New York Anime Festival announces contests
Creative Games and Competitive Play are Key Aspects of Fan ExperienceNorwalk, CT, August 24, 2007: The New York Anime Festival (NYAF) today revealed details regarding a series of high-profile contests it will stage to invite participation by the many fans who will be attending the first-ever annual event. Showcasing the very best that anime pop culture has to offer, NYAF is designed to provide devotees of the burgeoning anime community with an experience all their own. It will take place at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City, December 7-9, 2007 and will feature appearances by notable Guests of Honor, numerous artists, as well as movie and television screenings and premieres.
In making today's announcement, festival organizers note that NYAF's roster of contests will provide attendees with a variety of ways to express themselves and their love of Japanese pop culture -- and win a selection of unique and special prizes from NYAF's contest sponsors.
"Our contest program truly allows the fan to take some ownership of our show by involving them in this important part of our activity," notes John McGeary, Show Manager for NYAF. "The New York Anime Festival is not just about walking the aisles and finding exciting new products, it's about community and participation. Fans have been asking us about our contests all summer long, curious about what we'll feature and how they can enter. We're pleased now to reveal a few of our most notable contests and we're especially proud to have so many generous sponsors eager to participate in our program."
All of the New York Anime Festival's contests are now accepting entries, and fans can find their full details, official rules, and entry forms at http://www.nyanimefestival.com/en-us/contests.cfm.
AMV CONTEST:
Anime Music Videos (AMVs) are remixes of anime and music pulled together from often divergent sources into astonishing works of art filled with action, drama, comedy, romance, and always a lot of heart. The inaugural New York Anime Festival is pleased to play host to a competition between the editors, storytellers, and artists that are AMV makers -- with the winners taking home prizes from sponsors including ADV Films, Bandai America, Bandai Entertainment, Central Park Media, Classic Media Group, Del Rey Manga, and Media Blasters.
ANIME INSIDER COSTUME CONTEST:
Cosplay is a unique and beautiful part of anime fandom, and the New York Anime Festival celebrates the world of cosplay through two events -- the Costume Contest and Masquerade. The Costume Contest is for newer, younger, more casual cosplayers, as well as serious cosplayers who prefer not to walk across stage. It is a closed-door judging of costumes only, with the winners all appearing in an upcoming issue of Anime Insider as well as receiving free year subscriptions.
ANIME INSIDER MASQUERADE:
The Masquerade -- part fashion show and part talent show -- is one of the New York Anime Festival's crown jewels. Open to any attendee with a costume, a skit, and a dream, it's an example of anime fans at their most creative. The Masquerade's winners will each be featured in an upcoming issue of Anime Insider and also receive a free year subscription.
DEL REY MANGA AND THEOTAKU.COM ART CONTEST:
The New York Anime Festival, Del Rey Manga, and TheOtaku.com are asking aspiring artists to create an original work of art expressing the theme of "winter." Finalists will be put on display at the New York Anime Festival and attendees will select the final winner -- who'll take home every manga Del Rey publishes for a year.
GO! COMI AND THEOTAKU.COM DOUJINSHI CONTEST:
While the New York Anime Festival will be bringing together many popular anime and manga creators, it also wants to shine a spotlight on new and unknown creators -- creators like you. To do this, the New York Anime Festival has teamed with Go! Comi and TheOtaku.com and is asking artists to submit original doujinshi (fan comics) based on Go! Comi's Black Sun, Silver Moon with the winning submission actually being published by Go! Comi.
HAIKU CONTEST:
The haiku is a Japanese style of poetry consisting of three-line poems, with lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables, respectively. The New York Anime Festival, a celebration of both modern and classical Japanese culture, is honored to play host to a competition between contemporary American poets trying their hand at an ancient Japanese style -- with the winners taking home prizes from sponsors including ADV Films, Bandai America, Bandai Entertainment, Central Park Media, Classic Media Group, Del Rey Manga, and Media Blasters.
ABOUT THE NEW YORK ANIME FESTIVAL:
The New York Anime Festival takes place December 7-9, 2007 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in Midtown Manhattan and is organized by Reed Exhibitions, the creators of New York Comic Con. The New York Anime Festival will showcase the best of anime pop culture, including the latest anime, manga, Japanese cinema, music, and games, and anime-influenced comics, animation, and films from around the world. The festival will feature exclusive and extensive screenings, a gala cosplay masquerade, sessions with the some of the biggest names in anime from Japan, Asia, and America, and explore the Japanese cultural experience with displays of both traditional and cutting-edge Japanese life.
