ACEN TIME EVERYONE GET IN HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!
The largest anime convention in the Midwest is back for 2025! We are back at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center & the Hyatt Regency O’Hare at Rosemont, Illinois from May 16-18,2025.
Please review the rules here. The rules have made some updates upon feedback from the 2024 contest as well as some outside observations I noted, so do take some time to check them out if you're interested in submitting.
Step 1: Use the registration link when you are ready. You will not submit videos until step 2.
Step 2: Use the video submission link when you have finished registering.
Check Out The 2025 Patch Notes:
- The submission deadline is April 10th, 2025 at 11:59 pm CST.
- I've removed the freshness date restriction. We will still prioritize more recently uploaded videos in the past year, but we will not stop videos based on the creation year. The only restriction now is you cannot send the same video multiple years if it does or doesn't make finals. Any video submitted to previous ACEN AMV Contests will not be accepted. Please keep that in mind for future ACEN contests
- Your video should be between 1 minute 30 seconds minimum and 6 minutes maximum. Any video that is longer than 6 minutes will be accepted, but may be scrutinized harder due to contest time constraints.
- We are renaming the category preshow videos to Shorts because that's literally what they are and I don't think I can fit Category Preshow onto an award. The category will be handled as its own category instead of being grouped in with the other categories. You are allowed up to 10 AMV Shorts. Shorts are videos under 1 minute and 30 seconds and longer than 15 seconds. Shorts depending on the quality can be moved to a category, but will be very unlikely.
- We are doing a two step submission process this year. Once you finish registering your information, you can proceed to the second google form and submit your videos. It only requires your email to match your registration email, so please make sure you do that first.
- I am introducing Subcategories. Depending on the quantity, quality, and overall strength of the competition of each subcategory, we will upgrade 2-3 subcategories to be a main category part of the show. Here is a list of all the current subcategories:
- Trailer/Parody
- TV Opening/Commercial
- Retro/Classic
- Horror
- Psyche
- Experimental
- Suspense/Thriller
- Draction
- Romance
- Artistic Endeavor
- Technical
- Rhythm/Dance
- Vibes
- Storytelling
- Tribute
- Character Profile
- MMV
- GMV
- Western Animation
- We have adjusted the categories this year due to how subcategories work. Here is a quick summary to the category changes:
- You can submit an extra 3 videos outside of the original one per category limit. AMV Shorts have a limit of 10 videos and Live Action has a limit of 3 videos.
- Trailer is now considered a subcategory. All trailer type videos will go to whichever category it feels appropriate in. If the subcategory gets enough support, it will be upgraded back to a category.
- Con Theme will be awarded outside of the main voting aspect of the contest and thus will not be a main category. This year our theme is Yokai Festival.
- Shorts are selectable as a category. They will function like the preshow videos, but will be submitted alone and not under a category.
- Live Action videos will be judged separately from the main contest. You can still select subcategories for live action videos. Depending on the strength of the live action video, it may or may not be upgraded into the main contest. We will still have a live action winner based on the judge's deliberation no matter what.
- We accept all footage from anime, western animation, video games, live action sources, etc.
- Awards are broken up into audience voted awards and judge based awards. Runner ups are only recognized and do not receive anything unless you are at con. If you are at con and win runner up, I will have prize tickets to hand out.
- As always, you do not need to attend the contest to win an award. I will do my best to get you your award after the convention. However, ACEN provides me the ability to provide prize tickets that are only redeemable at the convention for attendees only. I won't lie, but we do give some surprisingly nice stuff out each year.
Audience Awards:
- Audience Best in Show (1st - 3rd)
- Best in Category
- Runner up in Category
- Judge’s Best in Show
- Coordinator’s Choice
- Best Short
- Best in the Midwest (You must be in the midwest and attend the convention)
- Best Nonfinalist
- Best Theme (Yokai Festival)
- Best Live Action
- Last Year’s Best in Show Choice (Picked by last year’s Best in Show winner. If the Best in Show winner is unavailable, it will go to the 2nd Place and so forth.)
If there are any questions, feel free to email me at Reyd.Nguyen(at)ACen.org.
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