Zenkaikon 2020's AMV Contest! [Update + Winner News]

[PrincessMareep]

Online entries only! Please read thoroughly!
If you don't, you may be disqualified.
How will we know you didn't read the rules?
I guess you’ll have to read the rules to find out.

Submission Deadline: Sunday, February 2, 2020 11:59 PM EST
There will be NO EXTENSION beyond this date!
All entries MUST be submitted no later than this.
Any entry arriving later will not be considered, so make sure to get them in as soon as possible!
We will NOT accept entries for videos that debuted before March 24, 2019!
** If you know your entry will be a day or two late, you must contact us BEFORE the deadline passes. **
Contact the AMV Coordinator at amv@Zenkaikon.com for more information.
** Yes, this is also where to send your entries. **
Please use Google Drive or DropBox exclusively to upload your entries and send the download link to this email address.

AMV Categories
There will be six categories:

Action
Drama
Upbeat / Dance
Romance / Sentimental
Comedy
Free Range Fandom!
Zenkaikon is a convention geared to encompass sci-fi, fantasy, comics, literature, and all other mediums by which we get our geek on. Here is where you represent your favorite. Whether it’s Marvel / DC, Star Trek, Steven Universe, Sesame Street, video games, Doctor Who,...whatever it is, show us your tribute to it and share it proudly!

Other special awards include:
Viewers Choice (as voted by the viewers)
Best in Show (our judging panel's award for best overall video)
Coordinator's Choice
Spirit of Zenkaikon - Best representation of this year’s theme (“D20 - Fantasy and Storytelling”)

Once the deadline passes and we have all entries, the Zenkaikon AMV staff and members of a viewing committee will participate in a blind screening to determine the field of finalists.
The screening will utilize a fairly strict scoring system.
Your entry must pass a quality check (sound clarity, video quality, etc).
It will then be judged on several technical factors, although entertainment value is extremely important.
No one on the screening panel will be shown or told the name / identity of any of the creators, nor will their scores be shared amongst or seen by each other.
Once all the numbers are in, the math will be done and the highest-scoring entries for each category will pass on to the finals (posted one to two weeks before the convention).

Submission Form
It’s on the next page but KEEP READING!

If you are unsure about any of the source information (anime, song titles, etc) please look it up, as it is all crucial. Google is your friend.

Please name your files in this format:
"category – your name or alias – video title"
EXAMPLE: comedy - Loose Canon LTD - No Pain, No Gain

Technical Standards
All submissions must meet the following standards:
at least 720 x 480 resolution
29.97 fps -OR- 23.976 fps
Non-Interlaced video (Progressive scan)
Stereo sound
Frame rates of 60fps and higher are allowed but be advised that the main Showdown video will be rendered to 29.97fps HD mp4.

The following file formats will be accepted, provided that they meet the above standards:
Video
MPEG 2
mp4 (absolutely NO Quicktime-formatted videos!)
HuffYUV avi
Lagarith avi
Uncompressed avi
Audio
Uncompressed wav (PCM)
MPEG audio (mp3, mp2, etc.)
AAC

Helpful software for files over 250mb in size (recommended)
Zarx264gui: free, safe, reliable, and trusted program used to compress large video files into more manageable, smaller mp4 files. Download and all information can be found on the creator's site here: http://www.amvhell.com/stuff/zarx264gui/
If you need help using this program, here is a walkthrough: http://www.animemusicvideos.org/guides/ ... 64gui.html


