AMV

The following are the contractual rules for Tekko’s Anime Music Video Contest. All videos submitted for the purpose of entry into the contest are subject to the following terms and conditions. Please be aware that these terms and conditions may change with public notice.

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CATEGORIES
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Following is a list of all the possible categories for the Tekko 2026 main AMV contest:

PRIMARY CATEGORIES

• Action

• Comedy / Offbeat

• Drama

• Romance / Sentimental

• Upbeat / Fun

SPECIAL CATEGORIES (optional; up to two, depending on number of entries)

• TV Series Opening Parody

• Trailer or Commercial Parody

• Convention Theme: "PITTSBURGH PROUD!" - Videos that have a connection to Pittsburgh in some shape or form. Examples include, but are not limited to, videos featuring music or audio from Pittsburgh-area artists or associated with Pittsburgh (Wiz Khalifa, Mac Miller, 'Renegade' by Styx, etc.); themes commonly associated with Pittsburgh (sports, industry, food, etc.); or imagery commonly associated with Pittsburgh (usage of Andy Warhol-style cuts, a bus in a sinkhole, etc.)

• Live-Action Music Video

• Western Animation Music Video

• Video Game Music Video

• Classic (defined here as “anime of Japanese vintage before 2000 as per AnimeNewsNetwork.com Encyclopedia”)

• Dance

• Horror

• Instrumental (a music track that does not contain lyrics or voice overs)

• Tribute

Once videos are received, a minimum of six (6) separate categories will be selected and used for the judging.  As arranged above, we normally will arrange for the five (5) Primary categories and one or more additional Special categories depending on the amount of entries received for those categories.  If we receive enough videos to replace a Primary category with a Special category, we will consider doing so.  Final selection of the video categories for the Main contest showing is at the discretion of the convention AMV Contest coordinator.

For awards this year, the following will be awarded in the AMV contest:

• The Audience’s Favorite of Show, voted by the attendees of the contest at the convention

• The Judges' Best In Show

• The Best in each Main Contest Category Selected (categories TBD)

Other awards may include:

• Staff Choice

• Coordinator's Choice

• Best Technical AMV

• Best Storytelling in an AMV

If the overall submissions’ play time is larger than can fit in the appropriate contest time slot, cuts will unfortunately be made. Keep in mind that video selection for the finals will be determined on qualities such as technical aspects, effectiveness of the video, and general execution.  You do not need to attend the Tekko 2026 convention to enter the contest, although it is highly encouraged.

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MAIN CONTEST RULES
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• The main AMV Contest is an all-ages audience showing.  A good general rule for content is that if the song cannot be played on the radio without edits (bleeps or omission of certain words), or the video contains sexual genitalia (no hentai) or has extreme violence, then it’s not acceptable for the main contest.  Note that the Tekko Convention Administration and Tekko AMV Contest Staff reserve the right to determine what constitutes “extreme” content.

• The submission form deadline for Tekko 2026 AMV Contest is 11:59pm Eastern Time on June 28, 2026.  Submission forms for the AMV Contest received after this date will be considered disqualified.

• The entries may include as a video source:

  • Japanese anime

  • Live-action video, preferably of Japanese origin but not required

  • Western Animation, preferably in a Japanese anime style (examples include RWBY, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Voltron: Legendary Defender) but not required

  • Video Game footage, preferably of Japanese origin but not required.

• Please keep in mind when you submit a music video to our contest that you are submitting to a Japanese culture convention.

• With the exception of Movie Trailer Parody and TV Commercial Parody AMVs, at least 80% of the submission’s audio must be a continuous song or music track.  Spoken Japanese openings or endings are allowed, but overlaying Japanese or English audio track(s) that are not a part of the original song/music track(s) is not allowed.

• There is a time limit of 30 seconds minimum and 6 minutes maximum per video. Any music video entry beyond 6 minutes may be acceptable at the AMV Contest Coordinators’ discretion.

• You may submit a maximum of three (3) video entries.  Each video entry should have separate and distinct category tags if possible. Don’t try to make a video entry fit a category it is not suited for (for example, a purely “Action” video in the “Drama” category), please try to select choices that provide the best match for the video content.  Please note that, should you have more than one qualifying entry that fit only one of the categories selected for the main contest, you will be notified and must select which video entry will compete in the contest.  If you need some assistance with categorization, please send an inquiry to the AMV Contest Coordinator ( amvs@teamtekko.us ).

• Qualifying AMV Contest video entries must have been created on or after July 24, 2024, have not been previously submitted to any past Tekko AMV contest, and have not won a combination of three (3) or more “Best In Show” or “Best in (specific category, i.e. Drama, Action, etc.)” at any other convention contest during that period.

• No watermarks or logo overlays in the video source(s) will be allowed. This includes, but is not limited to, the DivX logo, any television station identification, production company logo, streaming site bugs & logos, AMV studio logos, and so on.

