Perks for Being A Panelist
Free Single Day Membership
$0
Option for panelists approved for any amount of time below 4 hours
Free single day membership for the day of your panel for you and 1 co-host
Discounted 4 Day Membership
$35
Option for panelists approved for any amount of time below 4 hours
Discounted 4 day membership for you and 1 co-host
Free 4 Day Membership
$0
For panelists approved for 4 or more hours
Free 4 day membership for you and 1 qualifying co-host
Panelist Requirements
Our Crew help to keep the Convention running smoothly throughout the weekend and we’re always looking to grow our Volunteer base. So, if you’re interested in a look behind the scenes, getting involved to make the convention better, or just looking for some like-minded otaku to befriend, join us!
- Panelist and co-host must be at least 16 years old by 12/17/2025
- Directly involve anime, manga, or other Japanese culture. For example, a well-planned submission that features an anime will take priority over an equally well-planned submission that features an outside fandom, such as American comics or movies. Having said that, we do have a certain amount of leniency, especially if the fandom is large (in other words, we’ve received a lot of proposals for it) or overlaps AWA’s main fandoms in some way, for example: tabletop games.
- Are well-planned and have supporting materials. The panel submission is our first glimpse of how you communicate and what you want to do at AWA. Ensure it’s well-written and try to include evidence that the panel will succeed. If you can’t include something in the online form (such as a picture) or if something changes after your submission, email it to panels@awa-con.com (make sure to include your name and the panel name for reference). If you are submitting PowerPoint or Google Slides please double-check that the link you use is an open-view link (in Google Slides and PowerPoint it is the “Anyone with the link” option) Are more than dressing in character and showing up. You can certainly submit “in-character” panels, but we’d like to see more than, “Come ask your favorite character a question” in the description. If you have support for your panel going well in the past, such as videos, we’d like to see that, too.
- Don’t involve aggressive physicality. We know that “battle chess” and other such games are super fun, but we don’t have the room or oversight to make sure they run safely. However, panels that are yoga-based, or dance workshops are completely okay and we welcome them, and we might even join in! If you are unsure if your panel is physically aggressive, then please email us at panels@awa-con.com.
- Aren’t speed or blind dates, you can complete a panel submission, but please know that we’re pretty strict with planning these sorts of events. We have to make sure that all attendees are comfortable and safe after all. That being said, AWA is a huge gathering of people with interests just like yours – any event could be the place you meet your new best friend!
- Panels for all audience age groups are welcome, just make sure to let us know your panel is 18+ if it is intended for more adult audiences! For a full guide on our rating system, please review the Panelist Handbook linked below.
- If you have any other questions about this information or the panel submission form, please send an email to panels@awa-con.com.
- If you are an Idol group wishing to perform in the Starlight Idol Festival, please follow this link: https://awacon.com/starlight-idol-festival/. Starlight Idol Festival has a separate review process and submitting the fan panel submission form will not enter your group into the Starlight Idol Festival.
What happens to your panel once it is submitted?
When you complete your panel submission ON OR BEFORE September 15th, 2024, you will see a confirmation page that lets you know we have received your panel. You will also receive an email with a confirmation of the panel being in the review process. If you do not see the confirmation page, we have not received your panel!
- our panel will be entered into the decision process.
- The panel will meet roughly once a month to place proposals in one of three categories.
- Approved
- Tentative
- Denied
- You’ll be notified of your status via email as soon as possible. We will send out updates monthly through December 1st.
- During the decision process, we’ll also be in touch with any questions we have about your panel submission. Because of this, we ask that you check your email regularly, at least once a week, and whitelist emails from “@awa-con.com”
- Panels Submission review schedule
- Panels submitted by March 31st will receive status emails by May 1st
- Panels submitted by April 30th will receive status emails by June 1st
- Panels submitted by May 31st will receive status emails by July 1st
- Panels submitted by June 30th will receive status emails by August 1st
- Panels submitted by July 31st will receive status emails by September 1st
- Panels submitted by August 31st will receive status emails by October 1st
- Panels submitted by September 15th will receive status emails by November 1st
- Panels Submission review schedule While we do send panel status emails throughout the year, you will not receive your placement emails until November 17th at the earliest.
- Panelist badge emails will start being sent on November 24th.
It’s important to note that this process isn’t first-come-first-serve. For example, if we get a really good proposal about something only loosely connected to anime early on, we’ll often put it in the tentative bucket until we’re sure we have space on the schedule. We are continuing our system of rolling acceptances this year instead of making all the decisions in one batch. While we still like to choose the best panel possible, submitting early may increase your odds of being chosen since there will be less to compare it to.
