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Following is a list of all the possible categories for the Tekko 2024 main AMV contest:

PRIMARY CATEGORIES

- Action

- Comedy

- Drama

- Romance / Sentimental

- Upbeat / Fun

SPECIAL CATEGORIES (optionally up to two of these)

- TV Series Opening Parody;

- Trailer or Commercial Parody;

- Convention Theme: "THE BEACH EPISODE" - Videos that feature Summer Vacation and Trips to the Beach;

- Extreme (please review the “Tekko Extreme AMV Contest” rules below for more information on this category);

- Live-Action Music Video;

- Western Animation Music Video;

- Video Game Music Video;

- Classic (defined here as “anime of Japanese vintage before 2000 as per AnimeNewsNetwork.com Encyclopedia”);

- Dance;

- Horror;

- Instrumental (a music track that does not contain lyrics or voice overs);

- Offbeat;

- Tribute.

Once videos are received, a minimum of six (6) separate categories will be selected and used for the judging. As arranged above, we normally will arrange for the five (5) Primary categories and one or more additional Special categories depending on the amount received for those categories. If we receive enough videos to replace a Primary category with a Special category, we will consider doing so. Final selection of the video categories for the Main contest showing is at the discretion of the convention AMV Contest coordinator.

For awards this year, the following will be awarded in the AMV contest:

- The Audience’s Favorite of Show, voted by the attendees of the contest at the convention;

- The Judges' Best In Show;

- The Best in each Main Contest Category Selected (still TBD); and

- The Tekko Extreme Contest Winner.

If the overall submissions’ play time is larger than can fit in the appropriate contest time slot, cuts will unfortunately be made. Keep in mind that video selection for the finals will be determined on qualities such as technical aspects, effectiveness of the video, and general execution. You do not need to attend the Tekko 2024 convention to enter the contest, although it is highly encouraged.

- The main AMV Contest is an all-ages audience showing. A good general rule for content is that if the song cannot be played on the radio without edits (bleeps or omission of certain words), contains sexual genitalia (no hentai) or has extreme violence, then it’s not acceptable for the main contest. Note that the Tekko Convention Administration and Tekko AMV Contest Staff reserve the right to determine what constitutes “extreme” content.

- The submission form deadline for the Tekko 2024 AMV Contest is 11:59pm Eastern Time on June 22nd, 2024.  Submission forms for the Main Contest received after this date will be considered disqualified.

- The entries may include as a video source:

o Japanese anime

o Live-Action video, preferably of Japanese origin but not required;

o Western Animation, preferably in a Japanese anime style (examples include RWBY, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Voltron: Legendary Defender) but not required;

o Video Game footage, preferably of Japanese origin but not required.

Please keep in mind when you submit a music video to our contest that you are submitting to a Japanese culture convention.

- With the exception of Movie Trailer Parody and TV Commercial Parody AMVs, at least 80% of the submission’s audio must be a continuous song or music track. Spoken Japanese openings or endings are allowed, but overlaying Japanese or English audio track(s) that are not a part of the original song/music track(s) is not allowed.

- There is a time limit of 30 seconds minimum and 6 minutes maximum per video. Any music video entry beyond 6 minutes may be acceptable at the AMV Contest Coordinators’ discretion.

- You may submit a maximum of three (3) video entries. Each video entry should have separate and distinct category tags if possible. Don’t try to make a video entry fit a category it is not suited for (for example, a purely “Action” video in the “Drama” category), please try to select choices that provide the best match for the video content. Please note that, should you have more than one qualifying entry that fit only one of the categories selected for the main contest, you will be notified and must select which video entry will compete in the contest. If you need some assistance with categorization, please send an inquiry to the AMV Contest Coordinator.

- Qualifying AMV Contest video entries must have been created on or after July 21st, 2022, have not been previously submitted to any past Tekko AMV contests, and have not won a combination of three (3) or more “Best In Show” or “Best in (specific category, i.e. Drama, Action, etc.)” at any other convention contest during that period.

- No watermarks or logo overlays in the video source(s) will be allowed. This includes, but is not limited to, the DivX logo, any television station identification, production company logo, streaming site bugs & logos, AMV studio logos, and so on.

- No video will be accepted with “hard subtitles” (subtitles permanently overlaid on video), nor will we accept videos from obviously bootlegged or fan-subbed releases with these subtitles. The only EXCEPTION to this rule is if you create your own subtitles as an actual part of the anime music video. Please let the coordinator know of any added creator-added subtitles in the Additional Notes section of the Entry Form.

- Because of the nature of the video judging, Tekko Convention Staff and Volunteers are allowed to enter their own qualifying video entries, unless they are actively participating in the coordination or judging of the AMV contest.

