TOKYO ANIME AWARD FESTIVAL 2024

Feature Animation

Tokyo Anime Award Festival 2017 Competition
Application Guideline for Feature Animation

1. Purpose

Tokyo Anime Award Festival 2017 (TAAF 2017) is an international animation film festival organized by the Association of Japanese Animations and co-hosted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. The Festival is run by the TAAF Office, established under the TAAF 2017 Executive Committee, with the support of various companies, organizations and individuals who endorse TAAF 2017’s objectives.

The aim of TAAF 2017 is to collate and screen high-quality animation works of superior originality, provide excitement and inspiration to the audience as well as creators, cultivate new talent, and contribute to the development and promotion of animation culture and industry.

  • Festival Period: March 10 (Fri)-13 (Mon), 2017 (scheduled)
  • Venue: Tokyo

2. Competition Criteria

“Feature animation work of more than 60 minutes in length” created using any technique which meets the following criteria:
*Any animation works longer than 30 min. but less than 60 min. shall be applied to the category of Feature Animation first. The TAAF Office will contact the applicant later to notify which category is appropriate for the work.

  • Work must have been completed on, or after, January 1, 2015 (regardless of country of origin, and whether it is professional, amateur, or student work).
  • Work that has been theatrically released, broadcast, or distributed for profit in Japan for a certain period prior to March 9 (Thu), 2017 is not eligible for the Competition (such work would qualify under the “Anime of the Year” category). Screening at film festivals and previews are not considered “for profit” herein.
  • Work that has been nominatd to TAAF in the past will not be accepted.
  • Each applicant shall submit his/her work for the Competition using a Web streaming service. In addition, since the screening material required for the final judging of the Feature Animation Competition must either be Apple ProRes (1920 x 1080 pix.) or DCP, please make prior arrangements.
  • No submission fee is required.
  • Submission Deadline: Sunday, November 20, 2016

Once submissions have closed, the Preliminary Selection Committee will select the nominees for the final judging. Result of the selection process will be communicated to successful applicants, and the list of Nominated Works will be posted on the TAAF 2017 official website.

Nominated Works will be publicly screened at designated theaters during the Festival period in Tokyo, during which time final judging will be conducted by the Competition Jury.

Please verify the Competition criteria, and make your submission online by providing all required information using the Application Form (see below).

We look forward to receiving works brimming with creativity that will bear the future of the animation industry.

Submission procedure:

  • Access the Application Form by clicking on the button found below and submit.
  • No submission fee is required.
  • Upload the video file (screener) for the preliminary selection process using Vimeo, YouTube, etc. (see Clause 3.3).
  • Contact the TAAF Office with further questions, if any.

3. Submission

1) Access the Application Form (available in Japanese and English) by clicking on the button found below, and fill in the required information. Upload the Form together with the following:

  • 3 still images of the work (1920×1080, 300dpi or higher, jpeg)
  • 1 director’s photo (head shot, 1920×1080, 300dpi or higher, jpeg)
  • English dialogue list synchronized with the time code

2) Subtitles
Animation work with dialogue in any language (including narration or the like necessary for understanding the story) must be submitted with a screening version with English subtitles and an English dialogue list synchronized with the time code. Upload the English dialogue list together with the other required materials such as still images and director’s headshot.

3) Screener
Video material for the preliminary selection process will only be accepted via Web streaming. Applicant should use a streaming service (see below for recommended sites), and note down the URL and password (if necessary) in the Application Form.
Please submit the video material at the time of application, and ensure that it is available for viewing by March 31 2017. In addition, if a Web steaming service cannot be used for any special reason, please communicate the specific details to us using the Inquiry Form.

*Recommended streaming sites: Vimeo YouTube, Cinando, Daily Motion

4. Selection Process
1) Preliminary Selection/Final Judging

  1. TAAF 2017 Preliminary Selection Committee shall select Nominated Works from among the works submitted for the Feature Animation category.
  2. After TAAF Office has informed applicants of the successful Nominated Works via email, the full list of Nominated Works will be posted on the official website.
  3. No cancelation will be accepted once submission has been made. The TAAF 2017 will not answer any inquiries regarding reason for selection.
  4. Nominated Works will be publicly screened during TAAF 2017, at which time final judging will be conducted by the Competition Jury.

2) Competition, Preliminary Selection Committee, Competition Jury

  • TAAF 2017 shall appoint three or more Preliminary Selection Committee members to select the nominees.
  • TAAF 2017 shall appoint three or more Competition Jury members during the Festival to conduct the judging.
  • Committee and Jury members shall not be directly involved in the production or distribution of any animation works being considered under the category.
  • During the TAAF 2017 period, the appointed Competition Jury shall, after impartial deliberation, select the winners of the following prizes:
    • Grand Prize, Feature Animation Category (cash award of 500,000 yen)
    • Award of Excellence, Short Animation (cash award of 100,000 yen)
    • A Special Prize and cash award that may be established at the discretion of the Competition Jury or supporting organization

5. Screening Format

1) Screening Format
Nominated Works shall be screened in the following format for both general screening and final judging by the Competition Jury: Apple ProRes (1920 x 1080 pixel) or DCP.
Therefore applicant of the Nominated Work must provide the work in the relevant format. TAAF Office will communicate detailed specifications to the relevant applicants.

