Youmacon 2k7 AMV Contest Rules

[ngsilver]

You can access a PDF version of the rules as well as the entry form from here: http://www.ngsilver.com/contests/youmacon/

Youmacon 2k7 AMV Contest Rules

Please read through all the rules before entering!

Entry Requirements:

· There is no limit to the number of entries per creator that can be submitted to the contest. However, only 1 video per category, per creator, will be allowed to compete.
· Only videos created after November 3rd 2004 will be accepted as competing entries. We will however take any and all videos you wish to submit and show them at sometime during the convention.
· Videos that have competed at a previous Youmacon AMV Contest will not be eligible to compete, however videos cut from previous contests will still be accepted as competing entries.
· Multi-editor videos are also accepted.
· Entries may not contain bumpers, title screens, MTV style credits, or any other form of identification. We will be creating our own uniform bumpers and we will not remove them for you.
· The running time for videos may not exceed 6 minutes or be shorter then 25 seconds.
· Videos must contain at least 50% anime or video game footage.
· All videos must be in the hands of the Contest Coordinator by October 14th.
· By submitting your video(s) to this contest you authorize us to screen and distribute it under the Youmacon AMV Contest Title. All physical media (CD-R, DVD-R, DVD+R, ect) submitted becomes the property of Youmacon Enterprises and will not be returned.
· Entries may be disqualified for the following reasons: Objectionable content in the song or video, bad audio or video quality, subtitled footage, failure to adhere to submission rules, lack of entry form, or any reason Youmacon AMV Staff deems necessary. If you are unsure if your video would be disqualified due to the above rule e-mail the contest coordinator and we can view the content of your video and make a decision.
· Exceptions to the rules will be made on a video-by-video basis.

Entry Format:

· Entries will be accepted in the following formats:
o AVI
§ HUFFYUV (preferred)
§ DIVX
§ XVID
§ DV
o MPEG
o MPEG-2 (preferred)
· Videotape and DVD formatted entries will NOT be accepted. WMV, RM, and MOV files will also NOT be accepted. (You can output into an AVI format from Windows Movie Maker. If you are unsure how, the animemusicvideos.org forums will be able to assist you in doing so)
· All videos should include at least 1 second of black space before and after the video.
· Digital Video File format specifications (This is how each video will be encoded for the contest showing):
o 720x480 frame size
o 23.97 or 24 fps (progressive)
o 29.97 fps (interlaced)
o 3:2 pulldown upon playback (for progressive footage)
o 2 pass VBR, avg 3000, max 5000, min 1800, max pass 2
o 44.1kHz or 48 kHz 16 bit stereo uncompressed PCM audio
· You may submit your video with compressed audio, however, your video may be disqualified if there are any problems converting the audio if you do not include an uncompressed wav along with your entry.

Contest Information:

· All videos screened at the contest will be converted to the specifications listed above. Submitting your video with these specifications will save AMV staff conversion time, and allow you to preview how your file will look.
· The contest will be played via a Netstream 2000 card with a Realmagic Hollywood+ card as a backup. You can still find these cheap on EBay if you wish to see how your video will appear on screen.
· The backup display option will be via DVI or VGA out from a computer or a DVD.
· The normal contest’s running time will be 2 hours. If we receive more videos then we have time for we will have to cut videos from the contest pool. A listing of videos selected for the screening will be posted on the convention’s and a-m-v.org’s forums. We apologize if your video does not make it into the contest, but this step is necessary.
· Video selection will be broken down like this:
o Disqualified videos are removed first
o All videos will be pre-judged by Youmacon AMV Staff and ordered via score given. Score will be based heavily on visual and audio quality.
o Remaining videos are separated by category. The videos in each category are then counted and equalized until entries of one type are exhausted. If time is not met, category sizes are increased in increments until time is met. Highest scoring videos first.
· In the event that we do not receive enough competing entries to fulfill the contest’s two-hour time frame, non-competing entries will be shown during the contest time after all competing entries have been played.
· The following awards will be given:
o Fan Favorite
o Best of Show
o Staff Pick
o Best Action
o Best Drama
o Best Romance
o Best Comedy
o Best Upbeat
o Best Technical
o Best Staff
o Most Original Concept
· In the case where a lack of entries are present in a category in order to compete, those videos will then be added to a similar category. Ex, Romance added to Drama, Upbeat added to Action.
o 2 or more videos will be required in each category for the category to compete.
· The contest will be judged by a panel of judges at the convention as well as by the attendees present at the Friday showing and by Youmacon AMV Staff.
· Youmacon AMV Staff will select a judging panel of 2 creators, 2 non-creators, and 2 guest judges, preferably.
· The judging panel will choose the winner(s) of the following awards:
o Best Staff
o Best of Show
o Best Action
o Best Drama
o Best Comedy
o Best Upbeat
o Best Romance
· The attendees will chose the winner(s) of the following awards:
o Fan Favorite
· The Youmacon AMV Staff will chose the winner(s) of the follow awards:
o Most Original Concept
o Best Technical
o Staff Pick
· Judging Ballots will be handed out to the audience before the competition and will be deposited in drop boxes at the end of the screening. The scores will then be tabulated and winners announced at the award ceremony and finalist showing on Saturday of the con.
· You do not need to be present to win. However if you want your award and/or prizes you must either be present, have a proxy at the con to pick it up, or send SASE to the contest coordinator (you will be contacted in this case).
o If you will have a proxy at the con to accept your award(s) send an email to the contest coordinator with the name of your proxy.
o IDs will be required in order to receive your award/prize at the convention.
· You may submit entries to the following categories:
o Drama:
§ Videos in this category seek to evoke emotional responses from viewers by the successful combination of music, video, and editing which usually involves dramatic subject matter or dramatic elements from the anime.
o Upbeat
§ Music Videos in the upbeat category are uplifting and have a beat that one can groove to.

