Categories, Voting, & Awards

Once videos are submitted, RICE participants suggest which award groups (and their names) should be used during the event. These can range from common categories like "Drama" to more obscure/funny ones like "Most Dogs."

The top voted-for award names will be the ones that receive awards at the end of the event.
The amount of awards scale with the number of video entries. Each winner of these categories will receive an award certificate. Awards are 5x7" (12.7x17.78cm) cards.

Custom Award Scaling
≤ 49 videos → 7 categories
50 - 70 videos → 9 categories
71+ videos → 11 categories

Permanent Awards

In addition to the above category awards, there are some permanent awards:

Omurice (オムライス・アワード) - Top Honors
This is the most-liked video overall, as voted on by RICE participants.
In next year's RICE, the winner is able to give their own Okonomi award to another video.
Receives: certificate + sticker
Omakase (お任せ・アワード) - Coordinator's Choice
The coordinator awards this to their favorite video.
Receives: Certificate + Sticker
Okonomi (お好み・アワード) - Previous Omurice Winner's Choice
The previous year's winner of Omurice gives this to their favorite video. It is similar to an honorable mention, and may have a different name when awarded.
Receives: special double-sided certificate + regular award certificate
Umami (旨味) - Theme
The Umami is the most-liked themed video. The theme is changed every year and is announced at the end of the previous year's RICE Awards video.
The coordinator chooses the theme, but the entrants ultimately decide what videos qualify and win Umami.
Participation in the theme is optional and has no bearing on the other awards.
Receives: certificate + sticker
Okazu (おかず・アワード) - Spectators' Choice
If there are spectators participating, they vote to award the video they liked the most.
Receives: certificate
Wandering Samurice (ライス・ア・ロニン) - Wildcard Award
Entrants nominate videos to this category like any other. However, videos that become finalists in other categories are excluded from Wandering Samurice.
This award highlights exemplary videos that don't fit elsewhere, giving recognition to quality work that is harder to categorize.
Receives: certificate + sticker
Tamago Don (玉子丼) - Top Non-finalist
Voted on by all RICE entrants, this is awarded to the most-liked video that did not make finals.
Receives: certificate

Physical Awards

The award certificates are 5x7" (12.7x17.78cm) cards. Every award receives a certificate.
Some permanent awards receive a sticker in addition to the certificate. Those stickers are 4" (10.16cm) on their longest side, except for Omurice, which is 6.5" (16.51cm).

Awards are mailed globally from the USA in an A9-sized envelope. They are considered letter mail and should not be stopped by customs.

award-examples

Voting Phases

Award Suggestion
Also called award category or award name suggestion.

Opens when videos are distributed.
Multiple award suggestions allowed.
Names can be serious or funny.
Award names cannot use the word "best."
At least 3 videos must qualify for the suggested award.
Spectators can suggest awards too!

All submitted award names will move to the next phase. There is no suggestion limit.

Award suggestion is public. Participants are able to see all suggested award names as they are submitted.
Award suggestions may be edited up to the deadline for award submission.

When submitting an award suggestion, participants are required to select what "award group" their suggestion is "most like."

When voting for award names, only one award per group can win.
"Award groups" are present in the vid infosheet and participants can see which award names will be directly competing against each other.
Award suggestions can be edited at any time up to the deadline, which includes changing the award group.

Award Finalization

Once the deadline for award suggestion has passed, entrants use a new (private) form to submit their votes for which award groups and their names should be represented.
Spectators do not vote in this phase.

Video Nomination

Entrants vote on which videos they would like to see win all awards except Tomago Don. Videos may qualify for more than one award.

The top 5 videos in every award category become finalists and move to the next phase.

Note: spectators may only nominate videos for Okazu.

Finalist Voting
The top 5 videos (sometimes more due to ties) from the previous round are voted on again. The winners from this round will become the winners of the RICE awards.

Additionally:

Entrants vote on which non-finalist video should win Tamago Don.
Participants select the most convenient date and time for the Awards show.