Cosplay Masquerade

General Rules | Presentation | Craftsmanship | Awards | Cosplay Pre-Registration

General Rules
  1. Cosplayers must be registered for the convention to enter the Masquerade.
  2. Cosplayers must have a costume to participate in the Masquerade. Cosplayers may not enter more than one costume.
  3. To participate in the Masquerade, cosplayers must submit a completed cosplay registration form either online prior to the convention, or at the Cosplay registration desk during the convention, and receive an entry number. If pre-registering online, you will receive a confirmation email within 7 days, and you will need to check in at the cosplay registration desk to confirm your entry number.
  4. Cosplayers may enter in only Craftsmanship or Presentation. They may not enter in both parts of the competition. Presentation cosplayers who wish to have a detailed critique of their costume may request this, but it will have no effect on their overall score.
  5. Costumes entered in the Masquerade must be related to animation, manga, comics (including webcomics), and video games, regardless of the country of origin. Cosplayers are encouraged to contact convention staff if they are unsure if a specific costume is eligible.
  6. If they did not win an award costumes may be re-exhibited after a one-year waiting period. Once a costume has won any award, it may never be exhibited again.
  7. Cosplayers are only eligible to win one award per Ikasucon Masquerade with the exception of the Fans Choice award.
  8. Once registered for the Masquerade, cosplayers must arrive on time to their judging appointment and/or skit approval. Cosplayers must also arrive on time for the Masquerade Setup listed on the convention schedule. Cosplayers must inform staff as soon as possible if they cannot make their judging appointment, skit approval, or the Masquerade Setup. Cosplayers who fail to notify staff of inability to keep their appointment may have their judging scores penalized or may be disqualified from the Masquerade.

 

Presentation
  1. Group entries are limited to a maximum of ten (10) people.
  2. Skits are limited to a maximum time of three (3) minutes. Skits that run over time may face a penalty to their score.
  3. NO LIVE STEEL on stage or as part of your costume. Anything that could be mistaken for a realistic weapon must be cleared by Security before entering the contest. You must bring all props you plan on using during your skit to your skit run though for approval.
  4. Cosplayers must keep their skit content, including language and thematic content appropriate for all ages. This includes anything said, done, implied, or acted out on the stage. Sexually suggestive or offensive content will not be permitted. The Cosplay Department head reserves the right to disqualify or remove a skit from the Masquerade.
  5. Do not throw anything off the stage or leave anything on the stage when you exit. Violations of this rule may result in loss of points from the cosplayer(s)’ overall score or disqualification from the Masquerade. Disqualifications will be made at the discretion of the Cosplay Department Head.
  6. Presentation entries must attend mandatory skit approval/run through. During this rehearsal, we will see what each group will be doing on stage. Skit performances must accurately represent what was rehearsed. Stage combat or acrobatics must be approved.
  7. Cosplayers must submit all pre-recorded audio in MP3 format on a USB thumb drive to staff during skit rehearsal. Please be aware that thumb drives may not be returned.
  8. Presentation categories will be as follows:
    • Novice – have won 0-1 awards per person at any convention.
    • Journeyman – have won 2 awards per person at any convention.
    • Advanced – have won 3 or more awards at any convention.

 

Craftsmanship
  1. Cosplayers must have made or modified at least 50% of their costume to be eligible for Craftsmanship judging, with the exception of entrants in the Found Object category (see below).
  2. Craftsmanship entries must bring full-body reference images of the source character to their judging appointment. If the character is a variant, cosplayer must bring a full body reference in addition to the source image.
  3. A group may enter Craftsmanship provided that at least one member of the group made all of the costumes that are being worn. Group entries may not include more than 10 people.
  4. Cosplayers entering Craftsmanship are required to participate in the Masquerade.
  5. Contestants who purchase or commission a costume from a website, store, or other outside source may exhibit their costume but will not be eligible to win an award.
  6. Cosplayers who choose to enter with an originally designed costume will be eligible to win Judge’s Choice and Fans’ Choice awards, but not division awards. (See “Awards,” item 1.)
  7. Craftsmanship categories will be as follows:
    • Found Object – Pieces of regular clothing you have put together to make your costume, with few modifications.
    • Novice – All group members have won 0-1 awards at any convention.
    • Journeyman – At least one group member has won 2 awards in masquerade competitions at any convention.
    • Advanced – At least one group member has won 3 or more awards at a masquerade competition at any convention.

 

Awards
  1. Awards will be presented to cosplayers with the highest score for each of the following divisions:
    • Presentation – Novice
    • Presentation – Journeyman
    • Presentation – Advanced
    • Craftsmanship – Found Object
    • Craftsmanship – Novice
    • Craftsmanship – Journeyman
    • Craftsmanship – Advance
  2. Additional awards presented to contestants, regardless of whether the contestant entered in Craftsmanship or Presentations are as follows:
    • Best in Show- This is awarded to the best overall entry in the Masquerade. It will be awarded to an individual or a group in either the Presentation or Craftsmanship category based on who has the overall highest score.
    • Judge’s Choice – A certificate given to an individual or a group from a judge that can be won for any reason (ex: great wig, that particular judge’s favorite anime series, individual is very in character).
    • Fans’ Choice – A certificate that is chosen by the audience through social media. This is the only award that can be won by a contestant who has already won another award.
  3. Cosplayers who feel that their skills merit participation in a higher division may enter in a higher division. (For example, a professional seamstress that has never entered a Masquerade before may compete in the Advanced division even without an award history.)
  4. The Cosplay Department Head has the right at any time during the masquerade to move individual or group entries to a different skill division with or without informing the participant(s)

 

Cosplay Pre-Registration

Cosplay pre-registration is available online by clicking here. Pre-registration runs from July 1-21, 2017. After that, registration will be available at the convention on Friday.

Remember to enjoy yourselves on stage and to entertain the audience. This event is not only for you but for them as well. Have fun and be positive! Any questions or issues can be sent via email to info@ikasucon.org.