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Japan Media Arts Festival Opens 2015 Call for Entries

The deadline for submissions to the 19th Japan Media Arts Festival is Wednesday, September 9, 2015.

The 19th Japan Media Arts Festival has opened its 2015 Call for Entries.

The Japan Media Arts Festival is a comprehensive festival of Media Arts (Media Geijutsu) that honors outstanding works from a diverse range of media -- from animation and comics to media art and games. The festival gives awards in each of its four divisions: Art, Entertainment, Animation, and Manga. It also provides a platform for appreciation of the award-winning and other notable works.

Since its inception in 1997, the festival has recognized significant works of high artistry and creativity, and in addition to a yearly Exhibition of Award-winning Works has held other events, such as symposiums, screenings, and showcases. Last year, the 18th Festival received of 3,853 works from 71 countries and regions around the world, demonstrating its continuing evolution as an established annual international festival. Award-winning works are exhibited both within Japan and abroad through various projects and events organized by The Agency of Cultural Affairs which aims to develop and promote the creation of Media Arts by focusing primarily on the new generation of artists and their understanding, awareness and appreciation of Media Arts.

Entries are sought from professional, amateur, independent and commercial creators across the globe. Works completed or released between Wednesday, September 3, 2014 and Wednesday, September 9, 2015 are eligible for entry in the four divisions -- Art, Entertainment, Animation and Manga. Through a rigorous judging process for each division, Award-winning Works will then be selected based on their artistic quality and creativity. In late November, festival organizers will announce the winners of the Grand Prizes, Excellence Awards, New Face Awards and Special Achievement Awards, as well as other Jury Selections.

Entry Period: Tuesday, July 7, 2015 - Wednesday, September 9, 2015 (18:00 Japan Standard Time)

Entries are accepted in a wide range of categories in the field of Media Arts including: interactive art, video works, games, web-based works, animations and manga.

Entries can be submitted by uploading data online or by post.

The 19th Japan Media Arts Festival Executive Committee is chaired by Aoyagi Masanori, Commissioner for Cultural Affairs, Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japan. The Operating Committee includes
Aoki Tamotsu, Director General, The National Art Center, Tokyo; animation artist Furukawa Taku; and Tatehata Akira, President, Tama Art University.

Jury Members

Art Division

Fujimoto Yukio (Artist), Ishida Takashi (Painter, Film Artist and Associate Professor, Tama Art University), Nakazawa Hideki (Artist), Satow Morihiro (Historian of Visual Culture and Professor, Kyoto Seika University), Uematsu Yuka (Curator, The National Museum of Art, Osaka)

Entertainment Division

Higashiizumi Ichiro (Designer and Creative Director) IIDA Kazutoshi (Game Creator and Professor, College of Image Arts and Sciences,Ritsumeikan University) Kudo Takeshi (Curator, Aomori Museum of Art) Ukawa Naohiro (Genzai (Contemporary) Artist and Professor, Kyoto University of Art and Design and Representative, DOMMUNE) Yonemitsu Kazunari (Game Designer)

Animation Division

Koide Masashi (Animation Researcher and Professor, Tokyo Zokei University) MORIMOTO Koji (Animation Director) OHI Fumio (Animation Artist) Takahashi Ryosuke (Animation Director) YAMAMURA Koji (Animation Artist and Professor, Tokyo University of the Arts)

Manga Division

Furunaga Shinichi (Man of Letters and Associate Professor, Tokyo Metropolitan University) INUKI Kanako (Manga Artist and Visiting Professor, Osaka University of the Arts) Kadokura Shima (Manga Journalist) Matsuda Hiroko (Manga Artist) Sugaya Mitsuru (Manga Artist and Professor, Kyoto Seika University)

Selection Members

Art Division

Hattori Hiroyuki (Curator, Aomori Contemporary Art Centre (ACAC), Aomori Public University) Komachiya Kei (Media Artist and Lecturer, Sapporo Otani University) Matsui Shigeru (Poet and Associate Professor, Institute of Advanced Media Arts and Sciences (IAMAS)) Nakao Tomomichi (Curator, Fukuoka Asia Art Museum) Washida Meruro (Curator, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa)

The Call for Entries

The Four Divisions (Art, Entertainment, Animation, Manga)

Art Division

Works of art created with new media and digital technologies. Interactive art, media installations, video works, video installations, graphic art (digital illustrations, digital photographs, computer graphics, etc.), internet art, media performances, etc.

Entertainment Division

Works for entertainment created with digital technologies. Games (video games, online games, etc.), video / sound works (music videos, independent and advertising videos, etc.), multimedia productions (including special effects videos, performances, projections), gadgets, electronic devices, websites (including web promotions, open source projects), application software, etc.

Animation Division

Animated feature films, animated short films, animated series, etc.

Manga Division

Comics published in book form, comics published in a magazine (including works still being serialized), comics published online (for computer or mobile), self-published comics, etc.

Entry Period: Tuesday, July 7 - Wednesday, September 9, 2015 (18:00 Japan Standard Time)

Eligibility

To be eligible, works must be completed or released between Wednesday, September 3, 2014 and Wednesday, September 9, 2015. (Works completed, changed, renewed, presented or released during the above period are eligible for entry; while an unlimited number of entries may be made, the same work may not be entered in multiple divisions.)

The entrant must hold the copyright of the submitted work. If the work is submitted by a representative, permission from the copyright holder must be obtained. (Each entrant must read, understand and accept the Rules and Regulations before submission; by submitting their work, the entrant is deemed to have accepted all Entry Rules and Regulations as stated.)

The Awards (Winners to be announced in late November)

For each division, a Grand Prize, Excellence Awards, and New Face Awards will be awarded on the basis of artistic quality and creativity. In addition, Special Achievement Awards will be awarded on the recommendation of the Jury to individuals or groups who have made a special contribution to Media Arts in any of the four divisions.

Grand Prize: Certificate, trophy, 600,000 Japanese Yen

Excellence Award: Certificate, trophy, 300,000 Japanese Yen

New Face Award: Certificate, trophy, 200,000 Japanese Yen

Special Achievement Award: Certificate, trophy

Other outstanding entries will be chosen by the Jury as Jury Selections

Through the JMAF official website, we welcome recommendations from members of the public of any exceptional works in Media Arts. Based on these recommendations, the Japan Media Arts Festival Secretariat will investigate the works and consider their possible entry.

Source: Japan Media Arts Festival

Jennifer Wolfe's picture

Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.