AnimeNEXT will once again be holding its Anime Music Video contest! We will be accepting digital submissions, so make sure to do us (and yourself!) a favor and read over the following official rules ( DOC | PDF ) carefully and completely. These guidelines were created to help each video be treated equally as well as avoiding technical problems. Anything not adhering to these guidelines will most likely not be shown, or possibly shown in a way that you had not intended, without us even knowing.

At AnimeNEXT, we strive to treat each entry with the utmost respect and gratitude. In order to accomplish this, all entries will be judged in two ways: popular vote (by the audience), and judges' vote (by the contest coordinators who have several years of anime music video editing and contest coordination experience).

Really Quick AMV Submission Rules

Note that going just by these rules is not enough to guarantee that you have fulfilled every requirement; rather, think of it as a simple check-list to make sure you're well on your way.

Deadline: Saturday, May 31st, 2008
All AMVs must be in our hands by this date... not simply post-marked by this date. If you have to mail over-night (which is quite costly), so be it. There will be no FTP site provided.

MPEG-2 Encoded Files Preferred
We will be creating a DVD in conjunction with real-time video hardware to play back the contest during the convention. As such, we prefer the highest-quality MPEG-2 you can encode. While we will take other open formats (preferably in the AVI container), we prefer receiving a high-quality MPEG-2. Please keep in mind that an online-distribution encode of a video is not sufficient for playback in a convention setting. Please encode an MPEG-2 from your master-quality video.

No Titles, Credits, or Bumpers
Nowhere in your video should be there any kind of title or credits (neither before, during, nor after). We will be creating our own for each individual video.

No Logos
Nowhere in your video should be there any kind of logo. This includes DivX, Cartoon Network, G4, etc. Ignoring the ethical issues of downloading footage, logos are distracting.

No Subtitles
No videos with subtitles (be they from commercial releases or fansubs) will be accepted. The only exception to this rule will be videos (typically of the parody or comedy variety) that have editor-created subtitles for some specific purpose related to the execution the video's concept.

Blackspace
Please include two (2) seconds of blackspace before and after your video; no more, no less.

1 video submission
You are only allowed to submit a single video.

For the rest of the rules and guidelines, please see this document ( DOC | PDF ).

To enter the contest, download this form ( DOC | PDF ) and send it in to

ANIMENEXT 2008 AMV CONTEST
c/o Mike LaBrie
52 Princeton Arms East, Bldg. 4
Cranbury, NJ 08512