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The Contest:
The Categories:
Submissions:
Format:
Screening:
Intent to Display:
Conduct:
Important:


The Contest:
The Sakura-Con Anime Music Video Contest gives fans a chance to showcase their audio and video editing talents. This contest is open to anyone from amateur to professional.
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The Competition:
The Competition:
The 2012 Competition will be broken into two separate levels of showing:

--Exhibition: These entries will not be shown during the contest, but its own separate block in the AMV Theater. This category is designed for those who wish to showcase their work outside of competition.

--Competition: These entries compete against each other in respective categories. The winners will be decided by an audience vote.
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The Categories:
Below is listed the possible categories for the contest. After screening the top 5 categories will be selected for the finals.
-Action
-Adventure
-Classic (Only anime from before 1996)
-Comedy
-Dance
-Drama
-Horror
-Instrumental (Music must not contain lyrics or voice over)
-Offbeat
-Original Animation
-Parody
-Romance
-Trailer/Commercial
-Tribute
-Upbeat

Judges Awards:
-Technical
-Judges Award
-Most Artistic

Audience Popular Vote:
-Category Awards
-Best of Show
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Submissions:
1: Each entry will be limited to a maximum length of seven (7) minutes. Trailers/Commercials will have a maximum length of three (3) minutes. No exceptions.

2: Only three (3) entries will be accepted per individual between both the Competition and Exhibition showings. Each competition entry May be entered into up to three (3) possible categories.

3: Entries may only be submitted in the formats listed in the Format section, and must conform with the National Television System Committee or NTSC standards of 29.97 frames per second, and be no smaller than 480p and no larger than 720p, and may be no larger than 10 GB in size. The AMV Contest Coordinator reserves the right to change aspect ratios as needed for display purposes.

4: Anime Music Video entries must contain a minimum of 80% footage from Japanese animation or Japanese video game footage, as well as a minimum of 75% footage set to music. The audio track must contain actual music for the entry to be considered a music video, with the exception of the Trailer/Commercial category entries. Original Video Animation entries must contain a minimum of 80% original animated footage and may use any form of audio for their soundtrack. Any entry that fails to meet these minimums may be disqualified.

5: Do not include any bumpers or slates, or any text or graphic overlays that do not relate to the entry itself. This means no text overlays, television station bugs, computer program watermarks, or similar graphics. No subtitles may appear without artistic merit. Sakura-Con will create custom-designed titles with each entrant's name, the entry name and category/number to maintain a professional look throughout the contest.

6: All entries will be screened by a panel of judges to create the final two-hour playlist for the contest. Please see the Screener’s Policies for details.

7: An entry may be marked for disqualification ("DQ Flagged") by the AMV Contest Coordinator if it does not meet contest guidelines. A DQ Flag does not mean that an entry is automatically disqualified; no entries will be disqualified without the verification of the screening panel.

A: An entry may be deemed inappropriate for a general audience. Entries containing excessive nudity, graphic sexual content, gratuitous violence or excessive foul language may be disqualified. As a general guideline, all entries should fall within a MPAA rating of PG-13 or lower (for more information, see http://www.mpaa.org/movieratings/).
B: An entry may be DQ Flagged if it fails to meet one or more technical specifications. Please read all the rules and the "Format" section carefully before entering.

8: Each entry must be entered in the online system by its entrant. Handwritten entry forms will not be accepted. An entry number is generated and attached to your entry information when you submit it via the submission site. This number must be written on the physical media, if sending a CD or DVD, or as part of the file name if submitting via FTP.

9: Entries must have been made during the time elapsed since the end of Sakura-Con 2011, and not won awards at more than two separate conventions.

Tom Allmendinger
AMV Contest Coordinator
September 20, 2011