Selected panelists will receive up to four free badges for themselves and co-presenters to not only present their panels at SaikouCon 2017 but also enjoy all three days of the convention. Panel applicants will receive notice of their acceptance or denial for this year between July 15 (the closing day of submissions) and July 20, 2017; full schedule of SaikouCon 2017 Programming will be released to the public no later than Augut 1, 2017. Please note that while some in character panels are accepted, they have a lower rate of acceptance than other types of panels at SaikouCon. In 2014 we were inundated with close to a hundred panel submissions that were nearly identical in-character dating games and Q&As from only two fandoms, while these panels are a lot of fun we can not make an entire weekend of programming around identical panels from two or three fandoms alone. So, be original! Be unique! Be something you yourself haven't seen at a convention, we at SaikouCon aim to have new and unique programming every year so we can give every year the wonder and excitement of your first con experience! Panel submissions opened on May 1, 2017 at 12 PM and will close on July 15, 2017 at 6 PM, the submission form is located below:

Volunteer acceptance is not guaranteed for all applicants, applicants that have already bought an Attendance Package to attend SaikouCon 2017 will be offered monetary reimbursement for 2017 upon completion of their chosen number of volunteer hours. Those that are accepted as volunteers that have not purchased a badge prior to applying will be rewarded with a SaikouCon Souvenir Gift Pack that includes a VIP Badge to attend SaikouCon 2018. Before applying, please review the Guest Codes of Conduct and Guidelines on our Convention Info page as you will still be held to these codes and guidelines as a volunteer and may be called upon to know them for non-volunteer guests during your service time for SaikouCon 2017. Please also review the details and rules of volunteering at SaikouCon located on the Volunteers page of SaikouCon.com, this is also where you will find the application form to volunteer once applications have opened on May 30, 2017 at 12 PM.

Media applications to attend and cover SaikouCon 2017 will open at 12 PM on June 2, 2017; visit the Press page of SaikouCon.com to review our rules and regulations for reporters, photographers, videographers, bloggers covering SaikouCon 2017. Application form will also be located on the Press page of this website once it opens on June 2. Media representatives are expected to follow the rules and regulations as laid out on the Press page, they will be enforced by our security team.

Want some free anime to heat up your summer? SaikouCon has you covered! Fill out the entry form below from June 12 at 9 AM to June 30 at 6 PM for your chance to win a free anime DVD on us. 

Duplicate entries will not be counted, as always, so everyone that enters has an equal chance at winning the prize, multiple entries from the same household are fine, but only one countable entry per person. Winner will be selected from a blind drawing after the entry period closes on June 30, 2017, winner will be announced on SaikouCon.com and across the convention's social, winner will of course also be notified by email.

Sign up for the SaikouCon 2017 Cosplay Contest will open on July 1, 2017 at 12 PM ET, sign up will close on August 11 at 6 PM ET. The sign up form will be located here on the Events page and on the Cosplay page of SaikouCon.com. We will be having the same competition categories as we did in 2016, Single Cosplay with subcategories of Novice and Experienced; Group Cosplays for groups of two or more with no subcategories as group members may not all be of the same experience level. Below are the rules and guidelines for this year's contest:

Last month we added to your summer viewing list with some anime, this month let us add to your summer reading list with some free manga! We're heating your summer all over again. Entry form will open on July 5, 2017 at 12 PM and close on July 31, 2017 at 6 PM.

Duplicate entries will not be counted, as always, so everyone that everyone who enters has an equal chance at winning the prize, multiple entries from the same household are fine, but only one countable entry per person. Winner will be selected from a blind drawing after the entry period closes on July 31, 2017, winner will be announced on SaikouCon.com and across the convention's social, winner will of course also be notified by email. Entry form will be located right below this text once the entry period has opened!

Wish there were more public anime screenings? Need to see some anime on a big screen to get you through to your next anime convention? The Encounter and SaikouCon have got you covered! July 23, 2017 at 3 PM, The Encounter is opening their gaming room to us and we're turning it into an anime theater with two episodes of One Piece to warm everyone up followed by our feature presentation of the first in the Rebuild of Evangelion film series, Evangelion 1.11 You Are (Not) Alone!

SaikouCon has returned to the Lehigh Valley! Allentown, PA here we come! The fifth anniversary show of the Lehigh Valley's annual anime convention is back and the fun will be cranked up to 11 with awesome events, cool screenings, amazing voice actors and actresses, incredibly talented cosplayers, rockin' bands, our killer cosplay contest, leveled up Video Game Room, and more than a few surprises! There's a reason Year 5 is being called SaikouCon Resurgence... everything you love most about the convention is being pumped up and brought to the forefront for what we're hoping will be the best year yet! For all of you that have supported SaikouCon over the years, and made a little show that wasn't sure it would make it through it's first year make it all the way to it's fifth, with an eye to a future stretching for years to come, thank you! Thank you for all the great memories, here's to many many more years worth to come!!!!

Our annual Mangagiving Giveaway is back for 2017! This year we're giving away two randomly selected manga volumes! Fill out the entry form that will open below starting November 1, 2017 at 12 PM! Entry will close at 6 PM ET on Wednesday, November 22. The winner will be selected by blind drawing and announced on Thanksgiving Day, November 23, 2017 (Facebook events are no longer allowed to last longer than two weeks). One valid entry per person, multiple people per household is fine, but duplicate entries from one name will not be counted to give all entrants an equal shot at winning the prize.

SaikouCon will have a party table with our friends DerpyCon again for their 2017 show! We'll have giveaways, hang time, music, and more fun at our table this year, stop by and have some fun if you're attending DerpyCon 2017!