PopCult Anime Con 2019 AMV Contest!

[KeiichiFace]

It's back...

Hey party people! I'm getting to this literally a month later than I wanted to! That's life for you.

The basic rundown:
PopCult Anime Con 2019 will be held in Framingham, MA on August 3rd and 4th, 2019.
You can submit up to 2 videos per editor. If you are attending the con, you may submit a third.
There is a con theme category this year! The theme is magical, so bring on those witches and wizards, baby.
All submissions are due by July 19th, 2019 at 11:59pm EST.
Due to issues in previous contests, we are no longer able to "track down" any winners who fail to provide a complete and accurate address. Failure to do so will automatically forfeit any physical prize. Check your entries, please!

The long version is under the cut:

Spoiler :

General Rules
1. The deadline is July 19, 2019, at 11:59pm EST. No deadline extensions will be given.

2. Minimum specifications:
a. All video submissions must be at least 720p. Anything lower resolution will not be accepted. Your footage quality may affect your overall chances of getting into the contest. Make sure you check for artifacting, stray frames, etc.
b. Please try to keep your video file size smaller than 350mb. Zarx264gui is a free and straightforward program used to compress large file sizes; please search for tutorials should you need any (Google is your friend!).
c. Your entry should be at least 75% animation or video game footage that originated in Japan. If your multi-anime video features a few seconds of Korra, that’s fine. If your video is entirely Avatar the Last Airbender, that’s not fine (but I’m sure it’s a great vid).
d. Videos must be in a format that can be read by VLC Media Player.

3. UPDATED: Every participant is allowed two (2) entries. If you are attending the convention, you are allowed one additional entry, for a total of three (3) entries. Being listed on a multi-editor project (MEP) video submitted counts as one of your video entries.

4. If possible, title your entries as follows: “Studio Name – Video Title – Song – Artist.mp4”
a. Studio name: Your name as you would like it to appear on the ballot.
b. Video title: Your video title as you would like it to appear on the ballot.
c. Song: The name of the song.
d. Artist: The name of who sings the song/where you got the audio from.

5. Acceptable framerates are 23.976, 24, 25, 29.97, and 30. If your video does not meet these specifications, it may/will be converted to the nearest acceptable framerate.

6. Please check over your submission form before sending it in. Do not send in a submission form without a video link! UPDATE: As of 2019, we will no longer be "hunting down" information that was not included in the initial entry. This means that if your video wins but you fail to provide an accurate or complete address, you will not receive your award.

7. All submissions must be made over a cloud-based file sharing service that is accessible to the public (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.).

8. No studio bumpers or credits before or after your video. Your video may be disqualified for containing these.

9. The following are grounds for immediate disqualification:
a. Subtitles (including “fansubs”) of any nature (if the subtitles are added by the editor for the video, it will be considered on a case-by-case basis);
b. Audio from a commercial English-language dub;
c. Studio logos, TV watermarks, video encoder watermarks—pretty much any logo or watermark that you did not put for parody purposes;
d. Sexually explicit lyrics, excessive curse words (keep it PG-13), or otherwise explicit lyrics;
***Nudity, sexual content, or excessive gore/violence will be considered on a case-by-case basis, but it will usually get you disqualified.

10. Freshness Rule: AMVs must have premiered on or after July 1st, 2018. This includes online and at-convention premieres.

11. The categories this year are:
a. Drama
b. Action
c. NEW! Romance
d. Upbeat/Fun
e. NEW! Comedy
f. NEW! Con Theme: Magical!
Should any of these categories fail to receive an adequate number of submissions, quality or quantity, the AMV Judge Panel reserves the right to alter video category specifications.

12. Finalists will be determined by a panel of judges of both AMV creators and non-creators. It is a blind selection; please do not put anything in your AMV that includes your studio, name, etc.

13. PopCult Anime Convention staff, as well as editors affiliated with Tsunderbird Studios, are not permitted to be considered in the contest.

14. By submitting to the PopCult Anime Convention AMV contest, you agree to your video being used at future PopCult Anime Conventions.

15. The AMV Contest Coordinator reserves the right to reject a video on any basis without warning.

***In order to provide con attendees with the best possible show, and to avoid confusion, the anti-trolling rule has been removed. However, should you have previously won a major category award, I personally encourage you to submit a different video to avoid the audience viewing a similar contest to other local conventions in the New England area.***

SUBMIT HERE: https://forms.gle/aTibXYQJR7DXVsJy6

Thank you all, and happy AMVing!

[KeiichiFace]

The ribbons have been purchased, and they're super pretty! Get those entries in so that you can take one home (or get one in the mail)!

[KeiichiFace]

Give me your AMVs! O:<

Especially if you have any "magical" videos, I'd love to have those! The con theme winner gets a very special ribbon. Also looking for more Upbeat and Comedy!

[KeiichiFace]

Less than 2 weeks left!!

[SynaesthesiaVideos]

finalist list up?

[KeiichiFace]

FINALISTS!!

In no particular order:

Aquiline Studios (Cyanna)
BecauseImBored1
BioticAMVs
DopplerDo
EspressoYourself
Kirbygal
MapleMAD
MinetChan
NATALEO
Nuke
ObsessiveBookworm
Opner
Pikapwn
Rider4Z
ShadyMacro
Soltaru
Synaesthesia Productions
Team Insinct
TwigglyFiggly
Xophilarus and ShinAMV
Zeeruy

As a reminder, all entrants - not just finalists - are eligible for the Coordinator's Choice Award! Thank you to all who submitted. I hope to see you there!

[KeiichiFace]

Great contest this year! And we got to have TWO showings, both of which were very popular.

The following are our fantastic winners:

Drama: Parallel - BioticAMVs - Violet Evergarden - "Restless Soul" by Flor

Action: fullmetal dingus energy - BioticAMVs - FullMetal Alchemist - "Natural" by Imagine Dragons

Romance: Jackie & Wilson - EspressoYourself - Kids on the Slope - "Jackie and Wilson" by Hozier

Con Theme: Hard Reset - DopplerDo - Madoka Magica - "Heartbeat" by Kaivon

Upbeat: Nani mo Shinai Camp - Soltaru - Yuru Camp - "Break" by Kero Kero Bonito

Comedy: KonoSuba Rhapsody - Opner - KonoSuba - "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen

Best in Show: Dance Like It's Your Life - Synaesthesia Productions - Various Anime - "Dance Like It's Your Life" by Thumpasaurus

Coordinator's Choice: Look for Heaven - ShadyMacro - "It's Not This" by Bearson

I am PERSONALLY going to be sending out the award ribbons this week, so we will avoid any and all award fiascos. Thank you to all who participated!

[SynaesthesiaVideos]

lol, I won best in show??

you guys

[espressoyourself]

Thank you!!