o Comedy
§ Whether parody or just wacky content, videos in this category can be pretty successful as long as someone thinks it’s funny.
o Romance
§ Videos here are much like drama, except they focus on the relationships between two people. The aww factor plays heavily in this category.
o Action
§ Videos will focus on action whether that is fighting sequences, motions of characters, or fast paced colorful imagery. The key word here is adrenaline.
o Staff
§ This category is a mixture of all the others, as staff are only allowed to enter in this category.

Entry Submissions:

· All entries must contain an entry form. Those submitting multiple entries will need to submit a form for each video. The entry form may be found on Youmacon’s website http://www.youmacon.com or at http://www.ngsilver.com/contests/youmacon/.
· Entry forms may be directly filled out from the website and submitted. However, you must also print the form and mail it in with your entry. The process to fill out the form will be like this:
o Fill out all fields in the form
o Check if you are submitting via snail-mail or FTP
o Click the submit form button
o The entry form data will be sent automatically to the contest coordinator.
o You may print the returned form to send in with your snail mail entry. FTP entrants do not need to upload a copy of their form, but may do so if they wish.
o Send questions to amv@youmacon.com
· Entries may be uploaded via FTP using the following information:
o IP: youmaconamv.serveftp.com
o Port: 21
o Username: YoumaconAMV
o Password: g1KonRxu
§ The username and password are both case sensitive.
§ Please navigate to the folder for the category you are submitting to and upload your video there.
§ You are unable to alter, edit, refresh, download, ect. On the ftp server. All you are able to do is browse and upload.
§ If you have any problems regarding the FTP server please contact iceman.f1@gmail.com with your questions. The contest coordinator has no control over the FTP, so please don’t ask him.
· Entries may also be Mailed. Send your video and printed entry form to:
o ATTN: Youmacon 2k7
o Nathan Silverthorn
o 15750 Gulley
o Taylor, Mi, 48180
· Please make sure to include a printed copy of your entry form with your snail-mailed entry.
· The following media types will be accepted: CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-DL, DVD+DL
o Remember that all media submitted will not be returned. Do not send us your master copy.

Fun Extras:

· We will be providing DVDs of the contest to all entrants who wish to receive one.
· DVDs of the contest can be received in the following ways:
o Send SASE including 2 DVD+-R or 1 DVD+-DL and the DVDs will simply be mailed back to you after the convention.
o Send $5 with your entry and after the contest the DVDs will be mailed to you via USPS Priority Mail.
· We will accept Personal Checks, Money Orders, Cashiers Checks, and cash (though it is not recommended you send cash over mail.) Make all payment out to Nathan Silverthorn.
· Include a note stating you would like to receive DVDs of the contest with your payment/DVDs.
· We will also accept payment at the convention as well anytime the AMV room is open.
· If there is demand for it, a paypal payment method will be opened up. But only if there is enough demand.


Any and all questions regarding the contest may be directed to the contest coordinator at amv@youmacon.com.



