RULES FOR SUBMISSION
The following rules apply to all music video events at Anime Weekend Atlanta. All events operate at the discretion of The Video Art Track and Anime Weekend Atlanta crew. Rules are subject to change without notice. Category and Award descriptions available on this website are guidelines only. Crew may add, change, or eliminate categories as they see fit. Awards have no significant cash value. Often, they have no tangible value whatsoever.
By submitting an entry to The Video Art Track, the video editor grants The Video Art Track non-revocable permission to exhibit and distribute that work. The video editor otherwise retains all rights and responsibilities relating to their creation. The Video Art Track and Anime Weekend Atlanta supports Remix Culture. All participants retain all rights to the value added by their creative endeavors, and respect the rights retained by the original creators of the material they transform. The Video Art Track does not dictate decisions of artistic judgment. The artistic design of your entry can be anything you choose and may draw from any type of source material, aural or visual.
We encourage all artists to seek out new and original projects. You may enter as many events as you wish, but a single work may not be entered into more than one of our events, present or past. The Music Video Exposition accepts works that have participated in other events, even those that have previously won awards. Other events require new works that have not been publicly exhibited in any fashion, either at an event or online.
Submission Instructions
Read all the rules, especially the rules for the event in which you wish to enter. The majority of disqualifications that occur every year could be avoided if people simply review the rules before submitting.
All submissions should be in H.264 MPEG format. It's also critically important that you review your video for audio sync issues. If you have any questions about video format and conversion, please contact us at videoart@awa-con.com.
We only accept submissions online through the following form. We will not obtain your video from YouTube or any other website. The entire form with contact information must be completed for each video. Peer Review Online participants will be contacted at the email address provided with voting information. Multi-editor Projects (MEPs) and other works created by more than one person will need to designate one person as the point of contact for the work. This person should complete the submission form listing all editors in the Legal Name field. Masters
This is a Masters year! This contest, held every other year, represents our highest standard for both artistic and technical music video production. Masters is judged blind by the contest coordinator alone and, as expected of the flagship contest, all entries are held to the highest standards. Only one video will win Masters, but as many entries as possible will be given screen time at the Gala Awards Show.
- Deadline: All entries must be received by 11:59 PM Sunday, September 22, 2019, Eastern Time. This is an “in our hands”deadline. Your video should be completely uploaded by the deadline.
- Quantity: Each editor is allowed one entry.
- Right of First Exhibition: By submitting a video to this event, you are granting the Video Art Track the right of first exhibition of your submission. Submissions may not have been presented in any public venue nor published online in any fashion prior to their initial screening during the Gala Awards Show at Anime Weekend Atlanta (Saturday, November 2, 2019).
- Colabs/MEPs: The prize will not be duplicated or divided in the event multiple editors worked on the winning video. For this reason they are not recommended.
- Participation: Anyone may enter regardless or age or experience level.
- Bumpers/credits: All entries must be void of anything that would identify the creator. This includes bumpers, tickers, scrolls, credits, watermarks, etc.
(AKA: Expo)
Expo is your best opportunity to see your AMV on our big screen in the Video Art Track. The goal of The Music Video Exposition has always been to exhibit as many videos as possible from our wide array and styles of entries. Recognition is awarded as a way to thank the creators of our most outstanding entries. We generally recognize the standard (action, comedy, romance, etc.) as well as a wide range of one-off and legacy acknowledgments, including our “Grand Prize”, given to the most unconventional entry. In keeping with the Expo mission statement we will give our very best effort to showcase, during general viewing time in the Video Art Track, at least one video from every creator regardless of attendance. Happy editing and best of luck!
- Deadline: All entries in The Music Video Exposition must be received by 11:59 PM Sunday, September 22, 2019, Eastern Time. This is an “in our hands”deadline. Your video should be completely uploaded by the deadline.
- Quantity: There is no limit to the number of entries or duration.
- Participation: Anyone may submit a video to the Exposition, even if they will not be attending Anime Weekend Atlanta.
- Content: Videos exhibited during the Gala Awards Show and daytime hours are generally limited to the standards of an MPAA “R” rating. We at the Video Art Track reserve the right to make judgment calls for videos towing that line. These restrictions only apply to showcase and will not limit your entry from participation. Entries of an exclusively adult nature may be submitted but the editor will be contacted and recommended a resubmission to the “VAT Debauchery Challenge.” This will not be done automatically, we will always ask for consent prior to the relocation of a submission.
(Formerly: The Professional Contest, or simply “Pro”)
For the first Video Art Track, we wanted to offer something new in the way music videos were judged. Instead of having crew review the videos (which we do for the Exposition), or letting the audience vote on entries (common at many other conventions), an event was created to be judged exclusively by those who participated. Formerly named “The Professional Contest” this is an editors best opportunity to showcase their skills and unique styles to an audience comprised exclusively of fellow editors from within the hobby.