The following video formats are the only formats that will be accepted for submission to the contest, in order from most preferred to least:

- AVC/H.264 in an MPEG-4 container (.mp4)

- AVC/H.264 in a Matroska Media container (.mkv)

- HEVC/H.265 in an MPEG-4 Container (.mp4) (acceptable, but will be converted to AVC/H.264 [See Below])

- MPEG-2 Video with MPEG-II Layer Audio (.mpeg, .mpg)

- UTCodec or Lagarith Lossless Codec encoded AVI (.avi)

- DivX / XviD in AVI format (.avi) encoded at the highest quality possible (Quantizer 1 is most preferred)

- Quicktime (.mov) format (acceptable, but not recommended)

- Windows Media (.wmv) format (acceptable, but not recommended)

Any file format not mentioned above will not be considered immediately disqualified. This includes MPEG-1, Real Media, or the use of any video codec in a video file other than DivX, Lagarith, UTCodec, H.264, or XviD. All video submissions not in AVC/H.264 format will be converted to that format for playback at the convention, including HEVC/H.265, so we encourage all entrants to use one of the top two video formats on the list if at all possible. If you need assistance with the technical requirements, please contact the AMV Contest Coordinator and we can try to work out an acceptable solution.

As we use HDMI projectors, acceptable frame rates for your videos are 23.976fps, 29.97fps, and 60fps. Any other frame rates will be converted to fit one of these frame rates.

This year, Tekko will be hosting an Extreme Contest for videos with “extreme content”. “Extreme Content” includes, but is not limited to, the following:

- Coarse Language;

- Excessive violence (a well known example of this can be seen in the anime Berserk);

- Innuendo or other situational humor that could be considered offensive;

- Nudity; and

- Strong and/or graphic sexual situations.

Videos that have any of the above may be directly submitted to the Tekko Extreme AMV Contest for consideration. Any videos submitted for the main contest entry that contains content not suitable for showing at the main contest will also be considered for entry into the Tekko Extreme AMV Contest. The Extreme Contest will have only one winner, announced during the event at the convention.

Please note that, to attend the AMV Extreme Contest showing at Tekko, you must verify that you are 18 years of age or older. Please review the Tekko website and Tekko 2024 Program Guides for details on admission requirements for 18+ age restricted convention events.

In addition to the General Contest Rules above, the following additional rules will apply to Extreme AMV Contest submissions:

- All Extreme Contest submissions require the same information as the regular AMV contest, except that on the contest entry form select “Extreme” in the first Special category choice to directly have your video considered for the Extreme Contest. If you submit multiple videos for both Extreme and Main contest submission, please have separate sheets for the Extreme Contest submissions versus the main contest submissions and label all videos clearly.

- Any video entry marked “Extreme” that is determined to qualify for the Main AMV Contest will be reviewed for consideration for that contest under the Primary or Special Category chosen. Therefore, even though you may intend for said video entries to be in the Extreme AMV Contest, please make sure that the appropriate Primary (and optionally a Special Category) is selected for your entry.

- Submission forms for the Extreme Contest will be accepted up to 11:59pm Eastern Time on July 6th, 2024.  This extended deadline only applies to qualifying Extreme Contest entries.  As noted above, any Extreme-marked video submission received after the June 22nd Main Contest event deadline that qualifies for the Main Contest will be treated as a late Main Contest entry and disqualified.

- THE CREATOR (AND/OR SUBMITTER) OF THE VIDEO MUST BE AT LEAST 18 YEARS OF AGE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CONTEST. There will be a form provided by e-mail that will act as a waiver to enter these categories for viewing and for being awarded if the video should win the Extreme Contest.

- There is no limit to the number of videos a creator may submit for the Extreme AMV Contest, but qualifying videos for this contest must have been created on or after July 21st, 2022, and have not been submitted to Tekko previously.

- Please note that there is NO PEDOPHILIA ALLOWED IN ANY OF THE CONTESTS. Just because the box and the disclaimers say that s/he is legal does not mean s/he is. Please, do not submit anything that has visually identifiable underage girls or boys performing sexual or perverted acts.

- Anything else that is deemed to be illegal in the United States is also not allowed into the Extreme Contest. Just because it’s animated does not excuse it from certain laws that may govern what can be shown in the United States.

Any video entry that does not follow these AMV Contest rules WILL BE CONSIDERED DISQUALIFIED AND WILL NOT BE ENTERED INTO THE CONTEST. All submissions are subject to the Tekko AMV Department’s review and approval. Tekko’s AMV Contest Department, Tekko's Convention Administration Staff, and the Pittsburgh Japanese Culture Society Board all reserve the right to prohibit from convention viewing any video submission entered into the contest for any reason. By submitting your video entry for review, you agree that all decisions made by the Tekko AMV Contest Coordinator, the Tekko Convention Administration, the Pittsburgh Japanese Culture Society Board, and the AMV Contest judges about your video are FINAL.

All submissions become the property of the Pittsburgh Japanese Culture Society and/or its assigns, and will not be returned to the submitter. Please do not send in your only copy of your video submission.

All submissions received may be used for convention display and promotional purposes. All videos entered will be considered to be cleared for this purpose.