Guide
How the AniList Anime Watching Challenge (AWC) works
The Anime Watching Challenge (AWC) and Manga Reading Challenge (MRC) are community-run challenge series on AniList. This page explains how they're organised, how points add up and what most threads expect from an entry.
Updated
What is the AniList AWC?
The Anime Watching Challenge (AWC) is a set of challenges run by the AWC staff on AniList. Each challenge is a forum thread with a numbered list of requirements, such as “watch an anime with 20 tags or more”. You enter by posting a filled-in challenge code on the thread, and staff award points and a badge once they verify it.
The Manga Reading Challenge (MRC) works the same way for manga, light novels and one-shots. Both series are listed in two index posts: the AWC anime index and the MRC manga index.
How many AWC and MRC challenges are there?
Kōryaku currently tracks 181 open challenges: 132 AWC anime challenges and 49 MRC manga challenges, with 4,483 requirements between them. New challenges are picked up from the index posts within 30 minutes of being added.
| Category | What it asks for | Open |
|---|---|---|
| Time-limited | Time-limited challenges run inside a fixed window, usually a calendar month or an anime season. | 4 |
| Tier | Tier challenges are the long-form progression track. | 7 |
| Genre | Genre challenges ask for titles from a single genre, with requirements built around its tags and subgenres. | 18 |
| Classic | Classic challenges are filtered by when a title aired: a decade, a range of years, or a century-spanning list. | 27 |
| Collection | Collection challenges draw from a closed list: one studio's catalogue, a franchise, a director's or composer's work, or an anthology. | 35 |
| Puzzle | Puzzle challenges turn title choice into a game: chain puzzles like Tag Domino, and grid puzzles like Battleship, Sudoku, 2048 and Tetris. | 15 |
| Special | Special challenges each run on their own mechanic: random draws, quizzes, staff-chosen lists, or rules that change per participant. | 45 |
| Manga City | Manga City is the MRC's location series. | 30 |
How do AWC modes and points work?
Most challenges offer several modes, and points are cumulative within a run: finishing a harder mode also earns the points of the easier ones. Genre challenges have Easy, Normal and Hard at 1 point each, so Hard is worth 3 in total. Mastery is a separate second run of the same challenge worth 4.
For example, October 2026 awards 1 point for Easy and 2 in total for Hard. Easy needs 5 of its 10 requirements, Hard needs all 10.
Tier challenges and Manga City locations usually have a single mode with a fixed number of points.
When do AWC challenges end?
Only time-limited challenges have a deadline, and it's always in UTC. Monthly challenges run for the calendar month. Seasonal challenges cover anime that started and finished airing in that season, with a submission window a few weeks after the season ends. Everything else stays open indefinitely.
October 2026 closes on .
Which rules come up most often?
Each thread lists its own rules, but these appear in most of them:
- Start dates. In time-limited challenges a title only counts if you started it inside the window.
- Minimum runtime. Genre challenges usually need at least 30 minutes per title. October 2026's Hard mode needs 1,500 minutes in total.
- One title, several slots. Longer series can sometimes cover more than one requirement, for example two with 20 or more episodes and three with 30 or more.
- Rewatches. Usually limited (October 2026 allows 1), and they must be noted in your entry.
- Formats. Music videos rarely count. Manga challenges generally accept light novels, one-shots, manhua and manhwa, often with a minimum total chapter count.
How do I submit an AWC challenge code?
Every challenge has a challenge code: a text template you fill in with your start and finish dates (as YYYY-MM-DD), a link to each title on AniList and a status mark per requirement. You post the finished code as a comment on the challenge thread. Many threads link the template from a Google Doc or the awc.moe editor.
Kōryaku fills in this code from your tracked entry and lets you copy it, or post it to the thread for you if you choose to.
How does Kōryaku check requirements?
Kōryaku reads each thread and turns requirements into checks it can run against your AniList list. A automatic check covers things like format, genre, tags, episode counts and air dates. An assisted check needs a confirmation from you, such as a character name. A manual requirement is tracked but never judged, like “a title from a staff member's profile”.
Every verdict shows its evidence, and the thread link is always one click away. AWC staff have the final say. More on the method is on the about page.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an AniList account to join the AWC?
Yes. Entries are comments on the challenge threads on AniList, and AWC staff check them against your AniList list, so the titles you use must be logged there with the right start and finish dates.
Can I use anime I watched before the challenge started?
It depends on the challenge. Time-limited challenges only count titles started inside the window, and tier challenges don't accept titles you already completed. Genre challenges usually allow already-completed titles in Easy mode. Each thread states its rule.
How are AWC points counted?
Points are cumulative within a run. In a genre challenge Easy, Normal and Hard are worth 1 point each, so finishing Hard earns 3. Mastery is a separate second run worth 4. Monthly challenges usually award 1 point for Easy and 2 in total for Hard.
What time zone are AWC deadlines in?
UTC. A challenge that ends on October 31st at 23:59:59 UTC closes on November 1st in Asia and the evening of October 31st in the Americas.
Can one anime count for more than one requirement?
Only where the thread allows it. Monthly challenges let longer series cover more slots: a title with 20 or more episodes can fill two requirements and one with 30 or more can fill three. Tier challenges generally don't allow it.
Is Kōryaku an official AWC tool?
No. Kōryaku is an unofficial fan project that reads the public challenge threads. AWC staff decide what counts; Kōryaku pre-checks your picks and shows the evidence for every verdict.