AMV Rules
This should go without saying, but plagiarism will NOT be tolerated! If you are caught violating this rule, you will be disqualified and banned from entering future Zenkaikon AMV contests.
All entries *MUST* conform to the formats listed above.
NO BUMPERS or CREDITS will be permitted! We will provide MTV-style title graphics to introduce each entry for the finals.
A maximum of three submissions per person, one per chosen category, is allowed.
Entries must be at least 1 minute in length and not exceed 5m30s running time. They must contain at least 75% Japanese animation. Live action is allowed as long as your video remains mostly anime / video game. If you use video game sources, make sure they are Japanese-produced. No more than a total of 15 seconds of original audio from your source video will be allowed!
Corollary: For the “Free Range Fandom” category, there will be no restriction on the amount of live action used. Your chosen fandom can be from anywhere in the world.
Do not enter a video if it has won three major awards (best of category, viewers choice, best in show). If you enter several contests and your video wins its third award after the Zenkaikon 2020 submission deadline has passed, it will NOT count against you.
A “soft” PG-13 rating will apply.
NO sexual content (this should be self-explanatory).
NO gratuitous violence (disembowelment, excessive blood, amputations, impaling, etc). Let’s use Hellsing or Berserk as examples. If you feel your entry may fall into this criteria but aren’t sure, please contact us!
NO profanity (obscene / offensive language). This should also be self-explanatory but, if you’re unclear about this, contact us.
Anything that is questionable will be shown to both the judging panel and convention chair for further review. Bottom line: the convention chair has the FINAL WORD!
Your video will be returned to you for alteration or disqualified if there are any logos, watermarks, or fan-produced subtitles (aka “fansubs”) – CHECK YOUR WORK before submitting! You ARE allowed to produce your own subtitles (typically song lyrics or parody).
All submitted materials become the property of Zenkaikon and are non-returnable.
Submissions with significant audio or visual degradation will not be accepted. (PROTIP: Do not make AMVs with downloaded video or poor-sounding audio.)
Prizes will be presented during a formal award show Saturday night of Zenkaikon 2020. If you win any awards but are not attending the convention or must leave before the award show, awards will be mailed out after the convention courtesy of Zenkaikon. DVD copies of the contest will not be available due to legal concerns.
Zenkaikon is not responsible for lost, misdirected, or damaged entries, prizes, etc.
We reserve the right to reject any video for any reason. Rules are subject to change. If any major changes are necessary to make your entry suitable for screening, we will contact you as soon as possible.
All members of the Zenkaikon AMV Staff and judging panel are prohibited from entering this contest.

If you have any questions, email amv@Zenkaikon.com for more details.
Bring us your best and tell your friends who edit AMVs that we're up and running.
Now...GO!

[Silent Hero Studios]

Where do I go to submit an entry? I can't find a link

[SerAvium]

Found it on their main page: https://zenkaikon.com/amv-contest/submission-form

[Squancho]

Please refer to this page before filling out the form and submitting.

https://zenkaikon.com/events/amv-contest

Thanks.

[Squancho]

Here's some info you'll be interested in keeping an eye on.

ENTRIES
Action: 19
Comedy: 7
Drama: 11
Free Range Fandom: 11
Romance / Sentimental: 16
Upbeat / Dance: 9

CONFIRMED
SerAvium
Team Instinct
Sarah Sannoune (2)
Silent Hero Studios (3)
Tigrin (2)
James Blond
Lightning Bear Studios / TwigglyFiggly
Iren SS
Synaesthasia
Espresso Yourself
Danny Bendtsen (2)
CasualSwimmer (2)
Panda Powered Productions
Bry__
Teru
Vaeryn (2)
EnQuatre
Rein x Kazuhiko
Abrogate Need (2)
Prostrate Constantly
NATALEO
MiraKayla
Patryk Witek
Rider4Z (3)
Troubleclef (2)
ZenoicFreak
Nuke
Justin Rodriguez
Opner (3)
Team Aurora (3)
Shizaya (2)
EwZew
Katherine Gavin
Dexter (2)
DopplerDo (3)
junh1024
GiaQuando
Pysh
Seanthebomb
Samantha Hinton (2)
pervysloth
ShoriSquared (3)
thefanvideoer2
ScarletKarasu
pikapwn (3)
drewaconclusion (2)
Double Click (2)


This post will be updated as more entries come in.

[Squancho]

REMEMBER...

DEADLINE IS NEXT SUNDAY AT MIDNIGHT!

https://zenkaikon.com/events/amv-contest

[Squancho]

DAWN OF THE DEADLINE

Five days left to enter the Showdown!

[Squancho]

DAWN OF THE DEADLINE

Three days left to enter the Showdown!

[Squancho]

DAWN OF THE DEADLINE

LAST DAY to enter the Showdown!

https://zenkaikon.com/events/amv-contest

[Squancho]

WE ARE CLOSED!

Thanks to those of you who entered!
We had a total of 73 qualifying videos.

JUST A HEADS UP...
for future reference, we DO NOT accept YouTube video links!

Anyway, finalists will be announced by WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19th!