ACen 2011 Anime Music Video Contest Rules
Basic Entry Requirements:
- [•] Entries sent to previous Anime Central competitions are not eligible.
[•] Mail entries will be accepted starting February 1, 2011.
[•] All entries must be in the hands of the contest coordinators by April 15, 2011.
[•] Contest Categories available: Action, Comedy, Dance/Upbeat, Drama, Romance and Freestyle.
[•] The Hentai AMV Contest is not part of the normal AMV Contest and will be shown after hours. ID Will be required to attend.
[•] The Epic AMV Contest is not part of the normal AMV Contest.
[•] An Epic AMV should contain the same qualities of an epic story, noting or pertaining to a long poetic composition, usually centered upon a hero, in which a series of great achievements or events is narrated in elevated style. This description isn't set in stone. Anything with an epic tone is acceptable. The video should no shorter than 6min 30sec.
[•] Entries may not contain bumpers, title screens, or credits. ACen staff will add uniform credits to all entries. Under some circumstances creator generated credits will be allowed if they are built into the video, a required part of it, and cannot be removed. This creative use of entrant embedded credits will be judged at our discretion.
[•] 50% of the video must contain anime footage.
[•] Entries may be disqualified for the following reasons:
- [o] Objectionable content of video or lyrics.
[o] Bad audio or video quality.
[o] Failure to adhere to the contest rules.
Objectionable content includes excessive profanity, excessive violence, or sexually explicit footage or lyrics. If you are not sure if the above rule means your entry will be disqualified e-mail amv@acen.org and we can view the content in question and make a decision.
[•] Hentai entries may only contain anime and video game footage. NO live action source is allowed.
[•] All anime/game characters must appear to be of legal age of consent in the source footage. Any violations and your entry will be disqualified.
[•] Persons submitting to the Hentai AMV contest must be at least 18 years of age, NO exceptions.
[•] The Hentai AMV Contest will be held separate from the rest of the contest.
[•] Hentai entries are not eligible for the Best of Show award.
[•] Anime Central staff may participate in the Hentai AMV Contest since voting is done by the audience reaction.
[•] By submitting your video to this contest you authorize Anime Central staff to screen and distribute it under the Anime Central Music Video Contest title. Any physical media that entries are submitted on becomes the property of Anime Central and will not be returned.
[•] There is a limit of one entry per category per creator.
[•] Entrants must supply a working e-mail address on the contest website. If you do not supply an e-mail address you will be disqualified.
[•] Anime Central staff reserves the right to disqualify entries for any reason they see necessary to protect the overall quality and integrity of the program.
[•] Information about this year’s AMV contest, AMV programming, and other related topics can be found and discussed on our forum. If your questions do not specifically involve your own videos content please direct all questions to the forum first. This same question may be shared by multiple people and may have already been answered.\
[•] You are required to make an account at http://contests.ngsilver.com/login.htm to enter your video information. Further information can be found in the entry submission instructions at the bottom of this document.
File Format Requirements:
- [•] Entries will only be accepted as MPEG-2 or MPEG-4 computer files.
[•] Mail entries will be accepted on the following media: CD-R, DVD-R, DVD+R, and PC formatted USB flash drives. Media must be labeled in some manner to identify the owner and its contents. Do not send discs burned on re-writeable (-RW +RW) media. Use IS9660 or UDF file system for optical media. Use NTFS or FAT for USB flash drives. We do not recommend mailing USB flash drives. This is a new courtesy service we are offering this year as a last resort for those who cannot send optical media.
[•] Do not send authored DVD Video discs or your entry will be disqualified.
[•] The contest website will instruct you how to name your files. You must follow this format.
[•] All entries must have 1 second of black before the video starts and after it ends.
[•] Files must conform to the technical specifications outlined below. Please read the technical requirements carefully. If frame sizes, frame rates, and audio sampling frequencies do not match the requirements you will be disqualified. Anime Central staff will not convert entries for you nor give technical support in meeting these format requirements.
[•] MPEG-2 file format requirements:
- [-] 720x480 Frame Size
[-] Progressive Video Only
[-] 23.976 or 29.97 Frames per Second
[-] 48 kHz MP2 Stereo Audio. We recommend 320 kbps.
[-] Set Display Aspect Ratio to 4:3 for normal video or letterbox widescreen
[-] Set Display Aspect Ratio to 16:9 for anamorphic widescreen
[-] Total file bitrate cannot exceed 15 Mbps
[•] MPEG-4 file format requirements
- [-] Progressive Video Only
[-] 640 x 480, 848 x 480, 1280x720 Frame Size
[-] 23.976 or 29.97 Frames per Second
[-] H.264 video compression
[-] 48 kHz AAC Stereo Audio. We recommend LC-AAC at 160 kbps instead of HE-AAC.
[-] Display Aspect Ratio 1:1 (Remember you are submitting in square pixels).
[•] We recommend you check compatibility against the ffdshow decoder before submitting. MPEG-4 is a file format but also refers to compatible codecs such as Divx and Xvid. We are only accepting H.264 MPEG-4 files. This means an mp4 file created by a program such as Nero, Quicktime, or mp4box using H.264 compression. We do not accept avi, mov, or mkv files. If you are not fully versed in MPEG-4 part10 format we request that you file in the MPEG-2 standard.
Entry Submission Instructions:
- [•] Mail & Online Entries:
Visit http://contests.ngsilver.com/login.htm to submit your video information. If this is your first time visiting the website you will need to sign up for an account by clicking on the sign up link and following the directions. If you sent a video to us in 2009 or 2010 you should already have an account.
[•] Online Entries & FTP:
You must be familiar and have access to a FTP program to use this submission method. Anime Central staff cannot provide teaching experience for FTP software. If you are unfamiliar with how to use FTP software you must send your entry via mail. FTP software recommendations and other information can be found in the FAQ post on our forum.
[•] Mail Entries:
Package your media carefully in appropriate mailers. Optical media in standard jewel cases can easily break off a hub during shipping.
[•] Mail Entries should be sent to:
- Nathaniel Silverthorn
ATTN: ACEN 2011
11343 Tecumseh
Redford Mi, 48239
[•] Final Step: Perform quality control on your entries and read the FAQ post on our forum before mailing or uploading your entries.












