ISML 2026 Charter

The Annual Charter defines the values and limitations of and establishes a schedule for ISML. The Charter proposes to be the flexible aspect of ISML that complements the static Constitution. It aims to provide ISML with the ability to make the innovations necessary to remain entertaining each year.

  1. Definitions
    1. Unless the context otherwise requires, the following terms in this document have the meanings set forth below.
    2. Same Series
      1. “Same series” refers to a collection of related works that satisfies any of the following conditions:
        1. Shares the same world view, main storyline setting, and core cast of characters;
        2. Belongs to a sequel, prequel, spin-off, new season, or remake of the same original work;
        3. Recognized by the copyright holder as the same series;
        4. Other circumstances determined by the Staff.
      2. Even if the conditions set forth in Section I.B.1 are met, the following situations shall not be considered the same series:
        1. Crossover works of multiple independent productions that do not alter the original series affiliation of each work;
        2. A cameo appearance of characters, settings, or world views in another production, provided there is no continuing narrative or world-view connection between the cameo work and the original work;
        3. Other exceptional circumstances determined by the Staff.
      3. ISML Staff have the final authority to decide whether a particular work belongs to a series and may change previous decisions based on specific circumstances. All characters in a series as recognized by ISML will be displayed under the same series name.
    3. Same Character
      1. In the same series, all representations satisfying any of the following conditions shall be regarded as “the same character”:
        1. Having changed names, titles, code names, or identities;
        2. Having undergone significant appearance changes due to age;
        3. New representations resulting from gender swap, transformation, modification, disguise, alteration, splitting, merging, amnesia, dreams, resurrection, personality changes, timeline shifts, world line shifts, fantasy worlds, virtual worlds, or similar reasons;
        4. Other circumstances determined by the Staff.
      2. Even if the conditions set forth in Section I.C.1 are met, the following representations may not be considered the same character:
        1. The connection between the representation and other representations has not yet been revealed;
        2. The representation has lost connection to other representations of the same character;
        3. New representations resulting from reincarnation, cloning, duplication, etc., appearing under a completely new name and identity;
        4. Other circumstances determined by the Staff.
    4. First Appearance Date: The date on which a character is first listed in the character and voice actor table in a work publicly broadcast or released in Japanese media. Dates falling under the following circumstances are not considered first appearance dates:
      1. Advance screenings limited to audiences in theaters, events, exhibitions, or other offline venues;
      2. Appearances in works that are not eligible for the tournament.
    5. Full-Length Animation: A full-length animation as referred to in Article III, Section 4 of the ISML Constitution is an animated series airing no fewer than six (6) episodes with at least forty (40) accumulative minutes, or at least sixty (60) accumulative minutes of screen time. The following shall not be counted:
      1. Trailers, promotional videos, music videos, and other ancillary works;
      2. Compilation works that do not contain newly produced footage or story lines.
    6. Voting Formats
      1. First-past-the-post: Voters may vote for at most one (1) contestant.
      2. Approval Voting: Voters may vote for each contestant, with no limit on the number.
      3. Limited Voting: Voters may vote for at most a limited number of contestants, the specific number to be determined and announced in advance by the Staff.
      4. Range Voting: Voters may score each contestant on a scale of zero (0) to ten (10) according to preference. The contestants with higher scores receive higher rankings.
      5. Instant-Runoff Voting: Voters rank the contestants in order of preference. Ballots are counted according to the first preferences; the contestant with the fewest votes is eliminated, and their votes are redistributed to the remaining contestants according to the next preference. This process repeats until a contestant receives more than half of the remaining valid votes.
    7. Vote Point, Vote Point Difference, Cumulative Vote Point, and Cumulative Vote Point Difference
      1. Generally, for any contestant: Vote Point = Votes / Match Day Weighted Average Votes. For matches using special voting formats, Vote Point is calculated as follows:
        1. Range Voting: (Score * 0.1) / Match Day Weighted Average Votes;
        2. Instant-Runoff Voting: Final votes / Match Day Weighted Average Votes.
      2. Match Day Weighted Average Votes = (Total weighted votes on the match day) / (2 * Number of matches on that day). For matches using special voting systems, votes or scores are converted before inclusion in the total weighted votes as follows:
        1. Approval Voting: Total votes / (Number of contestants * 0.5);
        2. Limited Voting: Total votes / (Maximum votes allowed per ballot ^ (Number of contestants / (Number of contestants + 1)));
        3. Range Voting: (Total score * 0.1) / (Number of contestants * 0.5);
        4. Instant-Runoff Voting: First-round total votes / (Number of contestants * 0.5).
      3. Vote Point Difference: Applies only to first-past-the-post matches with exactly Two (2) contestants. The difference between a contestant’s Vote Point and the opponent’s Vote Point.
