"Big contests" - do they exist anymore?

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"Big contests" - do they exist anymore?

Postby BasharOfTheAges » Wed Jan 19, 2011 9:54 pm

The following came out of a conversation I was having with a friend about big AMV contests....

So, back as little as 5 years ago, there seemed to be big buzz around certain cons as having great contests that people prided themselves on entering and were genuinely excited to win. We still see it now occasionally, but it seems more subdued than in the past. Am I imagining this, or has the AMV contest landscape traded in it's giants for lots of less hyped and less coveted "good" contests? Have we gone to a state of supporting our regional big cons and helping out with a vid here or there when our friend, the coordinator, asks us to send something in?
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Re: "Big contests" - do they exist anymore?

Postby Castor Troy » Wed Jan 19, 2011 10:18 pm

Anime Expo used to be huge until it kept deteriorating each year.

AWA all the way.
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Re: "Big contests" - do they exist anymore?

Postby Otohiko » Wed Jan 19, 2011 10:21 pm

I think AWA is still relatively major, at least within the North American scene.

Otherwise everything is increasingly moving online and east. AKROSS Con ("con" as in contest, not convention) is arguably the biggest (in terms of generated exposure) AMV contest in the world and has been for about 4 years, followed closely by AMVNews' Big Con.
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Re: "Big contests" - do they exist anymore?

Postby dwchang » Thu Jan 20, 2011 4:47 am

I also remember when people prided themselves on premiering videos at these "larger more prestigious" cons and submitting to far less cons so as to keep the video "special" (i.e. it was only shown in X, Y and Z). Also as you said, it meant more to win at those few cons. Times change though so oh well.
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Re: "Big contests" - do they exist anymore?

Postby BasharOfTheAges » Thu Jan 20, 2011 8:26 am

Otohiko wrote:I think AWA is still relatively major, at least within the North American scene.

I think it's the only con that still has any big vibe to it that isn't just from locals pumping themselves up. I'd add ACEN to the list, but I get the distinct feeling that there are just so many locals around it (here at least) that it skews overall perception.

I'd go through the top 10 cons list (from animecons.com) for last year to see where everyone thinks they stand, but it seems the list hasn't been assembled yet.
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Re: "Big contests" - do they exist anymore?

Postby Castor Troy » Thu Jan 20, 2011 9:59 am

dwchang wrote:I also remember when people prided themselves on premiering videos at these "larger more prestigious" cons and submitting to far less cons so as to keep the video "special" (i.e. it was only shown in X, Y and Z). Also as you said, it meant more to win at those few cons. Times change though so oh well.


Library Con was huge!
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Re: "Big contests" - do they exist anymore?

Postby Nya-chan Production » Thu Jan 20, 2011 10:05 am

Soul's Team IC felt pretty big to me this year - I mean, 20+ teams is pretty good in numbers and quality wasn't bad either.
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Re: "Big contests" - do they exist anymore?

Postby ngsilver » Thu Jan 20, 2011 10:06 am

I've always considered AWA and ACEN to be the two big cons for AMVs. I still do. Though some might think my idea is skewed because I work ACEN, but really the reason I work that con and help with the contest is because I held it in such high regard that I jumped at the chance when it appeared. True, to me they are both in my region (I've never really sent anything big to AX or Otakon before) but those are the ones I've known to be considered big amongst locals as well as non-locals.

I've been trying to work Youmacon up to being something more then a local or even regional contest (as it is the con is trying to broaden it's reach as well.) How people view it I don't know. I do know the con gets a lot of local creator support but also a lot of non-local support as well, so whatever that means.
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Re: "Big contests" - do they exist anymore?

Postby godix » Thu Jan 20, 2011 11:00 am

I think part of it is just familiarity and being jaded. It's easier to be impressed when you don't know quite so much about something. When you talk to the guy in charge of the contest regularly, things go from "OMG! I was shown at Acen! 20,000 people saw my video! *SQUEE*" to "Eh, Sailor Death is right, it is time to kill theme. Oh well, congrats to whoever won". When you know many of the people who entered, it goes from 'Wow! Did you see that one video? It was so funny and exciting and blah blah blah" to "Oh, I remember beta testing this. It's not bad..." Plus there's a familiarity breeds contempt thing going on. My attitude towards cons is "whee, bumfuck bob and his WMM piece of shit won", or if I do well it's "Did all the other entries suck so much they couldn't beat me?". I've seen plenty of other editors take similar attitudes, although few would phrase it like I have.

