Manga Contests

AnimeFest 2005 is proud to announce our first annual Manga Contest.

Categories

   Comic Strip

• Entries must be a single page. A Typical submission would be a four panel comic strip, but could also be about any format as long as it only uses one page.
• Works will be judged on their comedic value as well as their universal appeal.

   Doujinshi

• Manga short story covering existing characters and worlds.
• Entries must be between 4 and 12 pages in length.
• Any genre of story is acceptable.
• Works will be judged on story quality, panel flow, characterization, style, and originality of ideas. General quality of art will also have an influence on the score, but the emphasis will be on the other qualities.

   Original

• Completely original story and characters.
• Any genre of story is acceptable.
• Entries must be between 4 and 12 pages in length.
• Works will be judged on story quality, panel flow, characterization, style, and originality of ideas. General quality of art will also have an influence on the score, but the emphasis will be on the other qualities.

General Rules

• Entries should be clearly marked as to which category they are being submitted. (see Categories heading for detailed descriptions).
• Artists may submit only one entry per category. As the categories are exclusionary, the same work may not be entered in multiple categories.
• A signed release form containing signatures from every person involved in creating the work must accompany each entry.
• Only U.S. residents are eligible for prizes unless prior arrangements and permission are granted in advance.
• A pen-name may be used. However, all entries must also include the author's full real name, as well as phone number and home address for contact purposes.
• Extreme violence and gore, general nudity and graphic sexual content are not acceptable. Coarse language should be limited to that which is acceptable on regular broadcast television. Entries containing unsuitable content may be declined at the discretion of the AnimeFest staff.
• Plagiarism is not acceptable!
• Entries must not have been posted for general viewing on the Internet before September 6, 2005. These include but are not limited to manga that have been posted to personal web sites, archives, or mailing lists.
• By submitting your work to AnimeFest you are agreeing to all of the terms and conditions contained within these rules.

Technical Specifications

• Entries should conform to a 4:7 aspect ratio.
• DO NOT include page numbers or blank spaces for these numbers on the work itself. Page numbers will be added to the art by AnimeFest staff members if the entry is selected for publishing. AnimeFest editors reserve the right to create white space where necessary in the work to accommodate a page number that is consistent with the rest of the program book. If submitting a digital work, please number your files in order. If submitting a work on paper, please number the backs of the pages in a light pencil.
• If page facing is important, please specify which side of the program book the first page should start on.
• If you plan on full bleed artwork, please allow for at least ¼ inch on all sides and state the size of the bleed on the Contact Info sheet. Remember to include extra space for the gutter (area where the pages are bound) so that words and major plot devices can still be seen.
• All non-digital submission should be inked. Submissions will not be returned. If submitting a non-digital work, a good quality photocopy of that work is recommended.
• We can only take non-digital works in a size not to exceed 11x14 (legal). We will have to reject larger works as we have no consistent way of scanning them.
• Non-digital works should be mailed in an mailing envelope that is the same size as the work itself. The submissions should not be bent or folded.
• Computer submissions should be black and white or gray scale at a resolution no lower than 300dpi at 4 inches by 7 inches (1200 pixels by 2100 pixels). Larger resolutions are highly recommended.
• Digital works may be submitted in either a high quality JPG, PNG or TIFF format saved to CD-R. All layers should be flattened before submission.
• Any work not fit for printing will be rejected.

Entry Instructions

• Download and print the release form and the contact info sheet. Fill out the contact info sheet and the information at the top of the release form and then have each artist/author sign the bottom of the form acknowledging their agreement of the terms and conditions of the contest.
• If submitting the entry digitally, save all of the pages to a CD-R along with the filled out contact info sheet. Print this contest info sheet as well and then send it, the CD-R and the signed release form via the U.S. Postal Service.
• If submitting the entry on paper, number the backs of each page with a pencil. Seal the completed contest info form, the signed release form and your paper entry in an envelope mailer with a thin cardboard backing to protect the art. Mail the envelope via the U.S. Postal Service.
• Submissions must be postmarked no later than July 15, 2005.

Judging and Prizes

• Winning entries will be printed in the AnimeFest program book. Other entries will be printed at the discretion of the AnimeFest staff.
• Winning entries will also be available for viewing at the AnimeFest.org website.
• If entering in the doujinshi category, it is very possible that the judges have not seen the series that you're writing from. It's not a good idea to enter a story that relies on the audience (read: the judges) having prior knowledge of a certain event or character - they probably won't understand the story.
• Spelling, grammar, and clarity will all be taken into account during scoring.
• Winners will be notified at least 21 days before the convention. If winners are unable to attend, they must make arrangements for a representative to accept awards on their behalf.
• The artist of each winning entry will receive one complementary AnimeFest! membership, one t-shirt, and an engraved acrylic award. In addition, we are currently seeking prize donations from the anime industry and specific prizes will be announced before or during the awards ceremony. These prizes are per winning entry and not per artist (if entry is a collaboration).
• By submitting your work to the contest, you grant AnimeFest! permission to reprint it, in whole or in part, in its publications, both printed and electronic.
• Prizes will be awarded for Best Overall entry and for 1st place in each category. An entry that wins Best Overall will not be legible for a category prize.

Any questions may be directed to Dan Minut at MangaContest at animefest.org.