      4. Cumulative Vote Point: The sum of a contestant’s Vote Point over a specific split or stage.
      5. Cumulative Vote Point Difference: The sum of a contestant’s Vote Point Difference over a specific split or stage.
    8. Competition Formats
      1. Single Round-Robin: Under this format, each contestant competes against every other contestant exactly once.
      2. Stepladder: Under this format, the two lowest-seeded contestants compete first, with the winner advancing to challenge the next higher-seeded contestant, and so on.
      3. Swiss System: Under this format, contestants compete only against opponents with the same win-loss record until rankings are determined.
      4. Double Elimination: Under this format, a loser in the Winners’ Bracket falls to the Losers’ Bracket, and a loser in the Losers’ Bracket is eliminated.
  2. General Rules and Outline
    1. ISML 2026 will consist of: Main Tournament (Section V) and Exhibition Matches (Section XIV).
    2. ISML 2026 will be held across a total of sixty (60) match days (excluding Nomination Phases). The schedule of each phase is listed on Section XV.
    3. The Main Tournament and Exhibition Matches may be scheduled concurrently on the same match day.
    4. A match day will consist of a voting phase and result announcement.
      1. The voting phase will be held as scheduled (Section XV) and will run for twenty-four (24) hours.
      2. The Staff is authorized to delay the start of the voting phase, or suspend and restart the voting phase, should any problems arise due to technical or other issues. In such cases, the Staff may also delay the end of the voting phase and the release of official results. All changes will be announced on the Website.
      3. Voting will be held at: https://www.internationalsaimoe.com​/vote/voting
      4. Detailed policies and procedures of voting phase are explained in Section III.
      5. Official results for each match day will be released no later than twenty-four (24) hours after the end of each voting phase, unless otherwise announced.
      6. Other statistics may be posted and kept for study and analysis.
    5. As constituted by Article V of the ISML Constitution, the ISML Commissioner and delegated Staff will preside over ISML 2026 during the course of its duration, with authorities and duties as described in the ISML Constitution. These two parties will be referred to as “Staff” in this document.
  3. Voting Policies and Procedures
    1. Information such as voters’ IP addresses will be logged in order to verify ballot authenticity and voter uniqueness.
    2. Voters are obliged to obey the policies stated in Article IV of the ISML Constitution.
    3. The Staff reserve the right to decide whether a violation of the voting policies has or has not happened.
    4. The Staff reserve the right to impose penalties on parties deemed to have violated Article IV of the ISML Constitution.
    5. If a voter mistakenly casts a vote, they may contact the Staff by emailing internationalsaimoe@gmail.com to request a correction. Vote change requests must include the IP address from which the vote was cast and the Vote ID displayed on the confirmation page after ballot submission, the original incorrect ballot, and the requested new ballot.
    6. A voter may abstain from any match on a given match day, but a ballot must have a minimum number of contestants to be considered valid. This minimum number varies by round and will be indicated on the ballot.
  4. General Rules of Eligibility and Qualification
    1. Character eligibility will be checked according to Article III of the ISML Constitution.
    2. The same character (defined in Section I.C) may only participate in eligibility determination under a single representation.
    3. Consideration of female gender (for entry into female-only tournaments) includes:
      1. The character’s gender is set as female;
      2. The character possesses a female body;
      3. When the character’s gender is unknown or cannot be determined, the character regularly exhibits feminine qualities.
    4. Consideration of male gender uses the same qualification as Section IV.C, substituting “male” for “female”.
    5. A character who qualifies as both male and female may enter only one division. The staff will consider the following points in their decision:
      1. The amount of screen time the character gets as each gender.
      2. The character's personal identity.
    6. If a character’s gender is difficult to determine, the default assignment shall be to the Female Division.
    7. Qualification for the Main Tournament (Section V) will take precedence over all other tournaments.
  5. Main Tournament
    1. The Main Tournament will consist of Preliminary Period (Section X), a series of Group Stages (Section XI), and the Elimination Stage (Section XIII).
    2. The Main Tournament will follow the schedule (Section XV) as listed on this Website unless decided otherwise.
    3. Each match in the Main Tournament will be held on a single, specific match day. Technical rules of each match day follow Section II.
    4. The Main Tournament is divided into two (2) leagues: the Nova League and the Stella League.
      1. Each League is divided into two (2) divisions: the Female Division and the Male Division.
      2. The format and schedule of a given league are identical for both divisions.
  6. Nova League: General Rules
    1. Characters with a first appearance date (defined in Section I.D) not earlier than 1 January 2019 are eligible for the Nova League.
