Tora-Con 2025 AMV Contest - Winners Announced!

[Tora-Con AMV Contest]

Hello all,

The Tora-Con 2025 AMV Contest is now open for submissions. We are running a slightly tighter timeline for accepting submissions this year, as our host university once again took forever to approve our contest rules (despite them being exactly the same as last year).

To enter, please visit our website: https://toracon.org/amv-contest
The contest will be open until February 8th, 2025. Please submit your entries by the end of that day (earlier is much appreciated though!)

Tora-Con is a two-day anime convention hosted by the Rochester Institute of Technology's Anime Club in western NY. We have been around since 2005 and typically have an attendance around 3,000 people.

For those who are unfamiliar with our contest, I would like to point out some of our contest rules that are often a source of frustration for editors.

First, our content guidelines are extremely restrictive. Nudity of any kind, along with any risque/sexualized depictions of minors, in any entry is closely evaluated to ensure it meets our convention's "family friendly" status. I know this is very annoying, as full or partial nudity and adolescent sexualization is pretty common in anime, and also whether something is "objectionable" is pretty subjective. However, it is important that our AMV contest always err on the side of caution in order to continue being allowed to operate at our host university without being designated an 18+ only event.

Similarly, please use "clean" lyric versions of your songs, especially if the "f word" is used. "Lesser" obscenities can be allowed if they are not too numerous.

Finally, another common contest rule that is often overlooked is that entries should not have placed at more than one other convention at the time of your submission. This is a legacy rule that was initially put in place when our contest first started running around 2008 because we had a high number of new and local editors that we wanted to encourage to apply and give a chance to make it into the finalist pool. The rule has been kept because it helps keep our finalist pool from becoming too similar to those of other nearby conventions, with whom our submissions often overlap with.

If anyone has any questions, please feel free to post them here or email me directly at amv@toracon.org. Thanks, and have a Happy New Year!
- Jessie, Tora-Con AMV Contest Coordinator

[Tora-Con AMV Contest]

Hi everyone!
Our AMV Contest closes for submissions in just 1 week, at the end of the day Saturday 2/8!

I have not been able to review submissions myself yet due to personal circumstances, but my amazing assistant is making a lot of headway. Acceptance/rejection emails will be sent out this week and editors who want to make adjustments to their videos in order to maintain eligibility should be given extensions in order to do so. Thank you for your patience!

[Tora-Con AMV Contest]

We had a fantastic AMV Contest this past weekend! AMV Contest attendance continues to be smaller than it was pre-pandemic, but still hanging in there with 90 total votes cast this year (for reference, we had about 3,000 badges sold). Historically, Saturday was always our busy day, but since the pandemic, the audience has shifted to Sunday. I think it is because there are fewer competing events and also a slightly later start time on Sunday.

Anyway, without further ado, our list of finalists is below, with winners noted in red. Thank you everyone who participated, and congratulations to our winners! Winners will be contacted via email regarding prizes.

Action

MHA - Break My Face AMV
Editor: Vocalic
Audio: Break My Face by AJR
Video: My Hero Academia

Break your vision
Editor: GodlyNova
Audio: Watercolor by Pendulum
Video: Various
Winner - Best in Show

Masked chaos
Editor: CpAMV
Audio: Ready Set by Vo Williams
Video: Various
Winner - Editing Skills

Mission Impossible
Editor: Takeshi
Audio: Mission Impossible Epic Theme by Lalo Schifrin & Yuri Krutikov
Video: Spy x Family
Winner - Judge’s Choice

Mob's Tea Party
Editor: SilkAMV
Audio: Annabelle's Tea Party by NIVIRO
Video: Mob Psycho 100; One Punch Man; Mashle: Magic and Muscles
Winner - Action Category

Take Back the Dawn
Editor: Speedy180
Audio: My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up) by Fall Out Boy
Video: Castlevania Nocturne

Romance

Her - Jvke AMV Mix
Editor: Zen Alexis M. Dela Peña
Audio: Her by JVKE
Video: Various
Winner - Artistic Merit

