Family Programming looking to build additional pylons!

Our Family Programming Team is looking for Legos so we can add a Lego Table to our Family Programming fare.

If you have Legos or know of where we could get some for cheap, please email family@animeiowa.com with any information. We will also accept offbrands as long as they work with the normal Lego bricks.

We appreciate all feedback and suggestions. Thank you!

Contests: Mish-Mash and A Tiny Tale

The AnimeIowa Contests Team is at it again, and right now two contests are available:

Mish-Mash has you getting crafty to create a collage to show Buu-chan’s adventures in Des Moines. What sights will he see before or during AnimeIowa? Entries are due by March 31st on this contest, so get creative if you want to win an amazing prize pack of plushes, pillows, and blankets. More details and rules for this contest are available on the forums.

Next up we have A Tiny Tale. The troublesome dinks are causing problems, and it’s up to Buu-chan to stop them. In one hundred words or less, can you describe how a showdown would go down between Buu-chan and a dink? Entries are due by May 5th, so you still have time to get cracking and thinking up ideas so you can win a lovely Japanese cultural prize pack. More details and rules for this contest are available on the forums.

We have two more contests lined up, so keep your eyes peeled for more ways you can express your creativity before AnimeIowa hits.

Cafe AI Submissions are open!

 
Hello Everyone! Have you ever been interested in being a Maid or a Butler? Want to take part in a fun activity during AnimeIowa? Or maybe you just want a chance to interact with fellow attendees and make some new friends? Then this is the place for you! AnimeIowa’s very own Maid Cafe, Cafe Ai is looking for some awesome Maids and Butlers to join in the fun for 2018.
 
If you are interested, please fill out the audition form here
 
If you have any questions about the audition process, requirements or details on what being a Maid or Butler entails, please check out our forum post here or send us an email at ai.cafe@yahoo.com
 
 
We look forward to seeing all of you during AnimeIowa 2018!

Thank You for an Amazing 2017

“Thank you.”

For such a seemingly simple string of characters, they represent so much more than meets the eye at first glance. Not only can they show appreciation, but they can also signify a warm nostalgia.

For eleven years, we have called the Coralville Marriott our home. For many of our staff and attendees, the Coralville Marriott has been the only home that we have known. Even though we announced the move in 2015, it was only as we were planning for this year that the true gravity hit: this was the final year here.

We hope everyone took in the time to reflect on the small things that made the Coralville Marriott such an interesting home. The large patio and walkways over the river. The winding hallways. The insanely powerful air conditioning that sometimes resulted in sections of the convention freezing. Even the “Naruto curtains,” which seemed oddly appropriate given that we are anime convention. But even if you didn’t take the time reflect on the small things, we at least hope the last year was memorable, and that you made some amazing friends along the way.

We could wax nostalgic for ages, so we just want to again say: Thank you.

To the Coralville Marriott and its staff: thank you for an amazing eleven year run. Some years were more eventful than others, but you were always gracious hosts.
To the attendees: thank you for your continued support. Truly, you are the best fans that any convention could have.
To our merchants and artisans: thank you for being a part of a great dealers hall. Our wallets still ache.
To our Guests of Honor: thank you for visiting and sharing in the memories with our fans.
And finally, to our staff and volunteers: thank you for your hard work. We went through a lot, but in the end we made it through because you all pulled together.

Now as we close one chapter of our history, we start a new chapter. Next year we are celebrating our new home with AnimeIowa 2018: Where Pigs Fly! Mark your calendars, because we’re landing on July 13-15, 2018.

– Your ever thankful AnimeIowa 2017 Executive Team

The Winners of Three Contests

Since June, the Contest Department has held three Contests. Today we are pleased to announce the winners. So without further ado, please welcome…

For our microfiction contest “A Tiny Tale”, the winners are:
1st Place: Karen H.
2nd Place: Grace H.
3rd Place: Victor M.

The winning entry is as follows:

The red and white carnival tents had appeared overnight as if by magic. There’d been no sound, no tire tracks or footprints left in the dirt to indicate the direction traveled to reach this Iowa field. A single banner, strung across Main Street, announced that the Dark Carnival of Pigs had arrived. Worse still, Buu-Chan had gone missing. Disquietude permeated the air, and folks spoke in hushed nervous tones, contemplating what it may all mean. A single red ribbon and a missing whisk broom, the only clues. No one would look for Buu-Chan. No one dared.

For our mixed media art contest “Mixed Up!”, the winners are:
1st Place: Hilary S.
2nd Place: Rory H.
3rd Place: Karen H.

The winning entry:

Art by Hilary S.

And finally, for our photography contest “A Shutter in the Dark”, the winners are:
1st Place: Denna M.
2nd Place: Anna L.
3rd Place: Doug B.

The winning entry:

Photo by Denna M.

Thank you to all of our participants. Please come to the Events Desk during the convention to pick up your participation ribbons or prizes.

Your Con, Your Contest

The Contests Team has one last contest, and it’s something that you can do at the convention: Take a picture of yourself having fun at the convention, and post it to social media. We all see and interact with the convention in a different way, and with this being our last year at the Coralville Marriott let’s make it something truly to remember.

To enter, simply tag us a picture of yourself on either Facebook (@AnimeIowaCon) or Twitter (@AnimeIowa), with the appropriate hashtag:

If you’re wearing cosplay, then use #AnimeIowaCosplay
If you’re not in a costume, then use #AnimeIowaNosplay
And if you’re staffing the convention, then use #AnimeIowaStaff

We’ll have three rounds of judging, held at different times of the convention:
All day Friday (Friday 8:00AM through 11:59PM)
Early Saturday (Saturday 12:00AM through 3:00PM)
Late Saturday (Saturday 3:00PM through 11:59PM)

As per usual, full details are available on the forums.