• No video will be accepted with “hard subtitles” (subtitles permanently overlaid on video), nor will we accept videos from obviously bootlegged or fan-subbed releases with these subtitles. The only EXCEPTION to this rule is if you create your own subtitles as an actual part of the anime music video.  Please let the coordinator know of any added creator-added subtitles in the Additional Notes section of the Entry Form.

• Because of the nature of the video judging, Tekko Convention Staff and Volunteers are allowed to enter their own qualifying video entries, unless they are actively participating in the coordination or judging of the AMV contest.

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TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
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The following video formats are the only formats that will be accepted for submission to the contest, in order from most preferred to least:

• AVC/H.264 in an MPEG-4 container (.mp4)

• AVC/H.264 in a Matroska Media container (.mkv)

• HEVC/H.265 in an MPEG-4 Container (.mp4) (acceptable, but will be converted to AVC/H.264 [See Below])

• MPEG-2 Video with MPEG-II Layer Audio (.mpeg, .mpg)

• UTCodec or Lagarith Lossless Codec encoded AVI (.avi)

• DivX / XviD in AVI format (.avi) encoded at the highest quality possible (Quantizer 1 is most preferred)

• Quicktime (.mov) format (acceptable, but not recommended)

• Windows Media (.wmv) format (acceptable, but not recommended)

Any file format not mentioned above will not be considered immediately disqualified. This includes MPEG-1, Real Media, or the use of any video codec in a video file other than DivX, Lagarith, UTCodec, H.264, or XviD.  All video submissions not in AVC/H.264 format will be converted to that format for playback at the convention, including HEVC/H.265, so we encourage all entrants to use one of the top two video formats on the list if at all possible.  If you need assistance with the technical requirements, please contact the AMV Contest Coordinator ( amvs@teamtekko.us ) and we can try to work out an acceptable solution.

As we use HDMI equipment, acceptable frame rates for your videos are 23.976fps, 29.97fps, and 60fps.  Any other frame rates will be converted to fit one of these frame rates.

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Any video entry that does not follow these AMV Contest rules WILL BE CONSIDERED DISQUALIFIED AND WILL NOT BE ENTERED INTO THE CONTEST.  All submissions are subject to the Tekko AMV Department’s review and approval.  Tekko’s AMV Contest Department, Tekko's Convention Administration Staff, and the Pittsburgh Japanese Culture Society Board all reserve the right to prohibit from convention viewing any video submission entered into the contest for any reason.  By submitting your video entry for review, you agree that all decisions made by the Tekko AMV Contest Coordinator, the Tekko Convention Administration, the Pittsburgh Japanese Culture Society Board, and the AMV Contest judges about your video are FINAL.

All submissions become the property of the Pittsburgh Japanese Culture Society and/or its assigns, and will not be returned to the submitter. Please do not send in your only copy of your video submission.

All submissions received may be used for convention display and promotional purposes.  All videos entered will be considered to be cleared for this purpose.

The following are the contractual rules for Tekko’s Extreme Anime Music Video Contest. All videos submitted for the purpose of entry into the contest are subject to the following terms and conditions. Please be aware that these terms and conditions may change with public notice.

If the overall submissions’ play time is larger than can fit in the appropriate contest time slot, cuts will unfortunately be made. Keep in mind that video selection for the finals will be determined on qualities such as technical aspects, effectiveness of the video, and general execution.  You do not need to attend the Tekko 2026 convention to enter the contest, although it is highly encouraged.

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EXTREME AMV CONTEST RULES
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• The Tekko Extreme AMV Contest is a competition for fan-made videos with “extreme content”.  “Extreme Content” includes, but is not limited to, the following:

  • Coarse Language

  • Excessive violence (a well known example of this can be seen in the anime Berserk)

  • Innuendo or other situational humor that could be considered offensive

  • Nudity

  • Strong and/or graphic sexual situations

• Videos that have any of the above may be directly submitted to the Tekko Extreme AMV Contest for consideration.  Any videos submitted for the main contest entry that contains content not suitable for showing at the main contest will not be considered for entry into the Tekko Extreme AMV Contest unless it is submitted under this application.

• The Extreme Contest will have only one winner, announced during the event at the convention.

• THE CREATOR (AND/OR SUBMITTER) OF THE VIDEO MUST BE AT LEAST 18 YEARS OF AGE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CONTEST.  There will be a form provided by e-mail that will act as a waiver to enter these categories for viewing and for being awarded if the video should win the Extreme Contest.

• Please note that, in order to attend the AMV Extreme Contest showing at Tekko, you must verify that you are 18 years of age or older. Please review the Tekko website (http://www.tekko.us ) and Tekko 2026 Program Guides for details on admission requirements for 18+ age restricted convention events.

