movie Trailers & TV Intros
The Bonus Categories are a special activity separate from the main competition. Selected entries will be shown as intermissions between each main competition category. There are also special rule exceptions:
- You may submit up to five entries to the Bonus Categories. These do not count against your submission count for the main contest categories.
- Entries to this category are also exempt from the freshness rule.
• Pre-Show
Pre-Show is a non-competitive “coordinator’s choice” block selected from the list of competition non-finalists. It is shown during audience seating just before the AMV competition starts. If your entry doesn’t make it to the finals, there is a chance it might be exhibited during this block.
The final four videos that play in the pre-show block are considered “Honorable Mentions”.
Technical Standards:
Spoiler :
• We accept only MP4, MKV, AVI, MOV, MPG, or M2TS file formats. (We suggest MP4.)
• Files must be less than 250MB (unless you’ve gotten permission from us in advance).
• No video quality defects (interlacing, macro-blocks, banding, blurring or aliased lines). *
• No audio quality defects (audible distortion, overdriven levels, low sample-rate/bitrate).*
• No low-resolution entries. 480p is the minimum. HD 720p or 1080p is preferred. **
• Your entry must not require a strange degree of difficulty to work with. ***
(*) We expect your entries to look and sound as good as a store-bought DVD or Blu-Ray. (**) We use 720p to exhibit the event. We gladly accept 1080p entries, but they will downscaled. (***) If we find a correctable problem with your entry, we will offer an opportunity to fix it if time permits.
The Rules:
Disqualification Rules:
Spoiler :
• 1) Technical Standards Compliance
Entries we deem to have not satisfied our technical standards may be disqualified.
• 2) Submission Freshness Requirement
Your entry must not have been viewable to the public (online or at an event) prior to the freshness cut-off date of October 1st, 2014. * (*) Bonus Category entries are exempt, but must not have been sent to a past AX AMV Contest.
• 3) Forbidden Material
-- a) Subtitles and/or karaoke lyrics. *
-- b) Corner watermark logos (MBS, Tokyo MX, Nippon TV, Crunchyroll, Divx, etc.) *
-- c) References to other contests or events (Japan Expo, Akross, etc.) *
-- d) Intros, Closings, Titles, or Credit Slates * (*) Exceptions may be granted if such usage is deemed an essential part of your entry’s concept.
• 4) Video Length Limits AMVs: 1min 15sec minimum, 6min maximum. Movie Trailers & TV Intros: No minimum, 3min 30sec maximum. TV Commercials: No minimum, 1min maximum.
• 5) Explicit Content
The content and context of your entry must be suitable for an age 13+ audience.
• 6) Non-Anime Content
Your entry’s visual content must be at least 70% anime-styled or manga-styled content.
• 7) Non-Music Content
The audio content of all AMV entries must primarily be music. Entries with excessive and/or non-essential dialogue may be disqualified. * (*) Bonus Category entries are exempt from this rule.
• 8) Submission Maximums
Entrants that exceed submission maximums shall have all excess entries disqualified.
• 9) Micro-Vid Reels
Entries that are primarily a reel of multiple unrelated and random micro-AMVs (AKA: AMV-Hell styled entries) are not eligible to compete.
Policies and Conditions:
Spoiler :
• a) You unconditionally grant us eternal, irrevocable, and limitless permission to use, copy, share, and exhibit your submission(s) in any way including for purposes and usages outside of or unrelated to this event, and you grant this permission with no expectation of compensation, remuneration, or any form of obligation from us of any kind.
• b) The judges and coordinators may change the categorization of any entry.
• c) The coordinators and judges may accept or reject any entry for any fair and justifiable reason not foreseen in these rules.
• d) The coordinators and judges are the final interpreters of any rule. Their decisions are final.
• e) Dishonesty, plagiarism of other AMVs (in whole or in part), or any actions that cause grief or dishonor to the event or to others may result in the offender being excluded from future SPJA AMV activities. Severe cases may result in banishment from future SPJA events.
Legal Disclaimer
Spoiler :
For the sake of the entire “Submission Guidelines and Rules” document, the terms “we”, “our” and “us” refer to the SPJA, Anime Expo, its subsidiaries, affiliates, associates, staff, and volunteers. The terms “you” and “your” refers to the participant as well as anyone acting on the participant’s behalf.
In consideration of participation in a contest, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, you, on your behalf, and on behalf of your heirs, successors or assigns, administrators and personal representatives, do hereby FOREVER DISCHARGE, INDEMNIFY, FULLY RELEASE AND COVENANT NOT TO SUE SPJA, and each of their respective direct and indirect subsidiaries, affiliates, partners and related entities, their respective directors, officers, employees, volunteers, agents, insurers, attorneys, shareholders and representatives, and each predecessor, successor, and assign thereof, from and against any and all actions, charges, claims, losses, costs, damages, expenses (including attorneys’ fees and expenses) and liabilities of any kind or character, whether known or unknown, in connection with, arising out of or in any way related to your participation in the contest. By providing a submission to this contest, you agree to comply with and be bound by all rules, policies, requirements, and conditions outlined in this document.
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Please direct any questions or comments to:
amv(AT)anime-expo.org
Thank you, and good luck!
Last edited by XStylus on Sat Jul 04, 2015 9:08 pm, edited 5 times in total.
"Understanding is a three-edged sword: Your side, their side, and the truth." — J. Michael Straczynski
Tsu! wrote:No game trailers allowed in the bonus categories this year? I'm happy to see TV Intros added, should be fun.
With regards to the Bonus Category, there will be much leniency. I'll go so far as to say that if it's anime/manga styled regardless of origin, or if it's popularly relevant to the anime fan community (Ponies/RWBY/Korracoughcough), it will at least make it to the judges and won't get an automatic DQ.
As for the Main Competition categories, we will be deciding carefully on the anime-ness and/or Japanese-ness of the source. In regards to game footage, if it's a Japanese game that's traditionally been considered acceptable for use at AMV events, it'll be fine.
On a related topic, let me just say flat out that Pony vids won't be accepted to the Main Categories. They're neither anime-styled nor Japanese. However, anime-styled non-Japanese content is a gray area that is still under debate. I would probably decide to let such vids advance to the judges and subject those vids to their tender mercies.
Last edited by XStylus on Thu Jan 01, 2015 10:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"Understanding is a three-edged sword: Your side, their side, and the truth." — J. Michael Straczynski
Hmm. I meant more in the sense of last year's winning Dead Space trailer. Audio from a video game trailer, animation from anime. Would that still be considered ok?
Fanime 2014-2015, 2018-2019 AMV Contest - Department Head Fanime 2016-2017 AMV Contest - Lurking Department Second
Tsu! wrote:Hmm. I meant more in the sense of last year's winning Dead Space trailer. Audio from a video game trailer, animation from anime. Would that still be considered ok?
Ah, I misunderstood. Hmm... good point. Yes, they would be okay and would not be DQ'd. Again, the Bonus Categories will be screened fairly leniently.
"Understanding is a three-edged sword: Your side, their side, and the truth." — J. Michael Straczynski
XStylus wrote:With regards to the Bonus Category, there will be much leniency. I'll go so far as to say that if it's anime/manga styled regardless of origin, or if it's popularly relevant to the anime fan community (Ponies/RWBY/Korracoughcough), it will at least make it to the judges and won't get an automatic DQ.