    2. The Group Stage of Nova League is divided into four (4) splits: Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn.
    3. Characters who appear in a full-length animation (defined in Section I.E) during the following periods are eligible for the corresponding Split:
      1. Winter Split: from 1 January 2026 to 31 March 2026;
      2. Spring Split: from 1 April 2026 to 30 June 2026;
      3. Summer Split: from 1 July 2026 to 30 September 2026;
      4. Autumn Split: from 1 October 2026 to 31 December 2026.
    4. Characters satisfying any of the following conditions are not eligible:
      1. Have ever won the Heavenly Tiara or Lapis Scepter;
      2. Have ever won the Divine Circlet or Divine Crown;
      3. Have already advanced to the Nova League Group Stage of the current year.
    5. At the conclusion of the Nova League, the winner of the Female Division will be awarded the Divine Circlet, and the winner of the Male Division will be awarded the Divine Crown. They will be declared as Champions of Nova League for ISML 2026.
  7. Stella League: General Rules
    1. Characters with a first appearance date (defined in Section I.D) before 1 January 2026 are eligible for the Stella League.
    2. Throughout the Stella League, seven (7) gem Necklaces/Pendants will be awarded to the best-performing contestants in each phase of the Group Stages.
      1. The gem names are: Aquamarine, Topaz, Amethyst, Sapphire, Emerald, Ruby, and Diamond.
      2. The rules for awarding Necklaces/Pendants are set forth in Section XII.
    3. At the conclusion of the Stella League, the winner of the Female Division will be awarded the Heavenly Tiara, and the winner of the Male Division will be awarded the Lapis Scepter. They will be declared as Champions of Stella League for ISML 2026.
    4. The seven (7) most recent winners of the Heavenly Tiara and Lapis Scepter are ineligible for the Stella League.
  8. Stella League: Automatic Qualification
    1. A total of sixteen (16) characters per division will directly advance to the Group Stage. Eligible characters will receive automatic qualification according to the following order until the slots are filled:
      1. The top two (2) contestants in each division from r/anime’s Best Girl 12 & Best Guy 10;
      2. The top two (2) contestants from r/anime’s Best Girl of 2024;
      3. The winner from r/anime’s Best Girl of 2025;
      4. The top two (2) contestants in each division from Bilibili Moe 2025;
      5. The winners of each division from AnimeClick Best Waifu & Husbando 2025;
      6. The winners of each division from AnimeClick Best Waifu & Husbando 2026;
      7. The winner from Aniplus Character Tournament 2025;
      8. The winner from Shikimori “Лучший персонаж аниме 2024 года”;
      9. The winners of each division from the 11th Tianshidongman Moe Tournament and the 5th Tianshidongman Male Tournament;
      10. Contestants who participated in the Elimination Stage of ISML 2025 Main Tournament, with higher final rank given priority; if tied, those from the Stella League are preferred.
    2. Apart from those already qualified for the Group Stage, eligible characters satisfy any of the following conditions automatically advance to the Preliminary Period:
      1. The top sixteen (16) contestants in each division from r/anime’s Best Girl 12 & Best Guy 10;
      2. The top sixteen (16) contestants and seasonal winners from r/anime’s Best Girl of 2024;
      3. The top eight (8) contestants and seasonal winners from r/anime’s Best Girl of 2025;
      4. The top sixteen (16) contestants in each division from Bilibili Moe 2025;
      5. The top four (4) contestants in each Division from AnimeClick Best Waifu & Husbando 2025;
      6. The top four (4) contestants in each Division from AnimeClick Best Waifu & Husbando 2026;
      7. The top four (4) contestants from Aniplus Character Tournament 2025;
      8. The top four (4) contestants from Shikimori “Лучший персонаж аниме 2024 года”;
      9. The top two (2) contestants from the 3rd C_Chat SaiPo Tournament;
      10. The top two (2) contestants and seasonal winners from the 10th Tianshidongman Moe Tournament and the 4th Tianshidongman Male Tournament;
      11. The top four (4) contestants and seasonal winners from the 11th Tianshidongman Moe Tournament and the 5th Tianshidongman Male Tournament;
