Promotional Art Contests Information

A-Kon 24 winning Poster by Guillermo Casas

Guidelines

Please observe the following guidelines when creating your artwork. The A-Kon® staff will be reviewing all submissions based on these guidelines. The A-Kon® staff reserves the right to reject any submission, and may make revisions or send the artwork back for changes as it deems necessary.

1. Appropriateness to Audience and Theme:  Does the artwork depict A-Kon® in a positive manner? Does it fit the defined theme? Is it anime or anime-related in some way? Please avoid any inappropriate use or representation of violence, profanity, drugs, or sex in the artwork.
2. Ability to be Reproduced across Multiple Mediums: A-Kon® artwork will used for various promotional purposes, including t-shirts, posters, flyers, program books. Please submit artwork that is scalable with minimal loss of quality (vectorized or lossless compression) and print ready (CMYK color, bleed spaces, etc). Please refer to the Technical and Design Requirements section for more detailed information.
3. Art Quality: Please try to submit your best work. The A-Kon® staff will reject any submission if it feels that the art does not meet its quality standards.
4. Originality: Please observe international copyright laws when creating your work. Do not use any copyrighted characters or work that has been created previously for other clients or by others. If you use any fonts in your design, please ensure that they are of your own design or are in the public domain.

Please submit all designs to Mike Battle. For electronic files under 8 MB, please send them via email to mike@a-kon.com. For larger files and hardcopy formats, please mail to the following address:

Phoenix Entertainment
Attn:  Michael Battle
514 Blair Blvd.
Dallas, TX 75223

When submitting your artwork, please also include a link to your online portfolio (if you have one), and your contact information, including your real full name (pseudonyms and D.B.A.s are fine, but please don’t use your online alias), mailing address, email, and phone number.

A-Kon 24 Program Book Cover by Nancy Yang

Technical and Design Requirements

All artwork must be submitted in electronic format. Photoshop or Illustrator formats are preferred, but any format is acceptable. Please avoid lossy compression (i.e. jpgs).

T-Shirt Designs

• 55-60 lines per inch (about 140dpi)
• Avoid use of gradient colors or blending black into any other color. The silk-screening process adds in the black layer as the last step, which could affect the art’s final look.
• Use heavy lines and avoid use of fine details. Colors in the silk-screening process can bleed easily and cause a loss of fidelity in design and color in the final product.

Black and White Art Designs

• 300-600 dots per inch (DPI)
• Black and White and Grayscale art accepted.
• Must fit (or be scalable to):
  • 5.5 x 8.5 inches
  • 8.5 x11 inches
  • 6.75 x 10.5 inches
• Leave space available for text – this will be for information about A-Kon®.

Black and White Line Art (Flyers)

• 300-600 DPI
• Must be scalable to 3.5 x 2 inches

Color Art

• 300-600 DPI
• Must fit (or be scalable to) 6.75 x 10.5 inches
• Must be print ready (bleed margins for full bleed, CMYK)
• May be converted to grayscale depending on need

Web Banner Art

• 75-150 DPI
• Must fit (or be scalable to) one of the following dimensions:
  • 175 x 100 pixels (or 100 x 175 for vertical banners)
  • 100 x 50 pixels (or 50 x 100 for vertical banners)
  • 480 x 60 pixels (or 60 x 480 for vertical banners)
• For animated banners, please use GIF only (no Flash)
• Must be no larger than 15KB in size.

 Twitter Banner Art

• 75-150 DPI
• Must fit (or be scalable to) one of the following dimensions:
  • 100 x 175 for vertical banners)
  • 50 x 100 for vertical banners)
  • 60 x 480 for vertical banners)
• Must be no larger than 15KB in size.

Rewards and Compensation

Artists whose work is accepted for publication may be compensated in one or more of the following methods:

• Free admission to the convention
• Cash equivalent for parking through the weekend
• Free t-shirt

All artists whose works are accepted must sign a Work-For-Hire agreement that transfers copyright of their submission to Phoenix Entertainment, D.B.A. A-Kon, before they may be compensated. Artists will retain the right to use their creation in a portfolio and for personal use.

The winning artist for the T-Shirt Design Contest will receive:

• Two Free Shirts
• Cash equivalent for two nights’ stay at the convention hotel
• Published credits throughout the convention (including the website, flyers, etc.)

Winners that have already purchased admission to the convention may be reimbursed or credited for the next convention.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What are some examples of restricted designs?

A-Kon® is not only a fan-friendly, but also a family-friendly event. As stated in the Guidelines, we would like to avoid any representation of violence, profanity, drugs, and sex in the art that we use.

Representations of violence may include, but are not limited to: A firing gun, a gun pointed at another character or at the viewer, explosions, blood, and use of a weapon in a threatening manner.

Examples of profanity may include, but are not limited to: profane gestures and curse words.

Representations of drugs may include, but are not limited to: Use or display of alcohol, smoking, drug paraphernalia, chemical formulae for known controlled substances, and unrefined ingredients for known controlled substances.

Examples of sex include: scantily clad or nude characters, provocative poses, and suggestive interactions between characters.

If you are uncertain of whether or not your idea falls into any of these categories, first ask yourself whether you’d be comfortable showing this to someone’s mother, or if you’d be comfortable wearing a t-shirt with your art to work. If all else fails, please share your design ideas with the A-Kon® staff so that we can give you suggestions!

Who should I contact with questions?

Please send all inquiries to Mike Battle (mike@a-kon.com). If you have a sketch or a small version of your idea ready, please also send that to him for reference.

Can A-Kon® reimburse me monetarily for my work?

Unfortunately, no.  Only the winners of the t-shirt contest receive monetary compensation. However, you will be reimbursed in some fashion depending on the quantity and/or quality of the artwork you submit, and you will get at least one copy of whatever medium your artwork is produced on.

What is A-Kon®’s target audience?

The average A-Kon® attendee is between 15 and 25, with an even male to female ratio. However, we may also reach out to specific demographics with targeted advertising, such as a younger audience in a children’s publication, or to more mature fans at colleges. If you have a specific target in mind, please make note of that with your submission.

Can I submit artwork as part of a team?

Yes! Artists and graphic designers may collaborate on any work. Both artists will get credit, though A-Kon® will only compensate one person if only a single piece is accepted; if more than one piece is accepted, then multiple people may be compensated as appropriate.

Will I receive credit for my contribution?

Yes, you will be credited in the A-Kon® program book and web site, and any signature that you have on the artwork will be kept intact.

Can I submit my art in a hardcopy format (canvas, paper)?

Unfortunately, we do not have any way to convert a canvas piece into electronic format. However, if you have artwork on standard-sized paper (up to 8.5 x 14 inches) that can be scanned, then we can accept it.

Please keep in mind that A-Kon® cannot guarantee that we will be able to return the artwork in the condition that you sent it in, if at all.