Cosplay

Craftsmanship

In this competition, participants are judged on the Design, Detail, Craftsmanship, and Overall Presentation of their costume (or cosplay) that they personally constructed. Awards will be given out in this category. To be qualified to enter this competition, participants must abide by the following rules:

• When you pre-register, you will be asked to enter into one of three divisions. These divisions help the judges determine your past experience and will help us get a sense of your skill level which helps level the playing field for new-comers for a chance to win. If you are unsure of which division you fall into, please send us an email and we can help you figure it out. The three divisions are as follows:
  • Junior Division: This division is only for competitors that are 14 years old or younger.
  • Novice Division: This division is reserved for first time participants and participants who have yet to win a Major Award. Only competitors that are older than 14 years old should enter this division.
  • Advance Division: The higher of the two divisions (also known as Journeyman and/or Master Division at other conventions), this division is reserved for well-seasoned participants who have won Major Awards in the past OR make a living off of their ability to craft clothing and/or props. Only competitors that are older than 14 years old should enter this division.

1. Your cosplay, along with any props or weapons you have for it, must adhere to the costume policies set by the convention itself.
2. All craftsmanship entries will be judged prior to the competition during individual or group, five minute time slots that will be chosen by the competitor based on availability. You must come prepared to answer questions about your cosplay, and allow the judges to see your outfit up close. You must also prepare and provide reference images for the character you are cosplaying. Failure to do so will result in a score of zero for accuracy. You can find the time slots available here.
3. Characters from all forms of media will be permitted, this includes: Anime, video games, western animation, manga, and other forms of media. A reference image must be provided regardless of the type of media the character is from.
4. Original designs, including but not limited to, gijinkas, alternative outfits, and outfits inspired by other media, will be allowed to complete so long as they are able to provide reference images for the design to be judged upon.
5. All competitors must have made at least 60% of the cosplay they are competing with, unless in the event the creator has a designated model and will be present for both the contest and judging itself. Modifying existing clothing will not count as being done by hand (with the exception of wigs and shoes). Pre-bought props or commissioned pieces will not be allowed to enter the contest unless they meet the above criteria (I.E. That the creator is present and competing with a model). Understand that should a commissioner enter with a model, the award will be given to the commissioner, not the cosplayer.
6. You must be able to move freely in your cosplay and must be able to navigate stairs. A handler is permitted to assist a cosplayer if needed, and will be allowed to be with them on stage if needed. Exceptions can be made to medically-required wheel-bound individuals if brought up beforehand, but is not guaranteed.
7. You may not leave behind pieces of your cosplay on stage. This includes, but is not limited to: fur, glitter. You are not permitted to throw items on stage that you will not be able to collect yourself as you leave the stage.
8. If your cosplay has won any major awards (such as Best in Show, or first place novice), you will be automatically disqualified. Cosplays that have competed at a prior convention, but did not win any awards are allowed to enter.
9. The password for the submission form is ‘Meow’
10. If you are discovered to be falsifying information about your costume, such as claiming you made pieces that you did not or lying about making an outfit itself, you will be disqualified from the contest and BANNED from all future cosplay contests held by the convention. Participants found falsifying information may be moved to the walk-on section or removed from the contest entirely.

Walk-On

In this category of the masquerade, participants will be given the opportunity to walk on stage and show off their wonderful cosplays without the hassle of going through the craftsmanship judging process. This category is ideal for those who are new to the Masquerade scene to get a chance to see what the process is like or for those who wish to display their cosplays that they could not make themselves or do not wish to have their craftsmanship scrutinized. A minor award may be given out in this category. To be qualified to enter this category, participants must abide by the following rules:

1. The cosplay along with any and all props or weapons must follow the Cosplay & Weapons Policy.
2. The cosplay may be from any origin (movies, game, TV, anime, gijinka, etc).
3. The cosplayer must be able to move freely in the cosplay and must be able to navigate stairs. A handler is allowed to accompany the cosplayer on stage if the cosplay requires one. An exception to this rule may be made for a medically-required, wheelchair bound person but arrangements must be made in advance and are NOT guaranteed.
4. What comes on stage must leave the stage. This means the cosplay must not shed, all body paint must be properly sealed, and no confetti, loose sparkles, fire, flash powder, lasers, explosives, or open flame of any kind will be allowed to be part of the cosplay.
5. The password for the submission form is ‘Meow’
6. All participants of the Walk-on Category must pre-register to be able to walk on stage. You do not have to sign-up for a pre-screening time, but you must arrive 15 minutes BEFORE the contest set-up time to be able to walk on stage. Once the contest set-up begins, the doors will shut and anyone who was late will NOT be allowed to walk on stage. During this set-up time, the judges will gloss over your cosplay to make sure it adheres to the rules of the Walk-on Category. If your cosplay fails to follow these rules, you will be asked to leave and will not be allowed to walk-on stage.

Performance

• When you pre-register, you will be asked to enter into one of two divisions. These divisions help the judges determine your past experience and will help us get a sense of your skill level which helps level the playing field for new-comers for a chance to win. The 2 divisions are as follows:
  • Novice Division: This division is reserved for first time participants and participants who have yet to win a Major Award.
  • Advance Division: The higher of the two divisions (also known as Journeyman and/or Master Division at other conventions), this division is reserved for well-seasoned participants who have won Major Awards in the past OR make a living off of their ability to craft or perform skits.
  • You may not enter the competition at a level lower than you have already won a previous competition at (i.e. you cannot register as Novice if you have already won Best Journeymen). You may be bumped up to a higher division based on the discrepancy of the Judges but with prior notice.

1. The cosplay along with any and all props or weapons must follow the Cosplay & Weapons Convention Policy.
2. There must not be any wardrobe malfunctions or nudity during your skit. If this is a possibility, you will be asked to change into another cosplay, or be disqualified from the contest.
3. The skit may be from any origin (movies, game, TV, anime, gijinka,original design etc), but MUST NOT contain any foul language and be PG/PG13 oriented.
4. You MUST register for a pre-screening time and perform your skit IN ITS ENTIRETY before the contest. If there are any “surprises” to the judges, you could be disqualified, asked to leave the stage, or banned from future contests. You can find the available time slots here.
5. The cosplayer must be able to move freely in the cosplay and must be able to navigate stairs and perform their skit.
6. What comes on stage must leave the stage. This means the cosplay must not shed, all body paint must be properly sealed, and no confetti, loose sparkles, fire, flash powder, lasers, explosives, or open flame of any kind will be allowed to be part of the skit.
7. Your skit must be NO LONGER than 4 minutes. Skits that exceed this time are subject to disqualification and/or will not be allowed to perform.
8. The password for the submission form is ‘Meow’
9. Any participant found guilty of falsifying claims about their skit or their past experience (including but not limited to; plagiarizing another person's skit and claiming it as your own, falsely claiming a lower rank that you are, or falsely claiming you have never won a prize with the skit you have entered, and trying to enter the contest without a badge or with a falsified badge) will be disqualified and BANNED from future contests held by the convention. Participants found guilty of falsifying claims may be moved to the Walk-on Category without prior notice, or asked to leave.