      12. The winner in each Division from the Chinese Saimoe 2025;
      13. Contestants who participated in the Elimination Stage of ISML 2025 Main Tournament;
      14. Contestants who won a Necklace or Pendant in ISML 2025.
  9. Nomination Phase
    1. The Nomination Phase lasts seven (7) days (Section XV.C).
    2. Each Split of the Nova League uses a separate, identically formatted nomination form.
      1. Voters may nominate up to sixteen (16) characters each.
      2. At least three (3) different anime series must be represented on the ballot.
      3. At least two (2) female and two (2) male characters must be included on the ballot.
      4. At most three (3) characters from the same series (defined in Section I.B) may be nominated on the ballot.
    3. The Stella League uses a separate nomination form.
      1. Voters may nominate up to thirty-two (32) characters each.
      2. At least eight (8) different anime series must be represented on the ballot.
      3. At least four (4) female and four (4) male characters must be included on the ballot.
      4. At most four (4) characters from the same series may be nominated on the ballot.
    4. No character may be nominated more than once on the same ballot.
    5. All nominations have equal weight. There is no ranking within a ballot.
    6. Invalid nominations will be discarded individually without voiding the rest of the ballot, unless the removal results in a violation of Section IX.B or Section IX.C, in which case the entire ballot will be voided.
    7. At the end of the Nomination Phase, the characters with the most nominations in each Division advance to the Main Tournament until the allotted slots are filled.
      1. Characters eligible for the Stella League will be considered for the Stella League first. Only if they fail to advance to the Stella League may they be considered for the Nova League. However, a character eligible for both leagues who has never participated in the Nova League/Nova Division before may advance to both leagues simultaneously.
      2. For the Nova League, characters eligible for the Winter Split are considered for the Winter Split first. Only if they fail to advance to the Winter Group Stage may they be considered for the Spring Split, and so on for Summer and Autumn Splits.
    8. The number of allotted slots for each Split of each Division in the Nova League is determined according to the following conditions. Once advanced characters satisfy all conditions, the slots are deemed filled. However, if two or more characters at the cut-off line have the same number of nominations, all these characters receive a slot, regardless of the original slot limit.
      1. Advanced characters must come from at least sixteen (16) different series;
      2. At least sixteen (16) characters must be making their debut appearance in the ISML Main tournament.
    9. The number of allotted slots for each Division in the Stella League is one hundred and twenty-eight (128) minus the number of automatically qualified characters defined in Section VIII.B. However, if two or more characters at the cut-off line have the same number of nominations, all these characters receive a slot, regardless of the original slot limit.
  10. Preliminary Period
    1. Contestants are seeded based on the results of the Nomination Phase. The following sequence is used to determine seeding:
      1. Automatically qualified for the Preliminary Period (Section VIII.B);
      2. Greater number of nominations;
      3. Participation in the Stella League Group Stage of ISML 2025, with higher final rank given priority;
      4. Participation in the Nova League Group Stage of ISML 2025, with higher final rank given priority;
      5. Selection by Staff.
    2. Nova League
      1. Contestants of each split will collectively compete in an Approval Voting match (defined in Section I.F).
      2. For each series (defined in Section I.B), only the top three (3) contestants with the highest votes within that series are retained. After removing others, the top sixteen (16) contestants advance to the Group Stage. The rest are eliminated. If multiple contestants receive the same number of votes, the higher-seeded contestant receives the higher rank.
    3. Stella League
      1. A ranking system is used to record contestants’ results. The following procedure is used to update rankings:
        1. Higher Cumulative Vote Point (CVP) value (defined in Section I.G);
        2. Higher seed.
      2. The Preliminary Period consists of five (5) rounds as described below.
        1. Round 1: Contestants are evenly split into sixteen (16) groups based on seed. Each group competes in an Approval Voting match. The winner of each group advances to the Group Stage; the others proceed to Round 2. This round will be split into two (2) match days.
        2. Round 2: Contestants are re-balanced into eight (8) groups based on Round 1 rankings. Each group competes in an Approval Voting match. The top two (2) contestants in each group advance to the Group Stage; the others proceed to Round 3. This round will be split into two (2) match days.
        3. Round 3: Contestants are re-balanced into four (4) groups based on rankings after Round 2. Each group competes in a Limited Voting match (defined in Section I.F). Voters may select at most four (4) contestants per group. The top four (4) contestants in each group advance; the others proceed to Round 4.
        4. Round 4: Contestants are re-balanced into two (2) groups based on rankings after Round 3. Each group competes in a Limited Voting match. Voters may select at most eight (8) contestants per group. The top eight (8) contestants in each group advance; the others proceed to Round 5.
        5. Round 5: All contestants compete in a single Limited Voting match. Voters may select at most sixteen (16) contestants. The top sixteen (16) contestants advance to the Group Stage; the rest are eliminated.
      3. During the Preliminary Period, contestants who have received automatic qualification to the Group Stage (Section VIII.A) and those who won their Preliminary Period Round 1 match will participate in a Seeding Period to determine seeds for the next stage.
