Youmacon 2016 Fan Art Theater Competition (AMV Contest)

[ngsilver]

Important Contest Info

The winners can be found here: Posted once winners are selected

Entries Due: October 7th, 2016 (Web Upload), September 28th, 2016 (FTP upload), September 28th, 2016 (Snail-mail)

Contest Database: http://contests.ngsilver.com/login.htm

Contest Info Page (includes PDF & HTML formatted rules): http://contests.ngsilver.com/youmacon

Contest Coordinator: Nate (youmafatsubmit[AT] gmail.com)

Video Tutorials:

Major Change Notes:
--- This year we have officially removed the separate adult competition in favor of allowing adult entries to be submitted and compete alongside the non-adult entries in the normal competition for standard judges awards. There will still be a separate carded showing for these entries at the convention and it will be decided during the judging sessions which entries will be moved to this showing. For more details on how this change is being handled please check the Adult Entry specific rules in the rules document and the judging info in the MomToCutiePia rule document.
--- This year we are officially accepting entry submissions via Web Link Uploads! You will submit your web link via the entry status page. FTP Submissions is no longer the preferred method of submission and it is no longer recommended to use FTP unless you are unable to utilize the web upload feature.
--- Judging and Awards will be handled slightly differently this year, further info via the MomToCutiePia rule found here: http://contests.ngsilver.com/youmacon/Y ... andled.pdf

[ngsilver]

Youmacon 2016 Fan Art Theater Competition Rules

Please read through all the rules before entering!

Entry Requirements:

• All videos must be in the hands of the Contest Coordinator by October 7th, 2016. You have until 11:59PM on Oct 7th to get your video(s) in. (all times Eastern)
• Submission formats have different deadlines, as outlined below:
o Snail-Mail
 Snail-Mail Submissions will stop being accepted after Sept 28th, 2016.
o FTP
 FTP Submissions will stop being accepted after Sept 28th, 2016. FTP server will be closed at 11:59 PM on Sept 28th, 2016.
o Online Link
 Online Link Submissions will stop being accepted after Oct 7th, 2016. Online Link Accepting will be closed at 11:59 PM on Oct 7th, 2016.
• There is no set limit to the number of entries per creator that can be submitted to the contest.
o Total Length for all videos submitted per creator must not exceed 25 mins.
 This means we will accept 50 30 sec videos, 1 25 min video, or any mixture in-between.
• Videos that have been submitted to a previous Youmacon Contest will not be eligible to compete.
• Multi-editor videos are also accepted. When filling out the entry form please supply information for the other members in the comments field.
• Entries may not contain bumpers, title screens, MTV style credits, or any other form of identification. We will be creating our own uniform bumpers and to ensure the quality of all entries are maintained we will not remove them for you.
o This rule may be overlooked if such identification is done creatively in a way that can not be easily removed. However this, like all other rules, is left to the coordinator’s discretion.
• All videos must be a minimum of 30 seconds long.
• The maximum length for videos submitted must not go over the allotted 25 mins available per creator.
• By submitting your video(s) to this contest you authorize us to screen and distribute it under the Youmacon Fan Art Theater Competition Title. All physical media (CD-R, DVD-R, Thumb drive, ect) submitted becomes the property of Youmacon Enterprises/Defying Conventions and will not be returned.



• There are no content requirements for this contest. Your videos may contain any type of footage you see fit to use, provided it doesn’t fall into one of the categories for disqualification.
o The allowable footage types include but is not limited to the following:
 Anime
 Manga
 Live Action
 My Little Pony
 Non-Japanese Cartoons
 Video Games

• Entries may be disqualified for the following reasons:
o Bad audio or video quality
o Subtitled footage
o Failure to adhere to submission rules
o Lack of entry form
o Any reason Youmacon Fan Art Theater Staff deems necessary.
 If you are unsure if your video would be disqualified due to the above rule e-mail the contest coordinator and we can view the content of your video and make a decision.
 A special stipulation is in place for entries DQ’ed due to content of their video being too much for a general audience. Such entries will automatically be submitted to the Adult Competition and shown during our late night blocks.

• Exceptions to the rules will be made on a video-by-video basis.




Entry Format:

• Entries will ONLY be accepted in the following formats:
o AVI
 HUFFYUV
 LAGARITH
 UTVIDEO
o MPEG-2
o H.264 / x.264 (preferred)
 .mp4 files ONLY
• The following containers, formats and codecs will NOT be accepted:
o Videotape (VHS or Betamax)
o Authored DVD (If it plays like a DVD in a DVD Player)
o WMV
o RM
o MOV
o MKV
o OGG
o Xvid
o Divx
o DV
o Any other item not listed in the accepted list above
• For optimum viewing at con, all videos should include at least 1 second of black space before and after the video.