Why the name change?
The Professional Awards were created in the spirit of The Academy Awards of the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences. Over the years associations and connotations have changed among the participants. The core of the contest is a challenge to the editors to execute unique creations that will compete in a remote arena, to be judged by those same participants prior to the convention. Winners will be announced at the Gala Awards Show, Saturday (November 2nd, 2019) at AWA. This contest is completely driven by the editors that enter and as such should represent the pinnacle of one's own capabilities. Anyone regardless of skill level is invited and encouraged to participate.
How does the contest work?
All videos submitted will be available to download along with an online ballot. You will be asked to download and review the contest entries then vote on [first] what categories are appropriate given the entries. Next there is the nomination process, we ask you to simply select all videos that are worthy of finals and fit them into those categories. Multiple videos can fit into a number of categories and you may nominate as many as you wish. The videos with the most nominations in each category are considered the finalists and the rest are removed from consideration. The final phase is simply voting on the single best finalist in each category.
- Deadline: All entries in The VAT Peer Review must be received by 11:59 PM Sunday, September 15, 2019, Eastern Time. This is an “in our hands”deadline. Your video should be completely uploaded by the deadline.
- Participation: Anyone may participate, even if they will not be attending Anime Weekend Atlanta.
- Quantity: A maximum of 2 videos may be submitted by any individual. This includes collaborations and MEPs.
- Identification: All videos must be void of bumpers, credits, personal/studio watermarks or any other creator identification. How you choose to handle identification outside of the video content is entirely up to you. Some participants do enjoy a blind viewing, so let's respect everyone's judging styles. Any identifiers in the video or file name will immediately disqualify that entry.
- Content: There is no limit to the media used in your video.
(Any video with mature or explicit material will not be distributed to anyone under the age of 18. Nor will they be permitted to vote in any adult category(s).) - Length: The time restriction has been removed, but keep in mind your peers are judging your video. If you feel like your 35 minute, 5 act magnum opus deserves the admiration of your fellow editors, that's your decision to make. However understand that they may not agree.
- Right of First Exhibition: By submitting a video to this event, you are granting the Video Art Track the right of first exhibition of your submission. Submissions may not have been presented in any public venue nor published online in any fashion prior to their initial screening during the Gala Awards Show at Anime Weekend Atlanta (Saturday, November 2, 2019). This includes any other conventions during the same weekend.
What if my video is disqualified? In the event of disqualification the editor will be contacted via the email provided. Generally entrants are given the right to resubmit the entry into Expo. This will not be done automatically, we will always ask for consent prior to the relocation of a video.
(AKA: The Hentai Contest)
This is the one and only AWA hentai AMV contest! This is your opportunity to showcase your deepest, darkest, furriest secrets much to the disgust of our captive audience
- Deadline: All entries must be received by 11:59 PM Sunday, September 22, 2019, Eastern Time. This is an “in our hands”deadline. Your video should be completely uploaded by the deadline.
- Participation: All entrants must be eighteen (18) years of age or older at the time of submission.
- Content: All videos submitted to this contest should be of a mature nature and animated.
This is AWA's exclusive on-site MEP contest. Returning for it's 4th glorious year, Thunderdome allows attendees an opportunity to compete in a true community event with and against friends at the convention. We set you up with a dedicated room, the hardware, the footage; all you need to do is assemble a team and sign up for edit times.
- Participation: Anyone attending Anime Weekends Atlanta may participate, regardless of prior AMV experience.
- Footage and hardware: Everything needed to create your music video will be provided at the convention.
- Song: Prior to the convention decide on a song and submit it. For each song submission I will choose an alternative and your first editor will be given an opportunity to select the song or the alternative (methodology for the selection changes from year-to-year.)
- Judging: All MEPs will be shown at VAT closing and selected based on audience reaction.
(ALL NEW FOR 2019!!)
Finally a way to promote your favorite department or event at AWA! For the first time ever we're offering all editors the opportunity to help create content for the convention itself. To help promote events at AWA we need your help in creating a few unique commercials to be shown on the AWA dark channel in the hotel.
- Subject matter: Commercial needn't be VAT related but must be for an AWA event.
Examples: the AMV Contest, the Cosplay Contest, the manga library, maid cafe, the dealers room, artists alley, etc. It could even be a daily reminder to shower. - Content: All commercials should conform to the MPAA “PG” guidelines.
- Length: Commercials of ten (10) to fifteen (15) seconds are recommended, up to a maximum length of thirty (30) seconds.
- Awards: Four (4) winners will receive one (1) weekend pass to Anime Weekend Atlanta 2019.
- Deadline: All entries must be received by 11:59pm Sunday September 1, 2019.
Winners announced here: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=130555&p=1567964#p1567964