The Youmacon 2k7 Hentai AMV Contest

Information:
· You may submit as many videos as you want to the Hentai Contest, as long as you made them.
· There is no time limit on videos.
· There are no Quality standards.
· You can submit a video that’s as old as your grandmother if you so wish.
· Fill out the AMV Contest Entry Form and select Hentai as the category.
· You will use the same FTP server, simply upload to the Hentai folder.
· Submit your videos also to the same snail-mail address, however, Hentai videos need to be on a separate disk from normal contest videos. (they can be shipped together)
· The contest itself will be 2-4 hours long, depending on how many entries are received.
· Entries will compete for the top 10 places.
· Videos will be voted on by those in attendance of the showing.
· Videos must contain all animated clips (no live action smut). Since this is a hentai contest, 50% of the video must contain hentai material.
· Hentai material will be defined as pornographic, ultra violent, sick, nasty, and utterly wrong. (any or all of these need be present in each video)
· Videos will be pre-selected for the showing. However, the videos that will be screened will not be announced.
· The contest will take place late night one of the nights of the convention
· All persons entering this contest must be 18 years of age or older.
· Multi-editor projects are limited to 15 mins in length and will receive no physical prizes if there are any to be given.
· Multi-editor projects will be defined as a video collaborated on by 3 or more people.
· In the case of a Multi-editor project, please select only 1 editor as the spokesman, who will submit the video and entry form.

[ngsilver]

I apparently left this out of the rules.

Want to submit multiple videos with the same category?
As the rules state only 1 video per editor can compete in any category. We will however accept as many videos as you wish to send to us. For your competing video(s), check their proper category. For all other videos, select Exhibition as the category and it will not compete. Simply upload the video to it's proper category. All Exhibition entries will be shown at some point during the convention during our overflow showings or as part of the contest showing if we do not have enough entries to fill our 2 hour allotment. Exhibition entries are NOT eligible for winning any awards.

[ngsilver]

Just a friendly reminder that only 1 month remains until the deadline for submitting entries!

Submit your tired, your weary, and don't worry about trolling, we don't care!

[ngsilver]

Another friendly reminder. Only 2 weeks left until the deadline. You have until Midnight October 14th! That is, if I don't receive the video (or you aren't already uploading it) by Midnight then you didn't make it in.

AWA's over, get your vids in. We don't care how many you submit (as long as only 1 is submitted per category that actually competes) or what awards they have won (as long as they haven't won at a previous Youmacon.) Oh and for you hentai editors, I know you have new vids, SEND THAT SMUT IN! I'm working on getting actual awards for the hentai contest.

[ngsilver]

I humbly apologize for this. However, back before the beginning of October I had experienced an error while updating my .net framework on my PC and upon rebooting I found that my main hard drive's MBR had been lost. As such, I had to reinstall my OS and run a recovery of the drive to recover lost data.

The unfortunate problem with this is that in doing so I hadn't created a backup of my email, where the entry forms are kept stored as a backup to the database. The database was lost and so was the emails containing the entry forms from the months of August and September.

I have rebuilt the database from the emails I have, but those that have been submitted during August and September have been lost.

As such, please re-submit your entry forum if this is one of you. Anyone who submitted a form during those two months should re-submit to insure that I have your form. However, those who submitted their videos via Snail-mail should be fine, because you also sent a copy with your entry, and I have all of those.

I will be posting a list of videos that I have received but do not have entry forms for. If you are on this list please re-submit your form.

I will be notifying people of their video's arrival and testing results within the next few days as there have been a number of new entries recently.

Everyone's videos are fine, this is only an entry form problem.

Again, I apologize for the trouble and hope to rectify this problem so that no one's videos will be missed or overlooked.

There will be changes next year in the way entries are handled such that this kind of a problem will not happen again. Thank you for your patience as we implement these changes and fix the current error.

[ngsilver]

The following videos lack entry forms: (listed according to catagory / filename)

Drama / MeliChan923(Melissa_Paradis)_-_The_Death_of_You_-_Youmacon.mpg


The following entry forms lack videos: (listed according to Name - Video title)

Jason Martin - Stronger (Tetsuo\'s Revenge)
Brian Johnson - Lee can DANCE
Jennifer Honig - Big In Japan
Jennifer Honig - All I Am


Remember, with out both the video and entry form, your video will not compete.

[ngsilver]

A friendly reminder that the window to begin your FTP submission will be closing in a little over 3 hours.

Alternatively, I can extend the due date until Tuesday the 16th for those of you who may need it. This is a 'get it to me however' deadline. Mail, link, however. I can also provide special FTP accommodations if requested.

You know you want to, it's really easy, and we got fun prizes this year that are really nice and a budget to ship them out if needed.

(alternatively, those of you who won best of show in the past give me your address, I lost them all, I'll get your awards out to you as well)