        1. Round 1: The sixteen (16) automatically qualified contestants compete in a Range Voting match (defined in Section I.F). The top eight (8) contestants become the tier 1 seed for Group Stage Split 1 (Section XI.C); the others proceed to Round 3.
        2. Round 2: The sixteen (16) contestants who won their Preliminary Period Round 1 match compete in a Range Voting match. The top eight (8) contestants proceed to Round 3.
        3. Round 3: The remaining sixteen (16) contestants compete in a Range Voting match. The top eight (8) become the tier 1 seed for Group Stage Split 1.
      4. If multiple contestants receive the same number of votes in a match, the higher-seeded contestant receives the higher rank.
    4. At the end of the Preliminary Period, all advanced contestants are re-seeded according to their results before being allocated to groups for the next Stage.
  11. Group Stage
    1. General Rules
      1. Except for the Stella League Necklace and Pendant Showdown (Section XII) and Wild Card Matches (Section XI.C.4), each match features exactly two (2) contestants using First-past-the-post (defined in Section I.F). The contestant receiving the most valid votes wins; the opponent loses. Except for the Nova League Breakout Stage (Section XI.B.3), a tie results in a draw; both contestants record a draw, and no overtime is held.
      2. A ranking system records contestants’ results within each group. The following procedure updates the ranking:
        1. Greater number of wins, with a draw counted as half (0.5) wins;
        2. Greater Cumulative Vote Point Difference (CVPD) value (defined in Section I.G);
        3. Decision by Staff.
      3. After each Stage, all advancing contestants are re-seeded according to their performance in prior stages before being allocated to groups for the next stage.
      4. Eliminated contestants may be placed into the Consolation Brackets to determine the final rankings. These matches will take place as early as possible in the Main Tournament schedule.
    2. Nova League
      1. The Group Stage of each split consists of the Opening Stage and the Breakout Stage.
      2. Opening Stage
        1. Contestants are split into two (2) groups of eight (8). Each group uses the single round-robin format (defined in Section I.H).
        2. After ranking, the top four (4) contestants in each group advance to the Breakout Stage; the rest are eliminated.
        3. Breakout Stage
      3. Contestants are split into two (2) groups of four (4). Each group uses the Stepladder format (defined in Section I.H).
      4. The 1st and 3rd ranked contestants from the same Opening Stage group, together with the 2nd and 4th ranked contestants from the other Opening Stage group, are placed into the same Breakout Stage group. The remaining four contestants form the other Breakout Stage group. Seeds in the Breakout Stage are based on Opening Stage rankings.
      5. The winner of each group will advance to the Split Final. The winner of the Split Final is awarded the corresponding Seasonal Diadem.
      6. If a Breakout Stage match ends in a tie, the contestant who won their previous Opening Stage head-to-head match is declared the winner. If that match was also a tie or did not occur, the tie is broken using the Opening Stage ranking procedure (Section XI.A.2).
      7. The top four (4) contestants in the Breakout Stage advance to the postseason Elimination Stage.
    3. Stella League
      1. The Group Stages consist of three (3) splits.
        1. Split 1 consists of one (1) Period: Aquamarine.
        2. Split 2 consists of three (3) Periods: Topaz, Amethyst, and Sapphire.
        3. Split 3 consists of three (3) Periods, Emerald, Ruby, and Diamond.
      2. The number of contestants in each split is as follows:
        1. Split 1: Ninety-six (96) contestants.
        2. Split 2: Sixty-four (64) contestants.
        3. Split 3: Thirty-two (32) contestants.
      3. In each split, contestants are divided into a variable number of groups, each using the single round-robin format.
        1. Split 1 consists of sixteen (16) groups of six (6).
        2. Split 2 consists of four (4) groups of sixteen (16).
        3. Split 3 consists of two (2) groups of sixteen (16).
        4. After the ranking procedure in each split, the best-performing contestants advance to the next split.
      4. Split 1: the top three (3) contestants in each group, along with the six (6) best-performing 4th-place contestants, advance. The remaining 4th-place contestants and ten (10) best-performing 5th-place contestants together compete in a Limited Voting match (defined in Section I.F). In this match, voters may select at most ten (10) contestants, and the top ten(10) contestants advance. The rest are eliminated. This additional match is called a Wild Card Match, held concurrently with the Necklace and Pendant Showdown (Section XII).
      5. Split 2: the top seven (7) contestants in each group advance. Contestants ranked 8th through 10th in each group together compete in a Limited Voting Wild Card Match. In this match, voters may select up to four (4) contestants, and the top four (4) contestants advance. The rest are eliminated.
