ax chibi 2023 Art Contest Terms and Conditions

Draw original chibi version of anime expo chibi mascots, Mahoko and Kisegi, in your own style for a chance to win one of 4 prizes!

Submission period: September 15, 2023 – October 20, 2023 or until 1,000 qualifying art submissions have been received, whichever is earlier.

Up to 1,000 qualifying art submission will receive a $5 discount for registration to anime expo chibi 2023 (“Event”), good until registration is sold out. The $5 discount code cannot be combined with other offers.

Prizes:

• 1st Place: $500.00
• 2nd Place: $300.00
• 3rd Place: $150.00
• Fan Favorite: exclusive ax chibi 2023 hoodie, show shirt, and show pin.

Winners will be announced at the event on Sunday, November 12, 2023.

Please read the Rules and Terms & Conditions below then fill out the Submission Form.

Contest Rules:

1. Entrant must be 16 years old or older to submit the art yourself. Entrant under 16 must ask a parent or guardian to submit the art on your behalf.
2. Contest is open to professional artists and non-artists.
3. Mascot Design Requirements:

• • The drawing must be original.
  • Entrant must draw chibi versions of anime expo chibi mascots, Mahoko and Kisegi, in your own style.
  • The drawing must feature, at minimum, ax chibi mascots Mahoko (cat mascot) and Kisegi (rabbit mascot). Entrant may, but do not need to, include Ai (girl mascot) and Xeno (boy mascot) in the drawing. See below for mascot examples.
  • Entries may consist of Mahoko and Kisegi together in one drawing or in two separate drawings.
  • Mascots must be full-bodied or partial.
  • Art must not be AI generated.
  • Art must not include others’ copyrighted materials or trademarks besides the ax chibi logo.
  • TRACING, PLAGIARISM, USE OF AI, OR RECOLORING ANOTHER PERSON’S ART IS SUBJECT TO DISQUALIFICATION.
  • Art may not exceed a PG-13 rating. Rating will be at the sole discretion of The Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (“SPJA”), organizer of the Event.
  • Only completed works are eligible for prizing consideration.
  • “Sketch” entries are not eligible for a cash prize but are eligible for “Fan Favorite” prize and the $5 discount code.

4. Only one entry per Entrant. No group submissions.
5. All Entrants must complete this official entry form and attach their art. Entries that do not accompany this completed form will be disqualified.

Technical Requirements for Submission:

• Art must be in JPEG, JPG, PNG format
• Art must be less than 2 MB
• Art must have resolution of 300 dpi or higher

Terms & Conditions:

1. Submission begins on September 15, 2023 and ends on October 20, 2023 at 12:00 PM PT or until 1,000 qualified entries have been received, whichever is earlier.
2. Up to 1,000 qualified Entrants will each receive a $5 discount code to register for the Event. This discount is for new Event registrations only and may not be applied to past registrations. Existing registrants may use the discount for new registrations or transfer the code to family or friends.
3. To ensure proper delivery, we will not mail prizes to winners – all prizes must be picked up by the winner at the Event. Winners must bring a valid government-issued photo ID that matches the legal name in the entry form in order to pick up prizes. Tax laws may apply. Prizes not picked up will be forfeited.
4. As a condition of entry, Entrant grants SPJA a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, transferable, royalty-free, and exclusive license to use, reproduce, adapt, modify, publish, distribute, publicly perform, create a derivative work from, and publicly display the submitted art for any promotional purpose, including display on websites, social media platforms, email newsletter, and at the Event, without any attribution or compensation to Entrant. Entries will not be returned. SPJA retains all rights in the Anime Expo and anime expo chibi Mascots and entry into this Contest will in no case serve to transfer any SPJA intellectual property rights in the anime expo chibi Mascots or any other intellectual property to the Entrant.
5. By entering, Entrant releases and holds harmless SPJA, its affiliated organizations, and each of their directors, officers, employees, attorneys, agents and representatives (collectively, the "Companies") from any and all liability for any injuries, loss, claim, action, demand or damage of any kind arising from or related to the SPJA, any prize won, any use of the entry materials by SPJA, any misuse or malfunction of any prize awarded, or participation in the Event.
6. Entrants agree and acknowledge that personal data submitted with an entry, including name, phone number, and email address may be collected, processed, stored and otherwise used by SPJA and any affiliates for the purposes of conducting and administering the Contest.
7. Any false information provided by Entrant concerning identity, telephone number, email address, ownership of right or non-compliance with these Rules or the like may result in the immediate elimination of the Entrant.
8. The time and room for the announcement will be posted in the official Event schedule.
9. Harassment of any kind will not be tolerated! Any participants found harassing other contestants or SPJA staff regarding the contest or submissions will be disqualified from the contest entirely and may result in being banned from future contest participation.
10. If for any reason the Contest is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of the Contest, SPJA reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest. SPJA further reserves the right to disqualify any Entrant who tampers with the submission process or any other part of the Contest or Contest Site. Any attempt by an Entrant to deliberately damage any web site, including the Contest Site, or undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest is a violation of criminal and civil laws and should such an attempt be made, SPJA reserves the right to seek damages from any such Entrant to the fullest extent of the applicable law.
11. Cash Prize Award Judging: Each Mascot Design will be evaluated and scored based on the following “Criteria”: (i) creativity (ii) uniqueness (iii) adherence to the Mascot Design Requirements and these Rules.  The SPJA has the sole right to select judges.
12. Fan Favorite judging: Semi-finalists for the Fan Favorite Award will be determined by SPJA team. The winner for the Fan Favorite Award shall then be selected by an online Voting Polling Survey. Cash prize winners are eligible to also win the Fan Favorite award.
13. Entrants warrant that their Mascot Designs are their own original work and, as such, they are the sole and exclusive owner and rights holder of the submitted Mascot Design and that they have the right to submit the Mascot Design in the Contest and grant all required licenses. Each Entrant agrees not to submit any Mascot Design that: (a) infringes any third party proprietary rights, intellectual property rights, industrial property rights, personal or moral rights or any other rights, including without limitation, copyright, trademark, trade names, industrial designs, patent, trade secret, privacy, publicity or confidentiality obligations; or (b) otherwise violates applicable state, federal, or local law.