The Animethon 2026 Anime Music Video (AMV) Contest is a chance for fans to showcase their creative talents in the form of music videos. It is open to anyone who wishes to enter.
Submit Your Video
DEADLINE: June 20, 2026
As the contest will be two hours in length, all accepted entries will be judged by a panel of judges to determine the finalists. If you have any questions on any of the rules or submission guidelines, please e-mail us at amv@animethon.org and we will get back to you as soon as possible
Contest Rules
There can only be chaos without rules. We’ve set out some guidelines that your submission must follow. Please review them at the page below.
Frequently Asked Questions
When are submissions due?
All videos must be submitted by Saturday, June 20, 2026
How long can my video be?
The duration limits for each submission type are as follows.
| Type | Minimum Duration | Maximum Duration |
| AMV | 90 Seconds | 6 Minutes |
| Trailers | 30 Seconds | 3.5 Minutes |
| Shorts | 30 Seconds | 90 Seconds |
How many videos can I submit?
No more than 2 amv/trailers per person/group. There is no limit for “shorts”.
What types of content can I use in my submission?
All animation is accepted, including anime, manga, and personally created animation.
Any content used must be age 14+ appropriate.
No music and/or dialogue generated by voice-cloning technologies (deepfake audio) will be permitted.
Entries using AI (in both editing or base content) will be disqualified.
What are the technical requirements for submissions?
- 1. Use the MP4 file format with H.264/AVC 8-bit video codec.
- 2. Do not use next-gen codecs such as 10-bit, AV1, H.265/HEVC, or HDR.
- 3. Do not upscale your entries to 4K resolution as we present everything in 1080p
- 4. We recommend file sizes of 450 MB or smaller. We reserve the right to reject or re-encode files that we deem to be excessively large.
- 5. We recommend inserting one second of empty black silence to the start and end of each entry.
Summary of Awards
AMV fixed categories have been eliminated and replaced with a larger number of elements that make up the essence of the AMV (i.e. Dramatic, Artistic, Parody, Trailer, Effect Oriented, etc) found on the entry form. Once all entries have be received after the deadline, all the selected elements will be tabulated and all accepted entries will be grouped into the top six most common categories for judging. Any entry may be recategorized if preliminary judges deem it better suited elsewhere.
Category Awards
Up to six Awards. Categories will be determined after the submission deadline
AMV Contest Coordinator Choice Award
Awarded to a video selected by the AMV Contest Coordinator
Grand Prize Awards
Best in Show
Audience Favourite
Best “Made in Alberta” Award
Awarded to a video entry made in the province of Alberta
Submission Methods
In order to enter and submit your entry/entries, you will need to enter all the required information into the online form and provide a link for us to download your video. Videos may be accepted via third party upload sites (i.e.: web links, Goggle Drive, Dropbox, Sendspace, etc.) so long as they do not need to be “signed up” to access. Links to streaming sites only such as YouTube will not be accepted. Please provide the URL link in the space provided on the form.
Note:
IF entering the “Shorts” category, ensure to choose “Shorts” for the video type in the dropdown menu on the form.
The form allows you to submit up to 2 entries at a time. If you wish to submit Shorts, and it brings you over the 2 entries per form, please submit additional forms.
If you have questions, please contact us at amv@animethon.org.