Balansomniacs
Editor: Link187
Audio: Balance by Wilkinson and NORTH
Video: Insomniacs After School
Winner - Romance Category

Dangerously Sweet
Editor: SeanPNG [Joker Troupe]
Audio: I Know a Place by Muna
Video: Dangers in My Heart

I Got You
Editor: BlackDiamondTeam
Audio: I Got You by TWICE
Video: Various

Finding each other
Editor: Lelani
Audio: SUZUME by RADWIMPS
Video: My Happy Marriage

Herp de Derp
Editor: Pyrothemusical
Audio: Herp de Derp by Bean, Stephon LaMar, and The Gregory Brothers
Video: The Dangers in My Heart

Upbeat

Dr Love
Editor: TritioAFB
Audio: Turn Me On by Oliver Heldens x Riton (feat. Vula)
Video: Various

Dreams Are Infinite
Editor: ResyAMV
Audio: You Make My Dreams (Come True) by Hall & Oates
Video: Sk8 The Infinity

Steenbeck
Editor: Prostrate Constantly
Audio: It's About Time by The Beach Boys
Video: Pompo the Cinephile

Best Girl
Editor: Kevicool
Audio: Original song from editor
Video: My Hero Academia; Various

SuiZomSen
Editor: Rog_Bert
Audio: Otonoke by Creepy Nuts
Video: Suicide Squad Isekai; Zom 100 Bucket List of the Dead; Sentai Daishikkaku
Winner - Upbeat

I Don't Wanna Wait
Editor: Anime Darling
Audio: I Don't Wanna Wait by David Guetta & OneRepublic
Video: Various

Comedy/Parody

Best Jobros
Editor: Vocalic
Audio: Best Friend (feat. Doja Cat) by Saweetie
Video: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

I Can't Believe It's Not Kung Fu!
Editor: SonsofKorhal9
Audio: Kung Fu Fighting by CeeLo Green & Jack Black
Video: Various
Winner - Comedy

The Shonen Power Bottom Hour
Editor: Bionic Slime
Audio: The Chaos of the Power Hour by Sbass Bear
Video: Various

Big Little Tike
Editor: SilkAMV
Audio: Control by Halsey
Video: Spy x Family

Hetalia! Paint it White!
Editor: MalloryC
Audio: I'm Still Standing by Taron Egerton
Video: Hetalia

Oh, THIS is a TPK!
Editor: AbyssBreakingStudios
Audio: The Good Place TV Audio
Video: Delicious In Dungeon

Drama

Cast in the Hearth
Editor: Hilovids and Troubleclef
Audio: Family Line by Conan Gray
Video: My Hero Academia
Winner - Drama Category

Astringent Aftertaste
Editor: Complicated Muse
Audio: Blow by Jackson Wang
Video: Chainsaw Man

Moments
Editor: Bionic Slime
Audio: For a Moment from Wonka
Video: Various

Reclaim
Editor: Lelani
Audio: The Seed by AURORA
Various

Holding On To What I Haven't Got
Editor: GloryQuestor
Audio: Untraveled Roads by Linkin Park
Video: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya; The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya

I'm 13 and this is deep
Editor: Tyken
Audio: Quiet by Matilda the Musical Original Cast, Telekinesis by Christopher Nightingale
Video: Mob Psycho 100

Trailer/Other

SEED
Editor: Speedy180
Audio: Dune Part 2 Trailer
Video: Gundam Seed

The Office Workers
Editor: Shorisquared
Audio: The Office Theme Song by The Scrantones
Video: Servant x Service

Episode: Shinra
Editor: ResyAMV
Audio: That Man He's A Monster by Adam Jensen
Video: Final Fantasy franchise

Science will win
Editor: Nuke
Audio: Pfizer advertisement
Video: Dr. Stone

WcEva
Editor: GloryQuestor
Audio: A Cruel Angel's Thesis by Yoko Takahashi
Video: Evangelion 1.11, McDonald's Commercials, WcDonald's Anime Commercial
Winner - Trailer/Other

Spy x Courier
Editor: SpuddStaaa
Audio: The Courier Trailer
Video: Spy x Family