Once works of art were no longer made for certain people or reserved for the enjoyment of a select few, as happened after the French Revolution, new forms of aesthetic experience became open to every member of the community. Every individual was promised aesthetic equality—each and every person, without exception. … The hierarchy among a work’s subject, form, material, and interpreters was leveled, and the consequences of this aesthetic revolution were therefore shattering. … Even when we offer a critique, armed with elegant theories, all too often we soon find ourselves exchanging glances with the enemy and joining them for a picnic. Should we not mark out a new space in which those who are not yet deemed qualified to criticize—the ordinary “Zhangs and Lis”—can be given room to show what they can do?
—Lu Xinghua, A Study of Rancière’s Aesthetic Thought
To foster the reproduction of more and better criticism and research on ACG culture, and to encourage exchange among those who produce it, Lab on Roof has decided to continue its annual program in 2022 with the third call for submissions on ACG criticism, under the name Rags Drum 2022.
Fields and Submission Format
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We invite original critical essays or comparative studies of video games, animation, and comics—their works, creators, histories, industries, and related phenomena—from perspectives including philosophy and the social sciences, the humanities and arts, technology and media, and industry and production. There are no geographical restrictions, and derivative works may also be discussed. Straight translations and strategy guides will not be accepted.
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We recommend, but do not require, an academic format with notes and citations, an abstract, keywords, and a bibliography. Submissions may take the form of written essays, video essays, or audio recordings. Chinese-, English-, and Japanese-language submissions are accepted, though Simplified Chinese is recommended. Authors must affirm that their submissions are original and have not been, and will not be, used commercially; all quoted materials and ideas must comply with accepted academic standards. If plagiarism or misappropriation is discovered before or after the fact, the organizers will make the circumstances public and require repayment of any honorarium already paid.
Schedule and Procedures
To make participation more flexible and allow more critics to join the festival, the call is divided into two tracks.
1. Eve Festival Only
Eligibility: Previously published original work by the author that has not been used commercially (excluding, for example, work first published by a commercial outlet that acquired its copyright), as well as unpublished original work by the author that has not been used commercially.
Submission format: Both kinds of work must be submitted as a complete text or finished work.
Schedule:
- May 6: submissions to the Eve Festival open with the launch of the event.
- August 1: submissions close for both tracks.
- August 7: qualifying Eve Festival works are announced, including submissions entered only in the Eve Festival and those proceeding through both the Eve Festival and After Festival. The Eve Festival ends and the After Festival begins.
Judging:
At the Eve Festival stage, the jury will decide whether a submission qualifies by simple majority, following a policy that prioritizes originality, intellectual substance, and critical force.
Publication and honoraria:
Once the jury has reached a decision on works entered only in the Eve Festival, the organizers will contact the authors as soon as possible. Qualifying works will be scheduled promptly for publication across Lab on Roof’s platforms.
The organizers will award each qualifying work an honorarium of approximately RMB 200–300.
2. Eve Festival + After Festival
Eligibility: Unpublished original work by the author that has not been used commercially.
Submission format: At the Eve Festival stage, entrants may submit a 200–500-character proposal, though a complete text or finished work is also welcome. At the After Festival stage, a complete text or finished work is required, and its subject must remain consistent with the Eve Festival entry. Only authors and submissions that qualify at the Eve Festival stage may enter the After Festival.
Schedule:
- May 6: submissions to the Eve Festival + After Festival track open with the launch of the event.
- August 1: submissions close for both tracks.
- August 7: qualifying Eve Festival works are announced, including submissions entered only in the Eve Festival and those proceeding through both stages. The Eve Festival ends and the After Festival begins. As submissions are accepted, Lab on Roof’s accounts will announce the titles and authors of works participating in the After Festival.
- October 7: entries close for the After Festival, the second half of the combined track.
- Second half of October: qualifying After Festival works are announced together. The After Festival ends, concluding the event.
Judging:
At the After Festival stage, the jury will decide whether a submission qualifies by absolute majority, following a policy that prioritizes originality, intellectual substance, and critical force.
Publication and honoraria:
Qualifying works entered in the combined Eve Festival + After Festival track will be announced together on August 7 and October 7, for the Eve Festival and After Festival respectively, and will subsequently be published across Lab on Roof’s platforms.
If five or more submissions qualify in the combined track, the organizers will award each qualifying work RMB 10,000 divided by the number of qualifying works. If zero to four works qualify, each qualifying work will receive RMB 2,000.
Submissions for either track may be made by either of the following methods:
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Email the submission, together with QQ contact details, to lab_on_roof@163.com.
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Join the event QQ group, upload the submission to the group files, and notify the organizers (recommended): 103115110.
If exceptional circumstances make both methods impossible, contact Lab on Roof privately through its Zhihu or Bilibili account to discuss an alternative.
Jury
A group of enthusiasts intellectually and aesthetically equal to their audience—no academic authorities, no “places” reserved for scene celebrities!
Other Provisions
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For qualifying submissions entered only in the Eve Festival, Lab on Roof requires only a nonexclusive license that does not require first publication to publish the work across its platforms. For qualifying submissions entered in the combined Eve Festival + After Festival track, Lab on Roof requires only a nonexclusive license for first publication to publish the work across its platforms. All copyright-related rights not specified here remain with the author.
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To foster the reproduction of more and better criticism and research on ACG culture and exchange among its practitioners, Lab on Roof may adapt qualifying submissions into video essays or other formats. The author will be informed and their consent obtained in advance, and the author’s relevant rights will be protected in any video essay.
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We thank 初鹿野凪 for creating the event posters, and thank the critics, groups, and platforms that have offered friendly advice and sincere assistance.
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Given the organizers’ lack of experience, they reserve the right, to the fullest extent permitted by law and platform rules, to interpret and amend the event’s procedures and schedule. Critics and readers are asked for their understanding.
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Readers and critics are warmly invited to share and circulate this announcement, join the discussion, and submit their work.