      6. Split 3: the top seven (7) Contestants in each group advance to the Elimination Stage. Contestants ranked 8th through 10th in each group together compete in a Limited Voting Wild Card Match. In this match, voters may select up to two (2) contestants, and the top two (2) contestants advance. The rest are eliminated.
  12. Stella League: Necklace and Pendant Showdown
    1. At the end of each period of the Group Stage (Section XI.C.1), a Necklace Showdown is held to determine the winner of the Necklace for that period in the Female Division. The Male Division has a corresponding Pendant Showdown.
    2. Only one Necklace and one Pendant are awarded per period. The gemstone is determined by the name of the period.
    3. In each period, the eight (8) best-performing contestants from each division participate in the Necklace/Pendant Showdown. The following criteria are used to select them:
      1. Greater number of period wins, with a draw counted as half (0.5) wins;
      2. Greater Period’s Cumulative Vote Point Difference (PCVPD) value (defined in Section I.G);
      3. Decision by Staff.
    4. The Necklace and Pendant Showdown uses Instant-Runoff Voting (defined in Section I.F) to determine the winner.
      1. If two or more contestants have the same number of votes after any round, the contestant with the most first-preference votes advances; if still tied, second-preference votes are compared, and so on.
      2. If a tie persists, the procedure in Section XII.C applies.
    5. Contestants who have already won a Necklace or Pendant are ineligible for later Showdowns for the remainder of the year.
  13. Elimination Stage
    1. General Rules
      1. Sixteen (16) contestants from each division are seeded according to their performance in the Group Stage.
      2. Each match is a First-past-the-post match (defined in Section I.F) between two contestants. The contestant receiving the most valid votes wins; the opponent loses. If the votes are equal, the contestant with the better head-to-head record during the current year is declared the winner. If still undecided, the higher-seeded contestant is declared the winner.
      3. Eliminated contestants may be placed into the Consolation Brackets to determine the final rankings. These matches will take place as early as possible in the Elimination Stage schedule.
    2. Nova League
      1. The Elimination Stage consists of the Swiss Stage and the Playoff Stage.
      2. Swiss Stage
        1. The following criteria determine seeding:
      3. Higher rank in the Breakout Stage (Section XI.B.3);
      4. Higher rank in the Opening Stage (Section XI.B.2);
      5. Greater number of Opening Stage wins, with a draw counted as half (0.5) wins;
      6. Greater Opening Stage Cumulative Vote Point value (defined in Section I.G);
      7. Decision by Staff.
      8. The Swiss Stage uses a variant of the Swiss System (defined in Section I.H).
      9. Round 1 pairings are based on seed: 1st vs 16th, 2nd vs 15th, 3rd vs 14th, 4th vs 13th, 5th vs 10th, 6th vs 11th, 7th vs 12th, 8th vs 9th.
      10. The following procedure determines pairings for Round 2 and later:
        1. Preference is given to contestants who have not previously faced each other in this stage;
        2. The highest-seeded contestant not yet scheduled faces the lowest-seeded contestant available.
      11. The top eight (8) contestants who achieve three (3) wins immediately advance to the Playoff Stage. Contestants who suffer three (3) loses are immediately eliminated.
      12. Playoff Stage
        1. Contestants are re-seeded according to their win-loss record in the Swiss Stage. Those with the same record are seeded according to their Group Stage performance (Section XIII.B.2.1).
        2. The Playoff Stage uses a Double-Elimination format without a preliminary round (defined in Section I.H). Contestants without any losses in the Swiss Stage start in the Winners’ Bracket; the others start in the Losers’ Bracket.
        3. The following procedure determines pairings in the Playoff Stage:
      13. Preference is given to contestants who have not previously faced each other in the Elimination Stage;
      14. Only if a rematch is unavoidable may contestants who have faced each other be paired again;
      15. The highest-seeded contestant not yet scheduled faces the lowest-seeded contestant available.
      16. The winner of the Winners’ Bracket and Losers’ Bracket advance to the Final. If the winner of this match is from the Winners’ Bracket, she/he will be declared as the Champion. Otherwise, a rematch is held, and the winner of the rematch will be declared as the Champion.
    3. Stella League
      1. The following criteria determine seeding:
        1. Having won a Necklace or Pendant;
        2. Greater number of Group Stage wins, with a draw counted as half (0.5) wins;
        3. Greater Group Stage Cumulative Vote Point value;
        4. Decision by Staff.
      2. The Elimination Stage uses a Double-Elimination format without a preliminary round. The eight (8) highest-seeded contestants enter the Winners’ Bracket; the others enter the Losers’ Bracket.
