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Tokyo Anime Fair Announces Its 2008 Anime Awards Rules

The 2008 Tokyo International Anime Fair (TAF) has announced the rules for the Submitted Works section of its annual Tokyo Anime Awards. The section is open to individuals of any age or nationality, as well as groups, but only films that have never been televised, broadcast or made available for sale are eligible for the competition. The jury will award one grand prize of 1,000,000 yen (about US$8,700) and two second prizes of 300,000 yen (US$2,600) each in the general and student categories. Further awards may be presented by TAF's corporate sponsors, and any participating film may also be honored with a special award. Applications for the competition will be open on November 1, and works can be submitted until December 20.

The winners of the awards will be announced and screened at TAF, which will be held on March 22 to March 25. They will also be shown to the public at film festivals worldwide, and may be screened on Japanese television. Last year's winners were exhibited at the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC and at the Seoul International Animation and Cartoon Festival, as well as during a special program held at the Suginami Animation Museum.

Separately, TAF will also hold a competition for outstanding commercial animation. Some of the films and series that have been honored include The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Mobile Suit Gundam Seed, and various Pixar and Disney animated features. Kakurenbo, which has since been released on DVD in the United States, received a second prize in the Submitted Works category in 2005. All of the films and individuals who have been honored at TAF can be seen on the award website.