Following is a list of all the possible categories for the Tekko Mecha (2019) main AMV contest:

PRIMARY CATEGORIES
– Action
– Comedy
– Drama
– Romance / Sentimental
– Upbeat / Fun

SPECIAL CATEGORIES (optionally up to two of these)
– TV Series Opening Parody
– Trailer or Commercial Parody
– Extreme (please review the “Tekko Extreme AMV Contest” rules below for more information on this category)
– Convention Theme: MECHA — AMVs that revolve around Giant Robots and other “Mecha”-type anime
– 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)
– Offbeat
– 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 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 (still TBD); and
– The Tekko Extreme Contest Winner.

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 2019 convention to enter the contest, although it is highly encouraged.

– The contest this year will include the Basic & Auxiliary rules as outlined in the AnimeMusicVideos.Org CONGRSS (Contest General Rule-Set Starter), unless changed or amended by contest rules following.

– 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), 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 cut-off for the Tekko Mecha (2019) AMV Contest is 11:59pm Eastern Time on March 14th, 2019. The video files must be in our hands by 11:59pm Eastern Time on March 16th, 2019. Any video entry still not received by the latter date will be considered disqualified.

– The entries may include as a video source: 
o Japanese anime
o Live-Action video, preferably of Japanese origin but not required;
o Western Animation, preferably in a Japanese anime style (examples include RWBY, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Voltron: Legendary Defender) but not required;
o 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 ).

– 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.

This year, Tekko will be hosting an Extreme Contest for 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; and 
– 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 also be considered for entry into the Tekko Extreme AMV Contest. The Extreme Contest will have only one winner, announced during the event at the convention.

Please note that, 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.teamtekko.us ) and Tekko Mecha (2019) Program Guides for details on admission requirements for 18+ age restricted convention events.

In addition to the General Contest Rules above, the following additional rules will apply to Extreme AMV Contest submissions: 

– All Extreme Contest submissions require the same information as the regular AMV contest, except that on the contest entry form select “Extreme” in the first Special category choice to directly have your video considered for the Extreme Contest. If you submit multiple videos for both Extreme and Main contest submission, please have separate sheets for the Extreme Contest submissions versus the main contest submissions and label all videos clearly. 

– Any video entry marked “Extreme” that is determined to qualify for the Main AMV Contest will be reviewed for consideration for that contest under the Primary or Special Category chosen. Therefore, even though you may intend for said video entries to be in the Extreme AMV Contest, please make sure that the appropriate Primary (and optionally a Special Category) is selected for your entry.

– 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. 

– 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 March 26, 2016 and have not been submitted to Tekko previously.

– 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 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.

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 and Tekko’s Convention Administration Staff 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, 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 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/H.265 standard, or XviD. All video submissions not in AVC/H.264 format will be converted to that format for playback at the convention, 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 projectors, 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.

A submission form is being provided this year for entering contest videos. The contest will accept three methods of video acquisition:

• A download link to a file sharing location (such as AnimeMusicVideos.Org, Dropbox, Google Drive, or other similar service);
• A file folder created on the contest coordinator’s Tekko Google Drive for uploading files; or
• A file DVD by mail to the coordinator directly.

The AMV Contest Coordinator will review all entries for the above rules and guideline compliance, sending an e-mail directly to the entrant with the status of their video entry when a determination is reached.

An escape room is a physical adventure game in which players are locked in a room and have to use elements of the room to solve a series of puzzles and escape within a set time limit. The games are physical versions of “escape the room” video games. Games are set in a variety of fictional locations, such as prison cells, dungeons and space stations, and are popular as team building exercises.

You will create a team with a maximum of 7 other people (maximum number of team members is 8 total) and sign up for a time slot using the form below, and each team member will pay a $17 registration fee.

To reiterate: That is $17 PER PERSON. You will then elect a “Team Captain”, who we will text a confirmation message to, reiterating the day and time of your team’s scheduled run.

Note: Teams are not required to have 8 members. Teams with less than 8 can still run the room. However The Escape Room requires a minimum of 4 (four) team members, if you register for the Escape Room with less than 4 you WILL have additional players added to your team, teams with less than 7 (seven) may also be subject to receiving additional team members . If you have a team of at least 4 members and you wish to have the room to yourself, we ask that you purchase all remaining team spots because the Escape Room is best experienced with a full team of 8 (eight).

You are going to show up to your given time slot 30 minutes beforehand. This will give you ample time to make sure your entire team has made it, and then give us enough time to make sure you guys know all the rules. PLEASE NOTE: If any members do not show up at least 15 minutes beforehand, THEY CANNOT RUN. We need time to go over the rules with each team in depth to ensure everyone has not only a fun time, but a safe time as well.

If you want, you can sit outside the Escape Room (We will set aside an area) and wait to see if any team members do not show, and you can take their spot. You will need to pay the $12 entry fee to replace a no show.

The grade or scale of the kit will not factor into the scoring of the kit or separate it into a different category, all models submitted will be judged equally. A no grade kit will be judged the same way a perfect grade kit would be. Action bases will not be included in the judging unless they are creatively integrated into a diorama for the creative category.

The build quality of a kit will be judged upon how well the kit was assembled and how much work was put into cleaning up the kit after assembly. For instance, things like the removal of nub marks, seam lines, coloring over discolored plastic, the application of stickers or paint to provide the correct color to parts, and general build quality. If the kit includes a Diorama, the diorama will be included in the judging.

The creative category will be more subjective, no points will be given but rather the judges will decide as a group on the kit they feel is the most creative. Creativity can come in many forms. A unique paint scheme on the kit, new scratch built parts and weapons, a Diorama or display, anything that makes it unique and is outside the box will get more points. Basic build quality is encouraged, but it will not be the prime deciding factor in the creative category.

Entries are limited to one per person. However, if so desired, a second kit can be entered for display only and will be put on display but will not be included in the judging. All judges will be allowed to submit two kits for display but will not be allowed to submit kits for judging.

Submission into the contest will be on going from 9:00 a.m. on Friday until 10:00 p.m. on Saturday. On Sunday, kits can be picked up all day long from opening till close. Kits can be picked up early from the contest but will be removed from the judging if they are picked up before Sunday. The formal announcement ceremony will be at noon to announce the winners of the contest but participants can pick up prizes and their kits earlier should they need to. Contestants must be at the convention Sunday to pick up their kits and/or prizes by 4:30pm. Anyone who is not present by 5:00, will forfeit the prize and it will go to the runner up.