      3. Before each round of the Winners’ Bracket, the remaining contestants are evenly split into high seeds and low seeds. All Winners’ Bracket matches pair a high seed with a low seed, with the specific opponent determined by draw.
      4. The following procedure determines pairings in the Losers’ Bracket:
        1. Preference is given to contestants who have not previously faced each other in the Elimination Stage;
        2. Only if a rematch is unavoidable may contestants who have faced each other be paired again;
        3. The highest-seeded contestant not yet scheduled faces the lowest-seeded contestant available.
      5. The winner of the Winners’ Bracket and Losers’ Bracket advance to the Final. If the winner of this match is from the Winners’ Bracket, she/he will be declared as the Champion. Otherwise, a rematch is held, and the winner of the rematch will be declared as the Champion.
  14. Exhibition Matches
    1. Exhibition Matches are designed to raise awareness of anime series that are not represented and Japanese media characters who are not participating in the Main Tournament. The matches may focus on anime series airing after the Nomination Phase had begun or on other outlets possibly previously unknown to members of the Community.
    2. Exhibition Matches have no effect on the Main Tournament, unless an exception for a specific match is announced at least one (1) week in advance.
    3. Each Exhibition Match will be held on a single, specific match day. Technical rules of each match day follow Section II.
    4. Jewelry Exhibition Match
      1. Nova League
        1. In each split of the Nova League, a Jewelry Exhibition Match is held per division to determine the winner of the Jewelry for that split.
        2. The Jewelry Exhibition Match is held concurrently with the Split Final (Section XI.B.3.3). The gemstone of the Jewelry is determined by the name of the current Stella League period (Section XI.C.1) on that match day.
        3. Contestants with a first appearance date (defined in Section I.D) not earlier than 1 January 2026 are eligible. If fewer than four (4) eligible contestants exist for a split, eligibility extends to those with first appearance date not earlier than 1 January 2025, and so on, until at least four contestants are available.
        4. Each split, the four (4) best-performing contestants from each division participate in the Jewelry Exhibition Match. The following criteria select them:
      2. Higher rank in the Breakout Stage (Section XI.B.3);
      3. Higher rank in the Opening Stage (Section XI.B.2);
      4. Greater number of Opening Stage wins, with a draw counted as half (0.5) wins;
      5. Greater Opening Stage Cumulative Vote Point value (defined in Section I.G);
      6. Decision by Staff.
      7. The Jewelry Exhibition Match uses Approval Voting (defined in Section I.F) to determine the winner. However, if the winner of the Jewelry Exhibition Match also wins the Seasonal Diadem, the Jewelry goes to the second-place contestant in the Jewelry Exhibition Match.
      8. Stella League
        1. Throughout the Stella League, three (3) Jewelries with different gemstones are awarded to contestants satisfying the corresponding conditions. The Jewelry Exhibition Match is held concurrently with the Necklace and Pendant Showdown (Section XII) of the corresponding gemstone.
      9. Aquamarine: Contestants eliminated in the Preliminary Period;
      10. Topaz: Contestants eliminated in Group Stage Split 1;
      11. Ruby: Contestants eliminated in Group Stage Split 2.
      12. Contestants who have won the Heavenly Tiara or the Lapis Scepter are ineligible for the Jewelry Exhibition Matches.
      13. Contestants who have not won any honor since ISML 2019 are eligible for the Jewelry Exhibition Matches. If, for any Jewelry Exhibition Match, the number of eligible contestants is fewer than eight (8), eligibility shall be extended to those who have not won any honor since ISML 2020 , and so on, until at least eight (8) contestants are eligible.
      14. Eight (8) contestants per division participate in each Jewelry Exhibition Match. The following criteria select them:
        1. Greater career head-to-head wins, with a draw counted as half (0.5) wins;
        2. Greater career head-to-head matches participated in;
        3. Decision by Staff.
      15. The Jewelry Exhibition Match uses Instant-Runoff Voting (defined in Section I.F) to determine the winner.
        1. If two or more contestants have the same number of votes after any round, the contestant with the most first-preference votes advances; if still tied, second-preference votes are compared, and so on.
        2. If a tie persists, the procedure in Section XIV.D.2.3 applies.
    5. Themed Exhibition Tournament
      1. Themed Exhibition Tournaments are tournament-style exhibition matches held to promote specific themes.
      2. Themed Exhibition Tournaments planned for ISML 2026 include: All-Star Tournament, League Cup, Couples Tournament, Athlete Tournament, and Echo Circlet/Crown Tournament.