Anyway, I think Acen and AWA are still big deals for a lot of people. AKROSS is a pretty big deal for online competitions. I suppose VCAs are still a big deal, although I'm so jaded about them it's hard to see why anymore. So no, I don't think contests aren't big anymore, it's just that many users have gotten so used to the hobby we barely remember the excitement we once had.
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Re: "Big contests" - do they exist anymore?

Postby Bauzi » Thu Jan 20, 2011 11:16 am

For me AKROSS is THE biggest contest and competition out there. You need enormous skill to win this contest. It always outputs lots of impressive videos.

Also the VCAs is a big contest. You need a wide fanbase and a pretty good vid to win this. It's huge even if it's not as huge as it probably was years ago.

AMV contests are a bitch. So many cons have it. Some sort of cheap event that doesn't need too much work behind it and people love it. A lot of people tend to only make a hand full of AMVs per year and most of them are made for local cons where they attend. They don't bother to submit it to other cons. Well that's okay.
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Re: "Big contests" - do they exist anymore?

Postby JudgeHolden » Thu Jan 20, 2011 12:01 pm

I would add Sakuracon to the list as well for the fact that a huge number of people attend the contest and then actively go out and look for the videos after the con. It's the only con where I get comments like "I saw this at Sakuracon" Or "I voted for this one". Other cons, including Acen and AWA don't seem to have the same general or as enthusiastic fanbase (maybe because they are more editor oriented contests).
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Re: "Big contests" - do they exist anymore?

Postby BasharOfTheAges » Thu Jan 20, 2011 12:29 pm

JudgeHolden wrote:I would add Sakuracon to the list as well for the fact that a huge number of people attend the contest and then actively go out and look for the videos after the con. It's the only con where I get comments like "I saw this at Sakuracon" Or "I voted for this one". Other cons, including Acen and AWA don't seem to have the same general or as enthusiastic fanbase (maybe because they are more editor oriented contests).

Maybe it's because i'm from the northeast, but I've lumped ACEN, Sakuracon, and A-Kon in with Anime Boston in terms of attendance (last year they all had around 15-17 thousand people) and enthusiasm of the viewers - other than ACEN, they all seem to lack big buzz here on the 'org though.
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Re: "Big contests" - do they exist anymore?

Postby TnAdct1 » Thu Jan 20, 2011 12:38 pm

No mention of Otakon? Sure, there's a few flaws (not to mention some of the issues that happened last year). However, given some of the rules of that AMV contest (i.e. only one submission per person, the video must not have won something at a convention that took place before the Otakon AMV Contest due date), Otakon is still a very strong contest.
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Re: "Big contests" - do they exist anymore?

Postby BasharOfTheAges » Thu Jan 20, 2011 12:45 pm

Otakon and AX both have lots of drama and bad blood with decent numbers of people. They used to be prestigious, but not so much any more. That concept was what fueled the idea behind the conversation that made me create the thread in the first place, actually.
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Re: "Big contests" - do they exist anymore?

Postby Castor Troy » Thu Jan 20, 2011 12:59 pm

Since the .org is mostly for creators and less for fans, I always felt that most of us are already too experienced and desensitized (omg amvs r gay) to have that "joy" we once had when we started.

Go to any con with an amv contest and/or room and those things get PACKED with fans. I just went to Anime LA a few weeks ago and the amv room was like leaving sugar on the ground near a colony of ants. Editors and fans are completely different people and editors become less of the "fans" as time goes on. At least this proves there is still an audience for amvs.

BasharOfTheAges wrote:Otakon and AX both have lots of drama and bad blood with decent numbers of people. They used to be prestigious, but not so much any more. That concept was what fueled the idea behind the conversation that made me create the thread in the first place, actually.


The only thing that really makes both prestigious is the size of the venue/crowd (5k+) the amv contests are played in. I heard past Otakons got a venue the size of an airplane hangar and AX gets entire theaters, including the Nokia Theatre. As an AX local, after 2001, AX was constantly plagued with technical problems until 2008 and now it's being plagued with stupid judging decisions.

But to have your video play in large venue with 5k+ people in attendance is an amazing feeling which is why AX and Otakon are held in high regard. However, they are far from prestigious behind the scenes.
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