AMV Contest

We are proud to present Kumoricon's international anime music video competition. Editors from around the world compete in different categories that are judged by the audience live during the convention. Category winners and additional awards determined by the judges are announced prior to Closing Ceremonies.

Winners for previous contests

• AMV Contest winners for Kumoricon 2004–2022

Kumoricon 2023 AMV Contest rules and restrictions

Categories

There are seven categories for the 2023 contest:

1. Upbeat / Fun: Fast-paced enjoyment in the form of catchy songs, dancing, and whimsy.
2. Intensity: Intense edits filled with action, suspense, conflict, and despair.
3. Drama / Sentiments: Give the audience the feels!
4. Trailers: Short, sweet, and to the point. Pick a trailer and make it your own.
5. Fan Fiction: Rewrite the anime. Make your wildest dreams come true!
6. Guilty Pleasures: Delightfully annoying, cringey, and comedic, these videos take the worst of pop culture and make it great.
7. Melting Pot: These entries use sources that don't fit into our definition of anime/manga-styled sources and may use any animation source of their choice including, but not limited to: cartoons, video games, etc. Live action sources are allowed if they primarily represent Asian culture and/or aesthetics.

Depending upon the content and number of AMV entries received, categories are subject to change.

Contest rules

Anime: are Japanese animated productions featuring hand-drawn or computer animation.

The majority (over 50%) of your entry's video content must consist of anime-styled or manga-styled content. Other animation sources that feature such aesthetics are also accepted (examples include anime-styled video games like Final Fantasy, Pokémon, and Persona as well as anime-styled shows like Voltron: Legendary Defender, Teen Titans, Avatar: The Last Airbender, etc.).

We try to run a respectable show. This includes no themes likely to insult or disparage by race, social class, religion, ethnicity, gender, or sexuality—because that's no fun for anybody. Judges reserve the right to disqualify a video if it contains too much profanity, nudity, and/or references to drugs/alcohol. Judges may also disqualify a video if they find the content to be too serious/disturbing for a contest setting.

TV station logos ("bugs") and other commercial indices must be obscured or removed. Bumpers and credits are not allowed as we will be adding custom-made intro and outro slates for each AMV finalist. There is an exception for AMV titles (not credits) that add to the overall message and purpose of your AMV.

Parody uses of commercial logos are acceptable.

No source subtitles allowed. Intentionally added subtitles are OK.

No more than 3 entries per person, with no more than 1 entry per Category.
Maximum file size: 330MB.
Maximum duration: 5:30 minutes.

How to enter

To enter, you must upload your file within the submission form below.

We accept a wide range of file types, but MP4 is preferred. We strongly discourage submitting older codecs/formats like QuickTime, DivX, RealMedia or Flash Video. If you are unsure that your format is optimal, try playing your video in VLC Media Player. If it plays without any issues, then it will be optimal for submission into the contest. Physical media (such as by mail) is not accepted at this contest.

By submitting an AMV, you grant Kumoricon and the AMV Contest staff unconditional permission to use, copy, share, and show that AMV.

Deadlines

Entries must be submitted by 11:59pm Pacific Daylight Time on August 31, 2023 (UTC 6:59am on September 1, 2023).

A panel of judges will convene to review all entries and select up to six AMVs per category. The judges' decisions on the playlist are final.

All entries must have premiered or been created no earlier than the previous year's Kumoricon/DigiKumo (November 11, 2022).

Entries that have been finalists in previous Kumoricon/DigiKumo contests are excluded from the 2023 contest.

Prizes

Each category will win one prize chosen by audience voting.

The audience will also choose a Best In Show winner.

The coordinator/judges may make a Judges' Choice award, Coordinator's Choice award, Technical Effects award, and Honorable Mention as well as any other awards they believe best represent the top AMVs shown at the contest.

Therefore, a guaranteed seven prizes shall be awarded for 2023 with the potential to reach upwards of twelve prizes.

Due to increases in shipping costs, prizing options have changed for our winners. Domestic winners have a choice of digital gift card or physical prize selected by AMV staff, in addition to an award plaque. International winners will receive a digital gift card and digital award certificate via email.