Featured Events

AMV Contest

Tekko 2023 AMV information coming soon...

Main Contest Rules

The contest this year will include the Basic & Auxiliary rules as outlined in the A-M-V.org CONGRSS (Contest General Rule-Set Starter), unless changed or amended by contest rules following.

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 cut-off for the Tekko AMV Contest is TBD. The video files must be in our hands by TBD. Any video entry still not received by the latter date will be considered disqualified.

The entries may include as a video source:

Japanese anime
Live-Action video, preferably of Japanese origin but not required;
Western Animation, preferably in a Japanese anime style (examples include RWBY, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Voltron: Legendary Defender) but not required;
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 ( amvs@teamtekko.us ).

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.

Technical Requirements

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 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/H.265 standard, or XviD. All video submissions not in AVC/H.264 format will be converted to that format for playback at the convention, 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 ( amvs@teamtekko.us ) 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.

Extreme Contest Rules

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 ( http://www.teamtekko.us ) and Tekko 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.
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 February 27, 2019 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.

Fine Print

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 and Tekko's Convention Administration Staff 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, 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.

Scale Model Competition

Build Area

Wire cutters, sanding sticks, and Gunpla markers will be provided for use to build kits. You are free to bring any other tools you want to use to build your kits with.

Painting of kits will be limited to brush painting and Gunpla markers only. Airbrushes and spray cans are forbidden.

If you wish to paint with brushes, you are required to bring a drop cloth of some kind to cover the area you will be painting. Open paint bottles will be kept in boxes or another container to prevent spills from leaking over the table. The box the model kit comes in works for us.

Model kits cannot be left at tables overnight or to be stored in the room. If other people are waiting for a workspace, please pack up your kit and any tools that you brought so they can have a spot

Scale Model Competition

The Tekko Scale Model Competition Returns to Tekko for 2020! The Scale Model Competition Room is more than just the competition. The room also has a showcase for kits that people bring in for display only, as well as a space for building kits at the convention.

Snap Build

The Snap Build category is for kits solely built at the convention. This category is primarily judged by construction techniques with paint and detailing work being considered bonus points to be earned during the creativity section of scoring.

Full Build

The Full Build category is for kits that are worked on outside the convention in part or in whole and are judged on equal parts construction and paint/decal work. Creativity with regards to effects, added detail, custom paint jobs and other improvements are also factored into the final score. For the purposes of judging and supporting the kit, the action bases used to pose/support the kit will not be counted.

Diorama Build

The Diorama Build category is for kits that are placed inside of a display/scene. The judging rules are the same as the Full Build category above, but now also apply to the scenery and the display base of the entry and any action bases to pose/support the kit.

Kit Showcase

The kit showcase is for kits that people want to show off. Any kit can be put on display. The kits can be dropped off anytime before judging starts at 5PM Saturday and can be picked up anytime during the con, though they must be picked up before the end of the con.

Fine Print

Scale Model Room Hours

Thursday: Con Open - TBD

Friday: TBD

Saturday: TBD

Sunday: TBD

Submissions for the scale model contest start when the room opens on Thursday and stop at 5pm Saturday. Winners will be announced two hours later at 7PM

Things to note about scoring and the categories:

The scale of the entry is not taken into consideration when scoring a kit and the categories are not broken down by grade or scale.
The use of kitbashing or option parts or hand made custom parts is allowed.
Custom paint schemes are also allowed, and points will be awarded for creative schemes for the creativity section.
At a minimum, panel lines and large areas of correct color applications are a requirement for full build kits and diorama builds. If the correct color application is provided with a decal or sticker, like for the face or eye parts of a Gundam type for example, then the decal's placement and any peeling will be judged.

Pachinko Fever

Pachinko Fever Bio:

Back in 2009, we bought our first pachinko machine for engaging fans at our convention table. The rest is history, as we now own 14 machines, in various stages of restoration. Pachinko is Japanese pinball, Japan’s favorite pastime. Its been one of their most popular leisure activities for nearly a hundred years.We set up an interactive parlor that works just like it does in Japan (minus the Yakuza, of course), where you buy balls to play with, and redeem your winnings for prizes much like an American arcade. Our machines represent the history and evolution of pachinko over the last 55 years with machines dating from 1961 up to 2010, so we have a machine for everyone! Come try your hand at some great prizes and experience this really fun part of Japanese culture first hand with Pachinko Fever!