The New York Anime Festival is sponsored by ADV Films, Anime Insider Magazine, Anime Network, Anime News Network, AnimeNEXT, BookExpo America, Diamond Book Distributors, FUNimation Entertainment, ICv2, New York Comic Con, NEW YORK - TOKYO, Newtype USA Magazine, Publishers Weekly, TOKYOPOP, and Wedge Holdings.
The New York Anime Festival's Guests of Honor include Peter Fernandez, Corinne Orr, Kobun Shizuno, and Aimee Major Steinberger. The New York Anime Festival's musical guests include HAPPYFUNSMILE, UNICORN TABLE, and Voltaire.
Further information and tickets can be found at www.newyorkanimefestival.com.
ABOUT ANIME INSIDER:
No longer an underground experience, Japanese animation and comics are now a mainstream phenomenon, and Anime Insider is the #1 independent anime and manga magazine in America. Unlike any other anime magazine in the world, it approaches its content with a sense of humor. AI appeals to modern anime fans because it understands them and gives them what they want -- content straight from Japan in the form of exclusive previews, in-depth interviews, photo tours, and cultural lessons. The magazine goes beyond coverage of the hottest anime and manga in the US to offer readers a personal connection to their passion in the form of online interaction with the magazine and supports that personal connection with year-round convention appearances. Each monthly issue of Anime Insider is loaded with in-depth features exploring today's hottest anime, going behind the scenes on-site at Japanese animation studios, getting interviews with creators and directors, featuring exclusive manga previews, and much more. Discover more at anime-insider.com.
ABOUT DEL REY MANGA:
Del Rey Books (delreybooks.com) was founded in 1977 as an imprint of Ballantine Books, a division of the Random House Publishing Group, under the guidance of the renowned Judy-Lynn del Rey and her husband, Lester del Rey. Del Rey publishes the best of modern fantasy, science fiction, and alternate history. Ballantine Books is an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group, which is a publishing group of Random House, Inc, the US publishing company of Random House, the trade book publishing division of Bertelsmann AG, one of the world's leading international media companies. In 2004 it expanded by launching Del Rey Manga (delreymanga.com), which has grown to be a major force in the US graphic novel field. Bestselling titles include Tsubasa, Negima, xxxHolic, and The Wallflower.
ABOUT GO! COMI:
In less than two years Go! Comi has become renowned for the excellence of its manga series and top production values. Among its publications are the BookScan best-sellers Tenshi Ja Nai!! and Her Majesty's Dog, Cantarella (a 2007 YALSA "Great Graphic Novel for Teens"), and the Eisner Award-nominated After School Nightmare. For more information, please visit gocomi.com.
ABOUT THEOTAKU.COM:
TheOtaku.com is the largest and most popular anime and video game art portal online, hosting the portfolios and blogs of tens of thousands of young artists. Become an otaku at TheOtaku.com.
ABOUT REED EXHIBITIONS:
The New York Anime Festival is operated by Reed Exhibitions, the world's leading events organizer. In 2006, Reed brought together over six million industry professionals from around the world generating billions of dollars in business. Today, Reed events are held in 34 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, and organized by 37 fully staffed offices.
Reed organizes a wide range of events, including exhibitions, conferences, congresses, and meetings. Its portfolio of over 460 events serves 52 industry sectors, including aerospace and defense, building and construction, design, electronics, energy, oil and gas, entertainment, food and hospitality, gifts, healthcare, IT/telecoms, jewelry, manufacturing, marketing and business services, pharmaceuticals, property, publishing, security, sport and recreation, transport and logistics, and travel.
Working closely with professional bodies, trade associations, and government departments, Reed ensures that each and every event is targeted and relevant to industry needs. As a result, many Reed events are market leaders in their field.
Reed Exhibitions is part of Reed Elsevier Group plc, a FTSE-100 company and world-leading publisher and information provider. In 2005, Reed Elsevier made adjusted profit before taxation of £1,002 million on turnover of £5,166 million.
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