There are many different formats but the two most common are elimination and non-elimination.

Elimination Tournaments are like a single elimination tournament arc or sporting event - Each round will eliminate half of the contestants until only the winner remains! 

Non-Elimination Tournaments don't eliminate contestants, instead using a scoring system to determine the winner.  Everyone has a chance to finish their story so long as they submit a valid entry for each round. 

This is only a brief overview of the formats, and other formats exist with their own unique rulesets. These are expanded upon in the section below.

Team-Based Tournaments are tournaments where two (or more) major factions will be fighting for victory. Competitors pick a side, gaining points for the faction as they compete. The winning faction is the one with the most points by the tournament's end. For a more detailed example of the format, you can check this People Make Games video on War for Rayuba.

Multiple Lives Tournaments are tournaments where competitors will have lives. Instead of instantly being eliminated after a loss, you will lose a life but can continue competing. Once you lose all of your lives you will be eliminated.

Opt-In/Opt-Out Tournaments allow competitors to chose which rounds they want to compete in rather than being committed to being in every round. New competitors can join in even if they miss the initial audition period.

Map Based Tournaments are tournaments where portions of territory are fought over by individual characters or factions. Is often paired with Team-Based Tournaments to have two factions fighting over an area.

Usually teams of two are allowed! There are usually teams of two artists drawing, or a team of one artist and one writer.

If you are working in a team, make sure to have a good line of communication to avoid problems!

There is usually a limit to the number of people within one team can be. 

It is almost always prohibited to allow help from outside your team to complete your entry: for example if Person A writing the entry and Person B is drawing it, then Person C should not help them colour their entry. 

Voice actors are often not counted towards this limit in animated entries.

The short answer is that it depends on the OCT. 

There are some guidelines which apply to many OCTs however so keep these in mind:

• Fan-characters are usually never allowed unless the setting is specifically stated to be a part of that fandom (eg. don't submit a Pokemon trainer to a tournament unrelated to Pokemon)

• Be sure to know if there are any character restrictions - most tournaments do not restrict what race, age, setting or powers your characters might have but some do. Be mindful about what is permitted for the tone and setting.

• You can always ask the judges if you're unsure if a character, power or story is appropriate for the tournament's setting

Most tournaments allow for you to have 1 or 2 main characters. Some OCTs will allow additional NPC companions which don't fight. Just remember that your main character(s) are the star(s) of the show!

 If you are entering as a team with another artist, the character limit applies to the team as a whole! You and your partner could not each enter two characters.

For the vast majority of tournaments, entries require a visual element - comics, animations and animatics are the most common entry types. There are some tournaments which even allow writing, games, visual novels or other forms of mixed media. 

What is allowed will vary from tournament to tournament, so be sure to check their FAQ and ask if you're not sure.

Matchups will usually be randomly selected. The selection process depends on the tournament. 

Matchups are announced via a text post, document, video or livestream along with the round's audition deadline.

Canon is very malliable in OCTs. One entry might depict a Judge NPC as a mastermind with a grand plan and another competitor might give them an entirely different plan or use them in an entirely different way.

Even though OCTs are a collaberative storytelling medium, you should not need to totally change your canon to accommodate your opponent's canon. Find what you can use and stick true to your story!

Certain canon events are mandated by a round's prompt from the judges but this is very rare. Sometimes canon is dictated by which entries win each round, with the tournament winner's entry becoming the canon ending.

Most OCT communities are open to the public, so even if you're unable to join the roster as a competitor you can still interact with the community and contribute to the setting created. 

Almost all OCTs nowadays are run on Discord, but some have websites to keep up with information.

These can be great communities for art tips and techniques, fun events and meme templates which you can fill out with your character!

Spectator Entries are another common way to interact with the world - where you make a story set in the tournament's setting without it being part of the main tournament.

Some tournaments even give specific prompts for spectators and allow for community voting to pick a favourite spectator entry.

OCTs will let you stay around in the community even if you don't end up completing your work. Making a story over the course of months is a huge commitment!

You can continue your story as a spectator entry (A story not part of the main tournament).

Some tournaments have a second wind system, where if a contestant cannot continue their round, an eliminated contestant can reutnr to take their place and continue their story. The specifics will vary from tournament to tournament.

Congratulations! OCTs take a lot of time and work, and having a completed story under your belt is an incredible feeling. Many OCTs will have prizes from the judges or others in the community. It's important to give the judges time and space if you are being given a commission as a prize.

OCTs are a hobby for everyone involved, so be respectful to the time and effort put in by organisers.

Judges should also be sure to make reasonable promises if prizes are expected - don't make massive promises that cannot be delivered on!

Many people do not enter OCTs for prizes, however prizes are a nice reward for the work put into finishing their entries.

This will vary on the tournament. Most tournaments allow gore and swearing.

In general, you need to check with the tournament judges to see what is allowed.

The OCT Newscast has a list of updating OCTs on the Open OCTs List page and the discord. 

When googling for OCTs, use the phrase "Original Character Tournament" to get the most direct results. Most tournaments have a very small digital footprint so finding them in this way is tricky.

Copyright and OCTs is a bit complicated. But rest assured you will not lose the rights to your character by featuring them in an OCT.

OCTs are giant collaberations, competitors, hosts and auditioners are all aware of this. The unspoken contract is that you treat people and their characters with respect and give credit to characters that you do not own (usually in the description of your round entry or on a credits page).

Understand that your character will still be your own but many other people will draw and write for your character in their own stories. They may interpret them differently or use them in a way you might not expect.

Selling copies of your OCT rounds is something that must be done carefully. You will need to research how best go about this. You should not under any circumstances publish anything which would violate another competitor's rights to their characters, along with the judge team's concepts and setting. 

Always ask for permission and respect a creator's wishes when it comes to their characters and monetisation.

(You should also check to ensure that any fonts, music, sound effects and voice acting are able to be used commercially or if a license fee is required. The more research you do, the safer you will be.)

Original Character Tournament (OCT) - A story/art competition, usually with multiple rounds where competitors are matched up with one another's original characters.

Audition - The first part a competitor's story. This is when you submit a character sheet and an audition entry to have a chance to compete.

Character Reference Sheet - A sheet showcasing key information about your original character such as their name, design, personality and powers.

Spectator Entry (SE) - A story made in the OCT's setting, which is not part of the main tournament rounds.

Extension - When a round's deadline is extended.

Grace Period - A window of extra time given to allow people to upload their entries even if it is past the official deadline. 

Second Wind - A system allowing for past contestants to rejoin and take the place of contestants who drop out.