Have you ever wanted to enter a music video contest at another convention only to be told your video doesn’t meet their restrictions? Welcome to the DakuCon Fan Music Video (FMV) Contest! We’ve intentionally kept our rules as open as possible, giving editors the freedom to experiment, tell great stories, and create something unforgettable. So show us that creativity and who knows? You could be walking away with the grand prize.

Eligible Content

Your FMV should primarily use existing media, including (but not limited to):

• Anime
• Live-action films
• Television series
• Video games
• Cartoons
• Other commercially released media

Limited use of found footage is acceptable. However, personal promotional music videos or original promotional content are not eligible for this contest.

Restricted Material

There’s only one prohibited source:

• Live-action pornography

Everything else is fair game.

Previous Awards

To keep the competition fresh, any FMV submitted must not have won an award at another convention.

Videos that have previously placed in any convention FMV or AMV contest will be disqualified.

Video Requirements

Please review these carefully before submitting.

Do Not Include

• Studio bumpers
• Opening or ending credits
• Commercial studio logos
• Television station watermarks (FOX, CBS, etc.)

We create custom title cards for every entry, so additional bumpers or credits only reduce valuable viewing time.

Entries containing studio bumpers or credits will be automatically disqualified.

Accepted Exceptions

• Parody logos are welcome.
• Trailer-style videos may include the standard green preview screen, provided all MPAA references have been removed (unless they were intentionally edited into the video as part of the parody).
• Lyrics or karaoke subtitles are permitted only if you personally added them as part of your edit.

Length

• Minimum runtime: 1 minute

File Requirements

Please follow these formatting requirements:

Accepted file formats:

• .MP4
• .AVI
• .MPEG

File naming format:

StudioName-VideoTitle.FileType

Example:

HorseDeer-NoticeMeSensei.mp4

Failure to meet the file requirements may result in disqualification.

Submission Information

Please include the following with your submission:

• Video title
• Song title
• Source material used
• Preferred competition category (optional)

If no category is requested, the judges will place your video into the category they feel fits best.

Categories

This year’s categories include:

• Comedy
• Romance
• Action
• Holy Shit That’s Good Editing
• Drama
• Upbeat

How to Submit

Upload your completed video to AMV.org or another direct file hosting service.

Do not submit videos using YouTube or other streaming/video-sharing platforms. Submissions using YouTube or similar services will be automatically disqualified.

Send your download link using the submission form or email listed below.

Submission Deadline: October 11, 2026

Late submissions cannot be accepted.

We can’t wait to see what you submit this year.  Good luck, have fun, and happy editing!