Entries will be judged for their original ideas and how well they take into account leadership of the future of our oceans. The prizes available are as follows:

• BH Grand Prize (200,000 JPY)

  Awarded to the most outstanding work regardless of category.

• Judges’ Special Prize (100,000 JPY)

  Awarded to an outstanding work chosen by The Nippon Foundation, who operate the Umi-to-Nippon Project.

• 3DCG Prize (100,000 JPY)

  For this contest, 3DCG submissions will be accepted for the first time, alongside illustrations.. This award will be given to the best 3DCG entry regardless of category.

• Hunter Item Category Prize (50,000 JPY)

  Awarded to the work which best depicts futuristic items that would be used by Blue Hunters, such as wearable equipment, equipment for capturing specimens and other equipment.

• Future Water Vessels and Transport Category Prize (50,000 JPY)

  Awarded to a work which best depicts groundbreaking ideas in a revolutionary vehicle, mechanism, or item that will lead future technology.

• Undiscovered Marine Life Category Prize (50,000 JPY)

  Awarded to a work which best depicts undiscovered marine life targeted by Blue Hunters. The award will be given to the work that expresses a new idea.

• Future Landscape / Architecture Category Prize (50,000 JPY)

  Awarded to the work that has the most potential to expand the world view of BLUE HUNTER by depicting a future landscape be it beautiful or devastating.

• Blue Hunter (Original Character) Category Prize (50,000 JPY)

  Awarded to the work which best depicts a realistic character that may appear in the world of Blue Hunter.

Entrants must confirm that they meet the criteria outlined below prior to application.

Works must be submitted between 10:00 JST on August 23 and 10:00 JST on October 31, 2022 in order to be eligible for prizes.

※Works which have been updated and resubmitted are eligible as long as it is within the above-stated time period.
※There is no limit to the number of works an entrant may submit.

□ Applicants must own the copyright of the work they submit. If someone other than the author (copyright holder) submits the work, the entrant must obtain permission from the copyright holder.

□ Professional and amateur artists are welcome.

□ Team entries welcome.

□ Sexual, political and religious content is prohibited.

□ Any entries considered abusive, offensive, or otherwise objectionable or inappropriate may be disqualified at any time without warning.

□ Commercial use of submitted works is prohibited.

□ Submission by a minor must be made by the entrant’s parent or legal guardian.

□ Entrants who pass the preliminary selection will be contacted via direct message. Said entrants will be required to send proof of age as well as a copy of the artwork.

□ A PayPal account is required to accept prize money.

□ Please read and agree to the rules and regulations before entry.

The BLUE HUNTER Art Contest is sponsored by Association for Creation of Education via Manga, Anime and Games (“Sponsor”) and organized and operated by MyAnimeList Co., Ltd. (“MAL” or “Organizer”) (Sponsor and/or Organizer may be referred to as “we”, “us”, “our”, etc.).

Eligibility

This BLUE HUNTER Art Contest is open to individuals who are 16 years of age or older at time of entry. However, individuals who are minors in their jurisdiction must have their parent or legal guardian’s consent before entering the contest. Further, children under age 16 in Europe or under age 13 in the United States and other countries may participate, but only: (a) with verifiable parental consent and (b) if the participation is in full compliance with Instagram’s terms and conditions applicable to children. We shall have the right at any time to require proof of age, parental consent, identity and/or eligibility to participate in the contest. Failure to provide such proof or insufficient proof may result in disqualification from the contest in our sole discretion. All information requested by and supplied to us for the purpose of the contest must be truthful, complete, accurate and in no way misleading. We reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to disqualify any entrant from the contest and giveaway should such an entrant at any stage supply unsatisfactory, untruthful, incomplete, inaccurate or misleading information. Sponsor’s and Organizer’s employees and anyone acting as a judge in the contest and their immediate family members are not eligible to participate in this contest.

Regarding copyright, content and handling of submitted works

□ You may only submit works for which you hold ownership rights. In the case that the original creator is not submitting the entry, the person submitting the entry must obtain permission from the copyright holder.

□ You must obtain permission from the rights holders for any art, video, photography, movie, programs, music or other content or material in the work you submit. You agree that any content or material that you submit does not and will not violate third party rights of any kind. Should a third party claim infringement of copyright, violation of other rights, entitlement to compensation or damages, or assert other claims arising out of or in connection with any of your submissions, you shall be responsible for resolving the third party’s claims and you agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless the Sponsor and Organizer from and against all such third party claims. Neither the Sponsor nor the Organizer shall bear any responsibility for such third party claims.

□ The category for which a work has been entered for may be changed by us depending on the form of the work.

□ All costs associated with the contest application process are your responsibility.

□ As a general rule, we are not required to return any materials you send to us as part of the contest application process or contest.

□ Additional materials may need to be submitted depending on the status of judgment.

□ We will not accept inquiries regarding the progress or results of the screening of entries.

□ The Organizer may reproduce or otherwise use the works and materials you submit as part of the contest, but only within the scope of the judging process and as described below.

□ The copyright of the works you submit will not be transferred to the Organizer by the submission of the entries. However, the prize-winning works and the works selected by the panel of judges may be reproduced, screened, publicly transmitted (broadcasted or published on a website), displayed, translated, or otherwise used without compensation in the announcement of the results of the judging, the exhibition of the prize-winning works, publicity, and other related activities by the Organizer. By submitting a work as part of the contest, you expressly grant, and you represent and warrant that you have a right to grant, to the Organizer a non-exclusive, worldwide, sublicensable, transferable, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, license to use the work as described in the preceding sentence.

□ You must not submit any content of a sexual, political or religious nature. Any entries we consider abusive, offensive or otherwise objectionable or inappropriate for this contest may be disqualified at any time without warning.

□ You must follow all instructions and any other rules we may post for this contest.

Release

By entering this contest and giveaway, you release the Sponsor and Organizer and their employees, officers, directors, managers and agents from any liability whatsoever, and waive any and all causes of action, related to any claims, costs, injuries, losses or damages of any kind arising out of or in connection with this contest or the transmission, failed transmission or acceptance of any prize, whether under a theory of contract, tort (including negligence), warranty or any other theory.

Judging will be conducted in two stages: preliminary selection (selection of nominated works by the Art Contest Administrative Office and final selection (open screening).

◯Preliminary selection

The BLUE HUNTER Art Contest Administrative Office will select 20 nominees based on a rigorous selection process of all entries. Those who pass the preliminary selection will be contacted directly by the Art Contest Administrative Office via Twitter to confirm their age and submit their work data. The nominated works will be announced on this website.

◯Final Selection

A panel of judges will review the 20 entries that passed the preliminary selection to determine and award each category prize. The award-winning works will be announced on the BLUE HUNTER official website.

Please contact us with any questions or other inquiries via the address below.