      3. Detailed rules and schedules for a Themed Exhibition Tournament will be established separately by the Staff and announced at least one week before its Nomination Phase or first match.
  15. Schedule
    1. The schedule listed in this section will be published in an easily accessible location on the Website.
    2. All dates are subject to change without updating this document, but any changes will be announced on the Website as early as possible.
    3. Nomination Phase
      1. Stella League Nomination Phase is scheduled from 12 July 2026 to 19 July 2026.
      2. Nova League Winter Split Nomination Phase is scheduled from 30 August 2026 to 6 September 2026.
      3. Nova League Spring Split Nomination Phase is scheduled from 4 October 2026 to 11 October 2026.
      4. Nova League Summer Split Nomination Phase is scheduled from 1 November 2026 to 8 November 2026.
      5. Nova League Autumn Split Nomination Phase is scheduled from 3 January 2027 to 10 January 2027.
      6. If cumulative downtime due to faults exceeds twenty-four (24) hours, the Nomination Phase will be extended. All changes will be announced on the Website.
      7. Nomination results will be announced approximately seven (7) days after the end of the phase.
    4. The Main Tournament is scheduled from 27 July 2026 to 7 May 2027.
      1. All matches in the Main Tournament are scheduled to start at 12:00 UTC on the match days listed on the ISML Calendar.
      2. Nova League
        1. The Winter Split will take place from 19 September 2026 to 20 November 2026, with twelve (12) match days.
        2. The Spring Split will take place from 23 October 2026 to 18 December 2026, with twelve (12) match days.
        3. The Summer Split will take place from 20 November 2026 to 22 January 2027, with twelve (12) match days.
        4. The Autumn Split will take place from 22 January 2027 to 19 March 2027, with twelve (12) match days.
        5. The Elimination Stage will take place from 1 April 2027 to 7 May 2027, with ten (10) match days.
      3. Stella League
        1. The Preliminary Period will take place from 27 July 2026 to 21 August 2026, with eight (8) match days.
        2. The Group Stage Split 1 will take place from 1 September 2026 to 19 September 2026, with six (6) match days.
        3. The Group Stage Split 2 will take place from 5 October 2026 to 18 December 2026, with eighteen (18) match days.
        4. The Group Stage Split 3 will take place from 4 January 2027 to 19 March 2027, with eighteen (18) match days.
        5. The Elimination Stage will take place from 1 April 2027 to 3 May 2027, with nine (9) match days.
  16. Statement
    1. During vote checking, the Staff shall not show any favoritism toward any contestant. While the Staff will attempt to enforce the Voter Policies as strictly as possible, situations may occur where not all votes in violation of the Policies will be detected or where voters banned for Policy violations discover alternate methods to submit votes. The Staff will work to the best of their ability to minimize such occurrences.
    2. Within twenty-four (24) hours after the official results of a match day are released, any member of the ISML community may raise an objection to bring attention to any possible error. Once an objection is accepted by the Commissioner, the Staff will conduct an investigation and may adjust the results accordingly. Twenty-four (24) hours after the official results release, the results shall be deemed final and cannot be changed unless otherwise notified.
      1. Objections submitted to establish a ballot’s validity shall be treated as appeals. Voters may only appeal the validity of the ballots they personally submitted. To appeal on behalf of another voter, an agent must provide written authorization from each represented voter.
      2. Objections submitted to challenge a ballot’s validity shall be treated as reports. Any report must be accompanied by evidence identifying the specific ballots in question.
      3. The Staff reserves the right to summarily reject any objection that does not meet the above requirements or lacks sufficient evidence.
      4. When responding to an objection, the Staff shall provide only the information necessary directly related to handling the objection, in addition to notifying whether the objection has been accepted.
    3. Each year, ISML and its Staff endeavour to present a fair competition system. The Staff will ensure their best, honest, and virtuous effort to arrange a respectively even schedule for all Contestants without bias or favoritism or discrimination.
    4. In the event of any discrepancy between the English version and versions translated into other languages, the English version shall prevail.
  17. Amendments
    1. Once approved and published, the contents of this document shall not be altered. It may only be amended, in which amendments may update or supersede the statements in this document.
    2. Any voter may propose an amendment at any time before the end of the year, and the Staff will decide whether to adopt it.
    3. Approved Amendments must be reported on the Website.
    4. On 6 July 2026, Section VIII was revised to publish details regarding automatic qualification for events whose slot allocations had not yet been determined.
    5. On 6 July 2026, Section XIV.D.2 was revised to address the potential issue of insufficient eligible contestants for the Jewelry Exhibition Matches in extreme cases.