• The submission form deadline for Tekko 2026 Extreme AMV Contest is 11:59pm Eastern Time on July 3, 2026.  Submission forms for the Extreme AMV Contest received after this date will be considered disqualified.

• The entries may include as a video source:

  • Japanese anime

  • Live-action video, preferably of Japanese origin but not required

  • Western Animation, preferably in a Japanese anime style (examples include RWBY, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Voltron: Legendary Defender) but not required

  • Video Game footage, preferably of Japanese origin but not required.

• Please keep in mind when you submit a music video to our contest that you are submitting to a Japanese culture convention.

• At least 80% of the submission’s audio must be a continuous song or music track.  Spoken Japanese openings or endings are allowed, but overlaying Japanese or English audio track(s) that are not a part of the original song/music track(s) is not allowed.

• There is a time limit of 30 seconds minimum and 6 minutes maximum per video. Any music video entry beyond 6 minutes may be acceptable at the AMV Contest Coordinators’ discretion.

• There is no limit to the number of videos a creator may submit for the Extreme AMV Contest, but qualifying videos for this contest must have been created on or after July 1st, 2024, and have not been submitted to Tekko previously.

• No watermarks or logo overlays in the video source(s) will be allowed. This includes, but is not limited to, the DivX logo, any television station identification, production company logo, streaming site bugs & logos, AMV studio logos, and so on.

• No video will be accepted with “hard subtitles” (subtitles permanently overlaid on video), nor will we accept videos from obviously bootlegged or fan-subbed releases with these subtitles. The only EXCEPTION to this rule is if you create your own subtitles as an actual part of the anime music video.  Please let the coordinator know of any added creator-added subtitles in the Additional Notes section of the Entry Form.

• Because of the nature of the video judging, Tekko Convention Staff and Volunteers are allowed to enter their own qualifying video entries, unless they are actively participating in the coordination or judging of the Extreme AMV Contest.

Please note that there is NO PEDOPHILIA ALLOWED IN ANY OF THE CONTESTS.  Just because the box and the disclaimers say that s/he is legal does not mean s/he is.  Please, do not submit anything that has visually identifiable underage girls or boys performing sexual or perverted acts.

Anything else that is deemed to be illegal in the City of Pittsburgh, the State of Pennsylvania, or the United States is also not allowed into the Extreme Contest. Just because it’s animated does not excuse it from certain laws that may govern what can be shown in the United States.

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TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
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The following video formats are the only formats that will be accepted for submission to the contest, in order from most preferred to least:

• AVC/H.264 in an MPEG-4 container (.mp4)

• AVC/H.264 in a Matroska Media container (.mkv)

• HEVC/H.265 in an MPEG-4 Container (.mp4) (acceptable, but will be converted to AVC/H.264 [See Below])

• MPEG-2 Video with MPEG-II Layer Audio (.mpeg, .mpg)

• UTCodec or Lagarith Lossless Codec encoded AVI (.avi)

• DivX / XviD in AVI format (.avi) encoded at the highest quality possible (Quantizer 1 is most preferred)

• Quicktime (.mov) format (acceptable, but not recommended)

• Windows Media (.wmv) format (acceptable, but not recommended)

Any file format not mentioned above will not be considered immediately disqualified. This includes MPEG-1, Real Media, or the use of any video codec in a video file other than DivX, Lagarith, UTCodec, H.264, or XviD.  All video submissions not in AVC/H.264 format will be converted to that format for playback at the convention, including HEVC/H.265, so we encourage all entrants to use one of the top two video formats on the list if at all possible.  If you need assistance with the technical requirements, please contact the AMV Contest Coordinator ( amvs@teamtekko.us ) and we can try to work out an acceptable solution.

As we use HDMI equipment, acceptable frame rates for your videos are 23.976fps, 29.97fps, and 60fps.  Any other frame rates will be converted to fit one of these frame rates.

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Any video entry that does not follow these Extreme AMV Contest rules WILL BE CONSIDERED DISQUALIFIED AND WILL NOT BE ENTERED INTO THE CONTEST.  All submissions are subject to the Tekko AMV Department’s review and approval.  Tekko’s AMV Contest Department, Tekko's Convention Administration Staff, and the Pittsburgh Japanese Culture Society Board all reserve the right to prohibit from convention viewing any video submission entered into the contest for any reason.  By submitting your video entry for review, you agree that all decisions made by the Tekko AMV Contest Coordinator, the Tekko Convention Administration, the Pittsburgh Japanese Culture Society Board, and the AMV Contest judges about your video are FINAL.

All submissions become the property of the Pittsburgh Japanese Culture Society and/or its assigns, and will not be returned to the submitter. Please do not send in your only copy of your video submission.

All submissions received may be used for convention display and promotional purposes.  All videos entered will be considered to be cleared for this purpose.n