The following is the rules for the AUSA 2010 anime music video contest (AMV Contest).

General Rules

Each entrant is allowed two (2) submissions.  Users found creating multiple studios with the intent to circumvent the submission limit will have all their submissions disqualified.  If you are submitting a solo video but also want collaboration credit on someone else's video, please contact the This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for details on how to do this.

We will only accept submissions that are sent via the below submission channels.  We will not download your entry for you from your rapidshare/sendspace/dropbox/whatever, nor will we accept entries sent by email/AIM/MSN/etc.

Do not include studio bumpers or video credits.  Any lead-in/lead-out that we cannot remove will be grounds for disqualification.  Anime USA creates custom, uniform title cards for each entry, finalist or not.  Adding bumpers/credits on top of that just uses more screen time than necessary.

Your video must be primarily anime and/or videogame footage.  The exception to this is a live-action adaptation of an anime or videogame intended for television broadcast or release to theaters.  Such live-action adaptations will be accepted without penalty.

Your entry's audio must primarily be music.  Excessive narration and/or dialog will be grounds for disqualification.  This rule does not apply to entries submitted for the "Trailer/Parody" category.  Dialog that you recorded yourself is perfectly fine.

Your entry must not contain dialog that is taken from a commercial English dub.  While audio from a Japanese dub is acceptable, many voice actors attend AUSA and may not be pleased to find that you've used their voice without their express permission.  The exception is if you have their express permission; if so, you must furnish a written copy of the permission to the AMV Contest Coordinator prior to submission.

Your entry may not contain any commercial studio logos, only parodies of said logos.  This also includes DiVX and website watermarks.  Copyrighted logos that have been modified are also not okay.  If you wish to parody the original logo, you cannot use the original as a base.

Submissions to the "Trailer/Parody" category that use the All-Ages Approved, Older Ages Recommended or Restricted Trailer notifications (i.e. the "green", "blue" and "red-band" trailer markings) must not contain references to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).  The exception is if you have their express permission; if so, you must furnish a written copy of the permission to the AMV Contest Coordinator prior to submission.

The minimum length of each entry is thirty (30) seconds.  There is no maximum length.  During the pre-screening period where we determine which entries make the finals, we will watch every entry that runs under six (6) minutes in its entirety.  For works that run over the six minute mark, we reserve the right to skip the remainder of the video after six minutes have passed.  Also, entries over the six minute mark which have not made the final cut will most likely be bumped to the bottom of the overflow playlist, meaning there is a chance they will not be shown at the convention.

Submissions with nudity, offensive language and/or excessive violence may be disqualified at the AMV Contest Coordinator's discretion.  Please keep in mind that the contest will be open to all attendees, so the content must be appropriate for all ages.  Depending on what time the overflow screening is, submissions disqualified for this reason may not be shown at all.

Convention attendance is not required though encouraged.  However, attendance will not be a factor in your chances of winning or making the final cut.

Anime USA will not disqualify an entry solely because it has been featured or won an award somewhere else.  However, entries that were featured in a previous year's AUSA AMV Contest as a finalist will be disqualified.  Entries that did not make the final cut but were instead shown in the overflow portion will be accepted without penalty.

The better video quality that you send us, the better it will look.  Visual anomalies from poor compression will be enlarged as our video screen is significantly larger than your computer monitor.

AUSA Contest Ballot Counters and AUSA staff are prohibited from submitting to the competition; however, they may submit entries for the overflow only.

Anime USA reserves the right to disqualify any entry based on the judges' discretion.