Otakon 2026 AMV Contest - Deadline July 3rd!

[DistantMelodies]

Otakon’s 2026 AMV Contest is officially open!

Entries will be accepted until Friday, July 3rd at 11:59PM ET

Condensed General Rules

• Video source types: Japanese anime, manga (Manga Music Videos), video games, and anime adjacent/inspired media (Manhwa, ATLA/LOK, Arcane, She-Ra, Star vs. The Forces of Evil ect) are acceptable for registration.
• Entries must be no shorter than 1 minute, and no longer than 5 minutes. The only exception will be for the Shorts Category. Videos for Shorts must be between 25 seconds to 59 seconds.
• Each editor is allowed up to 2 submissions for the contest, but they must be entered into a different category (Shorts is exempt from this rule). These rules apply to members of an MEP or collab and all names used as part of the collaboration will count as one entry into the contest.
• All registered videos must have been created after June 22, 2025 (and as such, be a first-time entry to the Otakon AMV Contest).
• Please do not submit any video that has won more than 3 major awards at other conventions.
• Generative AI content is heavily discouraged and may result in your video being DQ’d from the contest if the judges deem there is generative AI being used in your video. This also includes songs created by AI.
• In terms of content, all videos must conform to PG-13 rating standards. This means there is no excessive violence, language, or sexual content within the video that would place the video above that rating standard.
• No bumpers or credits allowed.
• Please make sure the file size of the entry is no more than 1GB.
• For a more expanded rules list, please visit our rules page

The Categories
There are a total of seven categories to enter. Those entering should select the category that best fits their video they are submitting. If the judges believe a submission fits a different category, we will email you directly about the switch and include the reason why. For shorts, entries are unlimited, but only the one that receives the top score will rank.

Action
Drama
Romance
Upbeat/Dance
Comedy/Parody
Trailer/Commercial
Shorts

File Formats
MP4 and AVI file types are accepted.

Submission
Otakon 2026 AMV Contest Submission Form
When including a link to your video in the form, please use file-sharing sites like Google Drive, MEGA, etc. Make sure the link is set to PUBLIC and not restricted. We will try our best to get an email to you notifying that your submission has been successfully submitted to us.

The Otakon AMV Contest coordinators and/or our judging panel reserves the right to reject any video for any other reason not mentioned in the rules.

Awards
Finalists will be notified via email that their video has made finalist. If a finalist plans on attending the convention, a free weekend badge will be provided along with first in line perks for the AMV contest showings.

Best of Each Category
Best in Show
Audience Choice
Judges’ Choice Awards

If you have any questions, please feel free to email amv@otakon.com and we will try to answer as soon as we can.

[VegettoEX]

Hello! My first Otakon was 1999. First time catching the AMV contest was 2000. First time submitting to the AMV contest was 2001. First time making the final contest was 2004. Submitted many, multiple, countless times (well, I guess I could count...) over the years, up through and including last year. Attended more years than I submitted. Ran a number of panels (both in and out of the AMV Theater) over this same span of time. Magical memories, friendships forged, etc. etc. etc.

I can’t even remotely, possibly, conceivably imagine submitting an AMV (or a panel) for 2026, I will not be attending, and under no circumstances could or would I advise any other member of the broader AMV community to do so.

[troubleclef]

While I too am devastated and upset by Vic's sudden removal from Otakon, I don't know if we need to make a community wide call to boycott the contest moving forward. I've seen this happen before and it's lead to bullying and harassment of coordinators and entrants, which I really don't want a repeat of.

I wish DistantMelodies and her team the best and I hope that those hurt by the actions of Otakon's management put their efforts towards creation and nurturing of community, rather than shunning, and I wish the best for Vic in his future endeavors. I look forward to all the hard work everyone in this community puts towards their art and showcasing it.

Our hurt doesn't need to multiply.