Tickets

AMV Contest​

Otafest’s AMV Contest is open to everyone who wants to submit an AMV video into competition provided it conforms to all the rules as listed below. You do not need to be present at the event to enter, but attendance is always encouraged when possible.

AMV Contest

Create. Edit. Compete.

The Otafest AMV (Anime Music Video) Contest is your chance to share your video editing talent and creativity. If you have a knack for anything from syncing epic action sequences with heart-pounding music to crafting emotional tributes to your favorite characters, we want to see what you can create. You don’t need to attend Otafest to enter, but we’d love to see you there for the awards ceremony!

Good luck and we look forward to seeing your amazing videos!

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Details

Contest details will be available in early 2026.

Awards

  • Special Awards (up to 7)
  • Judges' Top Awards (Best in Show, Runner Up)
  • Audience Favorite (x2)

Awards and prizes will be distributed at the event, however If you are unable to attend the festival, you will be notified after the event by email. Your mailing address will then be requested so that any awards and prizes may be sent to you.

Important Dates

  • January 3, 2026 - Registration opens.
  • April 3, 2026 - Registration closes.
  • May 15-17, 2026 - Otafest 2026.

Quick Rules Summary

  • Length: 60 sec - 6 min (AMV) OR 30 sec - 3:30 min (Trailer/Commercial/Intro)
  • Limit: No more than 2 entries per person, whether as part of a group or individually.
  • Premiere date: Not shown publicly before June 1, 2025
  • Content: Age 14+ appropriate
  • Visuals: No subtitles, watermarks, logos, or unnecessary text
  • Audio: Audio for all AMV entries (except Trailer/Commercial/Intro) must be majority music. No excessive dialogue.
  • Source: Majority anime/manga-styled content. Consideration will be given to other animation sources that also fit the spirit of this event.
  • Technical: Meets video/audio quality standards described below
  • Originality: No plagiarism, no AMV-Hell style
  • AI disclosure: No voice cloning. If AI was used otherwise, provide details

Entry Types

AMV Entries:

  • Length: 60 sec minimum, 6 min maximum
  • Audio: Must be primarily music (minimal dialogue/narration)
  • Suggested Content: Tell a story, create emotion, showcase your editing skills

Trailer/commercial/Intro Entries:

  • Length: 30 sec minimum, 3 min 30 sec maximum
  • Audio: Audio: Dialogue and narration allowed
  • Suggested Content: Hype videos, promotional style, intro sequences

Entry Requirements

Video Content:

  • Majority anime/manga-styled content (other animation considered if it fits the event spirit)
  • Must be age 14+ appropriate (no excessive gore, nudity, vulgar language, or demeaning content)
  • Must premiere after June 1, 2025 (can't have been shown publicly or downloadable online before this date)
  • No AMV-Hell (random micro-AMV reels) style videos
  • No music and/or dialogue generated by voice-cloning technologies (deepfake audio).

Visual Requirements:

  • No subtitles, watermarks, logos, or credits (we'll create custom titles)
  • No references to other contests
  • Exceptions possible if such elements are necessary to your concept (contact us first)

Eligibility:

  • Maximum 2 entries per person (even if submitted as part of a group)
  • Open to everyone worldwide. You don't need to attend Otafest!
  • Otafest AMV staff and contest judges cannot compete

Technical Requirements

Recommended Format:

  • File Format: MP4
  • Video Codec: H.264/AVC 8-bit
  • Resolution: 1080p (don't upscale to 4K)
  • File Size: 450 MB or smaller
  • Audio Level: Normalized to -0.5 dB peak
  • Bookends: 1 second of black silence at start and end

Do NOT Submit Entries With:

  • Next-gen codecs (10-bit, AV1, H.265/HEVC, HDR)
  • 4K resolution
  • Excessively large files

We reserve the right to transcode entries that don’t meet these recommendations.

Technical Flaws to Avoid

The following issues are considered technical flaws.

Video Issues:

  • Interlacing
  • Squashed/stretched aspect ratios or improper letterboxing/matting
  • Blocky or chunky video
  • Color banding (i.e. color gradients caused by video re-compression)
  • Heavily aliased/jagged lines
  • Low resolution entries (minimum 720p for sources officially released in HD; 480p for sources that were never released in HD)

Audio Issues:

  • Audible distortion or clipping
  • Levels too low, overdriven, or clipped (we recommend normalizing to -0.5db peak)
  • Low sample-rate/bitrate
  • Audible jumps from flawed edits
  • Pitch-shifted or speed-adjusted audio (unless by obvious artistic necessity)

Entries that require a strange or unusual degree of difficulty to work with are considered technically flawed.

If you have questions about these technical requirements, please email us at amv@otafest.com

Contest Format

Since the contest runs 2 hours, all accepted entries will be pre-screened by a panel of judges to determine finalists.

Finalist videos will be shown during the main contest event at Otafest, where both judges and the audience will vote for their favorites.

Submission

  • In order to submit your entries, you will need to enter all the required information into the online form (link below) and provide a link for us to download your video.
  • Videos are accepted via third party upload sites (i.e., web links, Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.) so long as they do not require us to register to access.
  • Links to streaming only sites such as YouTube are not accepted.

If you have questions, please email us at amv@otafest.com

Submission Form