Panelist
Frequently Asked Questions

While we specialize in Anime, Manga, and Japanese culture, we’ve always welcomed topics from other pop-culture topics that appeal to our attendees. This can include general Japanese/East-Asian history/culture, video, tabletop and card games, Western movies, TV shows, comics and cartoons, live-action roleplaying, Science Fiction & Fantasy, and cosplay, The only topics that we cannot accept are panels relating to American politics, as these topics are not allowed under the bylaws of the Nebraska Japanese Animation Society, the non-profit that oversees the convention.

As many as we accept, although we do reserve the right to limit the amount of panels done on a per person basis.

We need the name you go by in everyday life for pre-convention communications, or for finding you on social media if your email / cell number doesn’t work. We will mainly use your cell number if your email comes back as undeliverable, and possibly for contacting you during the convention.

Panels should end at the :45-:50 minute mark, i.e. if a panel is scheduled for one hour at 1 PM, it should end around 1:45-1:50. You may begin setting up for your panel when the previous panel has concluded. Panels should start as close to the beginning of the hour as possible.

All rooms will contain a laptop, projector, screen, and two or more microphones (depending on the room). You may also bring your own laptop to connect to our systems; however, you will need to bring any adapters needed to connect Apple devices to HDMI, and even then, we cannot guarantee they will work.

All-Ages — suitable for all audiences (PG), no graphic violent/sexual content, no strong language. May be scheduled at any hour of the day or night.

13+ — contains content that may be unsuitable for young children, some violent/sexual content okay, some swearing, similar to a PG-13 rating for movies. Most 13+ panels will be scheduled in the afternoon or later.

18+ — For panels that show or explicitly discuss material that you would otherwise have to be 18 to access. Activities may contact panelists running 18+ to get details and maybe downgrade to 13+, due to limited staff available to check badges at doors. 18+ submissions will only be scheduled after 9 PM on Friday or Saturday.

What your panel is about, and what format your presentation will take (lecture, discussion, Q&A, games, etc.). Descriptions should be detailed, but reasonably concise (~5-7 sentences), as space in the program booklet is limited. Make sure to check for spelling/grammar/usage issues — you may want to use a laptop/desktop to avoid Autocorrect errors.

Certain times are much more in-demand than others. We make every effort to schedule panels in panelists’ “first requested” time block, or another one that they’ve indicated as acceptable, while avoiding any stated conflicts or times they’ve listed as unacceptable. While we cannot guarantee exact hours, we will do as much as possible to accommodate everyone’s preferences. Earlier submissions will have priority over later submissions when deciding which

Panel submissions will close the first Sunday of August. Panelists will be notified of their submissions’ status in mid to late August.

Some reasons we may decline panels include, but are not limited to:

• Unacceptable / controversial topics
• Content felt not relevant to attendees
• One or more panels on same topic already accepted
• We’ve had credible complaints about your panels in the past
• Inadequate or mistake-filled description
• Submission judged to be trolling/non-genuine
• No space available in the time slots you’ve requested
• 18+ submission with no late night availability
• You already have too many panels accepted, and there are only so many hours in the day

We ask that you inform us ahead of time of your plans to move these items. You may move them if you need to create space for your panel, but they MUST be put back into place by the :45-50 mark.

The panel submitter and the person listed as “Primary Assistant” panelist are eligible to receive $15 each per panel run. To claim your reimbursement, come up to our Activities Headquarters in Suite 9 at your convenience, at any point in the weekend.