• Digital Video File format specifications:
o Videos will be played on a large projection screen. As such, high quality will be expected. For the best results submitting a video that has at least a 640x480 resolution is required (or 640x352 if you are working with widescreen footage.) Submitting videos smaller then this (including using source smaller then this) will degrade the visual quality of the video, which may lead to disqualification.
o We will no longer accept videos submitted interlaced. All videos MUST be progressive.
o As letterboxing and pillarboxing will degrade the final viewing size at the convention, we no longer will allow for videos to be submitted with letterboxing or pillar boxing. All videos MUST be submitted in their native aspect ratio.
 If your video contains black bars at the top/bottom or sides, this means you have letterboxing/pillarboxing in your video.
• We gladly accept HD videos. Our setup at the convention will be able to display videos at least at 720p quality with the possibility to display higher resolutions.
o If you plan to submit an HD video please keep in mind that the better the codec you use the better the final quality will be. HD videos should not be sent in using mpeg2, we recommend h.264/x.264 for this.





Contest Information:

• The contest will be shown either via a computer directly to the projector or via an authored DVD if such a need arises. Those of you submitting via MPEG2 will benefit from following the DVD specifications outlined: http://contests.ngsilver.com/youmacon/s ... ations.htm
• All videos not disqualified will compete.
• Information on showings in rooms other then the Fan Art Theater will be announced when they are figured out.
• Due to the amount of entries submitted and time permitted for showing entries we may not be able to show every video submitted during the course of the convention. We will allow for creators to request specific videos of their own during showing blocks in order to see their entries up on the big screen, but cannot guarantee that any of a creator’s videos submitted to us will be shown during the convention.
• Judging and Awards will be handled drastically different this year due to the above change in viewing at the convention. Please see the full explanation, ala the MomToCutiePia Rule, here: Youmacon_2016_How_Awards_and_Judging_is_Handled
• You do not need to be present to win. However the fastest means of receiving your award will be to either be present or have a proxy at the con to pick your award(s) up for you.
o If you will have a proxy at the con to accept your award(s) send an email to the contest coordinator with the name of your proxy.
o The convention will mail out awards after the con to those who did not pick them up at con. The timeframe these will be sent is entirely based on availability of funds for shipping by the convention and may take up to a few months.
 The convention regrets to inform you that this courtesy can only be extended to entrants in the United States. All international entrants will need to make arrangements with the coordinator in order to receive their award(s).

• Due to the nature of the competition and the sheer breadth of video types able to be submitted we are no longer following a category submission system. That is to say there are no longer categories, but instead all videos submitted to the competition will compete against each other in order to obtain awards decided upon via our judges/attendees in accordance with the MomToCutiePia Rule.

• You may submit entries to the following competitions/categories:
o Other
 This category is strictly for use by panelists who need to submit their videos to the con for viewing. Only to be used if asked by the coordinator.
o Staff
 If you are Youmacon staff this is the only competition you are allowed to compete in. This is for pure bragging rights amongst staff, Adult competition excluded however.
o Exhibition
 All videos submitted to the contest that do not fall into the other competitions above will fall into this one. The mass majority of entries will fall into this category.

• Adult Entries
o Adult Entries are now allowed as part of the normal competition
o This year we are doing away with the separate adult video competition, instead all adult videos submitted to the competition will compete with all other videos for the same pool of awards.
o Adult entries may contain any source material. We will not accept amateur porn or voyeuristic videos as valid entries. Also keep in mind all applicable laws for your state/province as well as local Michigan/Detroit laws when submitting entries. We WILL NOT accept any videos that break these laws.
o Adult material will be defined as pornographic, ultra violent, sick, nasty, utterly wrong, and anything considered unable to be shown during the standard convention viewing.
o While adult entries will compete with all other entries, they will only be shown during a specific carded event at the convention.
o All entrants who submit an adult entry must be 18 years of age or older.




Entry Submissions:

• We will be employing a Contest Database system for keeping track of entries. The system will be used to fill out entry forms, request priority seating at the contest, request ftp information, view status of entries, and much more.
• All entries must contain an entry form. Those submitting multiple entries will need to submit a form for each video.
o The Database can be found here: http://contests.ngsilver.com/login.htm
 If you already have an account you do not need to make a new one, even if you have never submitted to Youmacon before. Simply log in and make sure your creator information is up to date.

