Otakuthon AMV Contest Screening

Come see original AMVs in a variety of genres!

The Otakuthon AMV (Anime Music Video) Contest Screening will present the top entries of each category: Action, Drama, Comedy, Dance, Romance and originality. Not only will you get to see the best of the best, but you will also have the chance to vote for your favourite and help choose the winners of the competition!

 

Otakuthon AMV Contest

• General Information
• Content Guidelines
• Submission Rules
• Format
  
• Awards

 

General Information

AMV entries will be showcased during a special screening over the convention weekend. This event will feature over two hours of the finest videos submitted for the competition. During the presentation, the audience will vote by secret ballot for their favourite AMV in the following categories: Action, Comedy/Parody, Dance/Rhythm, Drama, Romance and Originality. Attendees will also vote for the "People's Choice" award to honour the best overall video. If you wish to participate in the voting process, please remain for the entire duration of the event to ensure all entries receive a fair and equal chance.

All submissions are automatically entered into two major awards, which will be selected by a panel of judges prior to the convention: "Best of Show" (for the best overall AMV) and "Best Visual Effects/Video Editing".

Due to time constraints, please note that not all submitted AMVs will be shown during the main screening.

Participants may enter a maximum of two videos total, with a limit of one entry per category.

Deadline: Friday, July 10, 2026, at 23:59 (EST)

 

Content Guidelines

Video Content

• Videos must be between 1 and 5 minutes in length.

• The majority of the video footage must be from any of the following:

• Japanese anime (TV series, movies or OAVs).

• Japanese manga images.

• Japanese video games (e.g., Final Fantasy, Street Fighter, Metal Gear Solid, etc.).

• Live action, non-Japanese video games (such as Cyberpunk 2077 or Baldur's Gate) and other types of animation (such as American cartoons) are acceptable, provided they do not make up the dominant part of the video.

• Scenes with graphic violence, sexuality, eroticism, ecchi, and horror are permitted.

• Any AMV that contains hentai, full-frontal nudity, explicit sexuality, pornographic material, extreme violence, or excessive gore will be disqualified from the competition. 

AMV Title, Bumper Card and Creator or Studio Credits

• Do not include any video opening or closing AMV creator or studio credits, title cards or bumpers. 

• Otakuthon will add a standardized opening title card to all entered videos. This card will display the title of the music video, the creator or studio name, the video footage source, the voting category, and the music title.

• The title of the video and the creator or studio name may appear within the video itself, provided this does not violate the rule against traditional credit cards and bumpers.

Subtitles and On Screen Text

• In general, there should be no subtitles in the video. They will only be accepted in the following instances:

• A voiceover or a scene where characters are speaking.

• Karaoke song lyrics synchronized with the music.

• Text used to convey a story, an idea, or a theme.

• Animated or graphical text integrated into the video.

Watermarks

• There should be no watermarks, software logos, or text credits (such as those from anime TV openings or endings) of any kind within the video.

• A small creator or studio watermark is allowed, provided it is placed in one of the corners and is not distracting.

Audio Content

• Music or voiceovers must be used as the main soundtrack and may be from any genre and in any language.

• Coarse language, including song lyrics, must comply with what is acceptable on public radio, prime-time television, or any film rated 13+. 

AMV that does not comply with these content guidelines could be automatically rejected, or changes and edits could be requested before the video is accepted.

 

Submission Rules

Submitted AMVs must be your own original work. Submissions on behalf of another person are not permitted.

All entries must be submitted via the online Google form: https://forms.gle/1Lz1YE7T3vxxSfU46. 

Submissions via email will not be accepted. 

The submission deadline is Friday, July 10, 2026, at 23:59 (EST). Late entries will not be considered.

AMVs can be entered into one of the following six categories:

• Action

High-energy, fast-paced fighting, epic battles, or climatic sports scenes paired with an appropriate soundtrack .

• Comedy/Parody

Content designed to make the audience laugh, including comedic parodies of specific anime, characters, or situations 

• Dance/Rhythm

Videos featuring characters dancing, playing instruments, or singing to a strong beat.

• Drama

Dramatic or theatrical scenes that evoke intense feelings of tension, excitement, or empathy 

• Romance

Scenes depicting love, romance, or emotional mystery between characters.

• Originality

Unique, creative, or experimental concepts, editing styles, and visual effects 

Note: Otakuthon reserves the right to change an entry category if appropriate.

The following details must be provided in the submission form:

• Contact information:

• Your full name

• Email address

• Creator's or Studio name

• The creator or studio name for the opening title card. An alias, group, or studio name may be used. 

• You may wish to use a "studio" or group name for the opening title card.

• For Multi-Editor Projects (MEP), a group name or a maximum of two individual names will be accepted.

• Title of your AMV

• The chosen voting category (select one category for each AMV entry, see the list above)

• Video sources used (anime series, manga, video game)

• If there are more than three sources, list them as "Various" or the dominant source + Various (e.g., "Spy X Family and various").

• Music or soundtrack used

• Valids link·s to download your AMV·s file.

Participants may submit a maximum of two AMVs, and each video can only be entered into one voting category. 

All entries are automatically eligible for the "People's Choice", "Best of Show", and "Best Visual Effects/Video Editing" awards.

To facilitate judging, please name the video file to match the title of your AMV. 

Creators may submit their videos with their submission by:

• Providing a link from Google Drive, Onedrive, DropBox or on any Cloud services.

• Providing a link to the AMV on AnimeMusicVideos.org.

Disqualification criteria (What NOT to send):

• Links to YouTube, TikTok or similar video streaming platforms.

• AMVs created by another person.

• Links from Megaupload, Depositfile or any similar website.

 

Format

Please note the following guidelines with respect to video format:

• All AMVs must be playable on a PC with the latest K-Lite Codec Pack.

• Files for competition should be AVI, MPG, MKV or MP4 format.

• RealPlayer and QuickTime formats will be rejected automatically.

• Minimum resolution: 1280x720 for widescreen, 960x720 for fullscreen.

• Poor quality video ( highly pixilated or containing heavy artifacts) will be rejected.

 

Awards

Category winners will receive a certificate by mail. Results will be announced on the AnimeMusicVideos.org forums, the official Otakuthon website, and social media channels. Winners will be contacted via email to provide a shipping address.

 

Note

• Otakuthon reserves the right to use any submitted AMV, in whole or in part, for promotional purposes during and after the convention. 

• Otakuthon does not guarantee that every submitted AMV will be screened and reserves the right to select entries for any reason. 

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For questions regarding the competition, contact the AMV Contest Manager at amvcontest@otakuthon.com.