The 2024 ANIMAZEMENT AMV Contest Guidelines
“202(4) Year Of The Square”
For 2024, Animazement will continue to feature “Four” AMV Contests.
Please READ for details. The Four Contests (NOT Categories) will be “The Professional AMV Contest”, “The Amateur AMV Contest”, “The 18+ AMV Contest”, & “The Japanese Live-Action Video Contest”.
The Professional AMV Contest*: “THE PRO’s” now have their own AMV Contest, and we are hoping that the competition will be strong. If you want to test your metal against other hardcore AMV creators, then this is the contest for you. Fame and glory could be yours, but do you have the SKILL to take the gold?!!! There will be TWO (2) cash-based prizes for the winners of this contest: First Place Best In Show, and Best In Show Runner Up.
The 18+ AMV Contest: This contest is open to BOTH amateur & professional AMV Creators. THIS IS NOT A HENTAI AMV CONTEST. All hentai submissions WILL be disqualified. If Animazement's family friendly policy has ever kept you from entering that perfect AMV simply because the song you’ve chosen has explicit lyrics, or a scene from an anime was too bloody, extreme, or had mild nudity, then we’re giving you the chance to show us what you've got. All prizes in this category will award anime merch such as figures, statues, toys, manga, art books, and anime / Japanese live action Blu-Rays or DVDs.
**NOTE** Only “Mild Nudity” will be allowed. For best reference, we are using the term “Ranma Level” to describe how much is acceptable.
The Amateur AMV Contest*: Have you ever wanted to make an AMV and enter it on the convention level, but were intimidated by the steep competition? Well, this is the contest for you! Who cares if you don’t have the expensive editing software, or the experience? As long as you have a concept, and the ambition, this is the contest to get in on the ground floor. This contest will have ZERO cash based prizes. All prize categories will award anime merch such as figures, statues, toys, manga, art books, and anime / Japanese live action Blu-Rays or DVDs. Unlike the Professional Contest, there will be MANY more prizes given out.
The Godzilla/Kaiju Video Contest: In 1954 Godzilla hit theaters in Japan. Two years later, in 1956, he made his way to the U.S. Since then, the “King Of Monsters” has inspired a fandom, leaving them frothing at the mouth for more Kaiju battles. Godzilla has had dozens of sequels, spin-offs, and Kaiju imitators. Do you have a favorite Japanese Kaiju movie or TV series? Do you want to share your love of 50+ foot tall giant monsters? This year we’re opening the flood gates. All Videos must use footage from “JAPANESE” Kaiju media (Sorry, other Asian giant monster media will be disqualified). This contest is open to BOTH Professional & Amateur creators. All prizes in this category will award anime merch such as figures, statues, toys, manga, art books, and anime / Japanese live action Blu-Rays or DVDs.
*NOTE: For the “Professional” and “Amateur” AMV Contests, you can enter in one or the other, NOT BOTH. You either consider yourself a professional AMV content creator, or an amateur, and the two shall not mingle on the contest stage!!!
NOTE #2: This is new territory for Animazement. If we do not receive enough entries for a specific contest, we reserve the right to merge entries to fill the allotted time slots on the convention schedule.
NOTE #3: Due to unexpected circumstances in 2023, we were unable to present the “18+ AMV Contest.” All entries from the 2023 contest will be carried over to 2024. If you submitted an entry for 2023, we will be contacting you.
AMV Guidelines
1. Your video should be no more than five minutes in length. If you feel your video needs to exceed this length, please include a short explanation in the comments section of your submission form.
2. Try to keep your file size below 400MB. If your video requires a larger size to maintain quality, that is fine. We won’t disqualify anyone for a high quality video.
3. No titles or credits, please. Also, do not include studio bumpers or logos. These take up time, and distract from your actual creation. A standard title card with credits will be provided for you.
4. Footage used must be primarily from an anime, video game, or Japanese live-action source. You may use multiple video sources. Please list all video sources on the entry form.
5. Audio should be primarily music, without excessive dialogue or narration. You may use multiple audio sources. If you use more than one song, or non-song audio sources, include each of them in the appropriate space on the entry form. Some spoken parts are acceptable given the context of your video (i.e. if you are making a Parody or Trailer-style AMV).
6. No subtitles from fansubs or commercial releases. Subtitles that you add yourself are okay.
7. Avoid using video sources with timestamps, network logos, karaoke text, or other visual distractions.
8. If selected, your video will be shown on the big screen via an LCD projector. Try to use the highest-quality video sources you can, and keep in mind that some video will look different when projected.
9. Animazement is a family-friendly convention, so take this into consideration when it comes to choosing in which contest to participate. Submissions containing nudity, offensive language, and/or excessive violence will be put in the 18+ contest automatically. Try not to include anything over a “PG-13″ rating if your video is intended for a contest other than the 18+ contest.
10. No more than two entries per contestant or studio in each individual contest. If you want us to consider one of your entries as your primary entry, clearly label it in the comments section of your submission form.
11. If your video has won two or more major awards at other conventions prior to your submission it may be disqualified. (This refers to the specific video you submit to us–it’s fine if your past videos have won awards!)
12. While we ask that you select a category for your video within a specific contest, we reserve the right to re-assign or add additional categories if it will better represent the videos we receive.
13. Please keep in mind that some source video and audio is over-used at AMV contests. We won’t disqualify your video, even if your source material appears in bulk–but don’t blame us when your masterpiece is greeted by groans at the contest! Be creative, and set yourself apart from the crowd.
14. If your video has been publicly accessible online or screened at any contest BEFORE October 31, 2023 it may be disqualified. We’d like to keep entries as “fresh” as possible.
Submissions
1. Entries can only be accepted in digital format.
2. Name your file using this format: “CONTEST - CATEGORY – YOUR NAME – VIDEO TITLE”.
CATEGORIES FOR 2024
- Action
- Giant Robot
- Upbeat
- Romance
- Drama
- Comedy
- Parody
- Trailer
This year's special category is KABUKI.
3. Upload your video file to a file hosting service. You may use your own website, or a reputable download service like Dropbox or Google Drive. We require a direct link where we can download your full-quality video file (YouTube does NOT count as a valid download link).
4. Complete the AMV Contest Entry Form here on our website for each of your entries, and paste a direct download link to your video file into the submission form where indicated. Make sure the link you send us is accurate!
5. If you are unable or unwilling to submit your video via a website, you may mail us a data CD/DVD with your video file. For submitting on a CD/DVD disc:
a. Please burn your CD/DVD as a data disc.
b. If there is more than one video file on the disc please label each one accordingly.
c. When you submit your AMV Contest Entry Form, please write “Snail Mail” in the field where you are asked to put a link to your file.
d. Please label your disc clearly with your name and the title(s) of the video(s) on it.
e. Mail your disc to:
Animazement
c/o AMV Contest Coordinator
PO Box 31582
Raleigh, NC 27622
6. Deadline for entry is Friday, May 10th, 2024. We understand this date is earlier than past years, but we are putting together FOUR unique showings this year, rather than just one.
We are not responsible for discs damaged or lost in the mail.
While you don’t need to be present at Animazement to win, it’s a lot more fun for you and everyone else if you are!
Formats
1. We accept entries in virtually any video file format (MP4, AVI, MPEG, MOV, etc.). However, the more common the format and codec you use, the more likely we’ll be able to play it properly. Please don’t use obscure, hard-to-find audio or video codecs.
2. We prefer entries to be 780×480 or higher at 23.97 or 29.97 fps