• Online link submissions
o This year we will officially be accepting entries via online links. This is the preferred method of submission.
o On the entry status page, after submitting your entry form, you will be able to submit an online link submission.
 This is separate from the link field in the entry form, which is only for permanent links to provide viewers after the con who wish to view your video(s).
o Links will only be accepted from a select few services
 DropBox
 Google Drive
 Personal Web Storage
o Links will only be accepted in a downloadable format, no streaming links allowed.
o All entry format rules listed in this document must still be adhered to.

• FTP
o FTP is no longer a preferred method of submission.
o FTP will be provided for entrants unable to use the Online Link submission type. It is offered as legacy.
o FTP must be specifically requested, via form, located in the entry status page for each entry needing FTP submission.
o No assistance will be provided on connecting to the FTP system as our ISP connection is unreliable and causes frequent issues. If unable to use FTP please switch to Online Link or Snail-Mail submissions.

• Snail-Mail
o Entries may also be mailed. Send your video(s) and printed entry form(s) to:
 ATTN: Youmacon 2016
 Nathan Silverthorn
 28675 Franklin Rd. APT 201
 Southfield, Mi, 48034
o Please make sure to include a printed copy of your entry form with your snail-mailed entry. You can print the form off from the Entry Status Section.
o The following media types will be accepted: CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-DL, DVD+DL, Thumbdrives, Blu-Ray Disk.
 Remember that all media submitted will not be returned. Do not send us your only copy.
o Label the disk with your name and the video title(s) on the disk
o You may put multiple videos on a single disk.
 If your file is larger then the space available on a disk you may split the file using a program like WinRAR. Simply label the disks as 1,2,3,ect


Any and all questions regarding the contest may be directed to the contest coordinator at youmafatsubmit [AT] gmail [DOT] com

[ngsilver]

reserved for finalists

[ngsilver]

reserved for winners

[ngsilver]

For those of you who have had problems signing up and logging in for the first time in the entry system I believe I have resolved the bug for that issue (I found the bug once I was alerted to it.) So you should be good to log in and authenticate yourself. Remember that if you have submitted to Youmacon or any contest that's used the system in the past your account is still active, no need to make a new one. I can assist in recovering accounts if needed.

We are closing in on about a 1.5 month till the final deadline. Remember that if you plan to send Snail-mail or via FTP that those submission formats do close early (Sept 28th) while Web Upload closes later (Oct 8th.)

Finally, I wanted to give a brief update to inform ya'll that I am moving within the next week. As such the FTP server will not be available for the next week and a half while my servers and systems at home are packed away and sent to my new place and then hooked back up there. Internet is already available at my new place (if you check the mail-in form in the system I've already updated the address and you might recognize it as I've been there before) so the bottle neck is getting things setup. The entry system will remain up and running while this is going on so you may still submit entries and all requests such as web upload and FTP requests, I just will not be able to download and check any web uploads or authorize any FTP accounts while my systems are offline. Once I am back up online I'll make another announcement and go through the backlog.

Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

[ngsilver]

FTP and SnailMail deadlines have officially past. We are also FAST approaching the final web upload submission deadline of October 8th! Thank you to everyone who has submitted an entry so far while I've been away at AWA. I will be getting to them all today and will be sending out reminders to everyone whom doesn't have a video submission to accompany their entry form after doing so. You should be getting status update emails sometime tonight.

This is a reminder that we are still looking for entries. These can be of any video, any type, any length and any number of videos (as long as it doesn't go over or under the restraints posted in the rules!) We do still accept HENTAI entries but no longer have a separate contest for it as all entries compete against themselves prior to the convention. Out attendees LOVE seeing the hentai works you submit so please do keep them coming! You have live action videos? We WANT them. You have My Little Pony videos? We WANT them! You have ANY video not previously submitted to us? We WANT them!

What you get from your submission is a potential to win one of our illustrious awards which are all thought up during judging to be some witty comment related to the video itself as well as our standard Best in Show and I Have The Weirdest Boner Right Now awards. All of our awards this year will be given out in the form of Golden VHS Tapes. We will transfer the winning entry onto said VHS Tape along with recordings of our judging sessions. The Tapes will be labeled based on the winning entry and award title and come in a clear clamshell case with a cover as well. So far they look awesome! Check them out below:

[ngsilver]

Deadline has now passed. All entries have been received and status updates sent. If you are unsure of the status of your entry please check the entry status page.

Thank you to everyone who submitted, this is our biggest year yet! A lot of great entries and I am looking forward to judging them this year. Good luck to all the entrants and those that missed the deadline better luck next year.