Anime News

American Anime Awards to be Hosted by New York Comic Con
Date: 11/11/2006
Nominees selected by a panel of experts and industry, voting open to all.
The New York Comic Con has announced plans to host the first-ever American Anime Awards at the 2007 New York Comic Con (NYCC) on Saturday, February 24 in New York City.

Awards will be given out in numerous categories, including Best Anime Feature (or OAV), Best Short Series, Best Long Series, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best DVD Package design, etc...

Candidates for each award will be nominated by a combination of industry nominations and independent nominations. Each producer/distributor will nominate two titles for each award, and an equal number of independent experts will also nominate candidates for each award. The independent experts include representatives from Anime News Network and Anime on DVD, as well as Anime Insider magazine.

Throughout January 2007 anime fans will be invited to vote for the winners in each category. Five finalists will be announced in each category in early February, while the winners, based entirely on the fan-votes, will be announced at NYCC.

ICv2's Milton Griepp will assemble the nominations into the ballot, oversee online voting and tabulate the results. Regarding the importance of the awards, Griepp says "The American Anime Awards will be a great way to let fans and the public at large know which anime and manga are the most popular, and will provide a showcase for the top products in each category."

"Consortium awards of this nature have the potential to bring a significant benefit to the anime industry, particularly, obviously, to the companies that win, but also to the industry as a whole," explains Anime News Network editor-in-chief Christopher Macdonald, "The simple fact that the nominations are presented by a diverse group of individuals and the voting essentially open to every anime fan in North America gives the awards a certain amount of credibility and importance not shared by other current anime awards. Whats more, the fact that these awards are being given out at a non-anime event will provide a certain amount of 'outside exposure.'"

Griepp ads, "And by holding the awards ceremony at New York Comic-Con, the organizers have ensured a big stage in the media capital of the world for the American anime and manga industries. "

Currently the only other North American anime awards of a similar nature are the SPJA Industry Awards, which are announced at Anime Expo every year. The SPJA Industry Awards are voted on by attendees at Anime Expo.
Source: Anime News Network