2) Translation/Subtitles
Nominated Works shall be screened in two languages, English and Japanese, using subtitles.

  • If the Work contains dialogue, it must be accompanied with English subtitles and an English dialogue list synchronized with time code.
  • English dialogue list must be uploaded together with other required materials (i.e. 3 still images, 1 director’s photo) with the Application Form.
  • TAAF 2017 shall translate and produce Japanese subtitles from English for Nominated Works in the Competition.
  • For this reason, in addition to the screening version, applicants must provide a downloadable version of the Nominated Work with English subtitles.
  • TAAF 2017 will translate and produce English subtitles for Nominated Works in Japanese. However, the applicant must provide the timecode for subtitles and a synchronized dialogue list. In addition, we recommend that the applicant prepare the translation from Japanese to English.

6. Invitation

One director for each Nominated Work shall be invited to attend TAAF 2017 with the following provided:

[Director Residing Outside Japan]

  • Accommodation fee (max. 5 nights/single occupancy at a hotel designated by TAAF2017)
  • Actual travel cost (max. 100,000 yen, no advance payment, paid in Japanese yen upon arrival)

[Director Residing in Japan]

  • Accommodation fee (max. 5 nights/single occupancy at a hotel designated by TAAF2017) only for those residing outside of the Tokyo Metropolitan area
  • Actual travel cost subsidy (max. 40,000 yen, no advance payment, paid in Japanese yen upon arrival)

Please note that other fees (such as phone calls from hotel room, room service, laundry, additional days of accommodation, etc.) will not be borne by TAAF 2017.

7. Notice

1) Copyright
Copyright of the submitted work belongs to the applicant. Each applicant must be the copyright holder of all elements of the work, including original work, script, characters, direction, video, still image and music, or have obtained consent from the copyright holder of such elements. The foregoing shall also apply to submissions by proxy. TAAF 2017 assumes that the applicant has taken the responsibility to obtain all copyright consent such as screening rights.

2) Screening Material (ie. Nominated Work) for Final Judging

  • All costs incurred for the TAAF 2017 screening material to be shipped, insured, and clear customs shall be borne by the applicant.
  • Screening materials that have been sent in accordance with the stipulated guidelines, shall be handled and screened under the best possible conditions by TAAF 2017. In the event of any loss or damage due to TAAF 2017, the latter shall compensate an amount up to the cost incurred to create and ship a new copy (Do not send the master copy; this must be kept by the applicant).
  • TAAF 2017 shall not be responsible for material that is not within the stipulated guidelines and for any technical problems during the screening
  • Nominated Works will be screened up to a total of three times during the Festival, including Competition screening. Please note that screening fee will not be paid to the applicants.
    (There will be 1 to 2 rounds of Competition screening, and 1 special screening after the announcement of the prize winners).
  • Materials submitted to TAAF 2017, both for the preliminary selection process and final judging, may be copied and/or re-formatted for the purpose of selection or screening.
  • Return of the screening material will be borne by TAAF 2017.

3) Selection
No inquiry or questions in connection with the preliminary selection and final judging process will be entertained by the Preliminary Selection Committee, Competition Jury, TAAF 2017 Executive Committee, and TAAF Office.

4) Promotion and Archives
[Promotion]
(1) There will be one free screening(100 – 200 pax) of the Nominated Works in Japan after TAAF 2017 for the purpose of promoting the Works and TAAF.
The plan is to invite Japanese film distributors and animation creators to this screening. Please note that screening fee will not be paid for this.

(2) Parts of the Nominated Works, including still images and director’s photo, may be edited, broadcast, screened, exhibited or posted on the TAAF 2017 official website, SNS account, and/or by means of any medium, including but not limited to, theater, TV, and Internet.
Also excerpts of the Nominated Work or trailers (if any) may be utilized for the purpose of promoting TAAF 2017.

[Archives]
TAAF 2017 may for a certain period retain Nominated Work-related materials (eg. screening material, trailer, still images, metadata) in its archive, and post them on the TAAF2017 official website.

5) Special Screening
Other than during the Competition screening and after the Festival period, there is a possibility that TAAF may screen the Nominated Works at a special screening or tour screening. Such special screenings shall only be conducted after consultation with the relevant applicants.

6) Video Package
For the promotion of TAAF 2017 and animation culture, there is a possibility that the Nominated Works may be broadcast or distributed by means of DVD or the like. In such a case, TAAF Office will make prior contact with the relevant applicants, and make a decision based upon consultation.

7) Registration/Agreement
It is deemed that all works submitted for the TAAF2017 Competition have agreed to the above specified conditions and to its screening at TAAF2017 upon submission of the Application Form.

CONTACT

TAAF2017 (Tokyo Anime Award Festival Office)
Akihabara UDX Bldg. 4F, 4-14-1,Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 101-0021 JAPAN 
(The Association of Japanese Animations)
E-mail: info@animefestival.jp 

Application Form
PAGETOP