Cosplay- Main Masquerade Competition and Showcase
*** The Masquerade Competition and Showcase will begin at 7:00pm Saturday (Line-Up from 5pm to 6pm)! ***[/b]
General Information
There will be a skit-entry limit of 30, and a walk-on limit of 60-70. If you are participating you are expected to be there by 5:00pm on Saturday, no later than 6:00pm. You will fill out a form when you arrive at Oni-Con to compete.
We'll have the same size stage as last year, with a curtained backdrop and screens. For the most part the layout will be the same, but with a larger seating area for the audience. Please follow all of the rules and instructions given, and keep everything clean. Failure to adhere to the rules will result in you being asked to leave, and we really do not want that to happen to anyone. We're here to make sure you all have a great show, whether you are in the audience or on stage.
Contest Information & Registration
SKIT TIME: 3:00
WALK ON TIME: 00:30
1. Main Masquerade registration will begin at 11am on Friday, and end at 3pm on Saturday for Masquerade/Main Cosplay. You may pick up an entry form at any time between these times. You may turn your forms in at the cosplay desk. There will be a box labeled for them.
2. PLEASE fill out your entry forms clearly, and do not skip portions of the entry. If you have a character name that is extremely difficult to pronounce, and are worried, please include phonetic pronunciation to the side of it.
3. There will only be 30 skits and 70 walk ons allowed for our cosplay contest this year.
4. If for any reason you are confused, or have concerns about your entry, please contact a Cosplay Staff member.
Contest Line-Up for those Competing
1. Cosplay Line Up begins at 5:00pm on Saturday. If you feel that you'd like to speak with the cosplay directors, practice, or clarify anything with us, I encourage you to come in as soon as you can.
2. Last call for Cosplay Line Up is 6:00pm. At six we'll be closing the doors and lining everyone up back stage, and reviewing the rules while seating begins. Any later than that, and it makes things very confusing when we begin to give people numbers when they are not there. If you are not in the room by 6:00pm and we call your name, we'll be forced mark you down as a no-show. If you're running late for any reason, please send a representative for you to the line-up so that you will still get your number.
3. This is for people entering into the cosplay contest ONLY. Please do not bring friends along with you unless they are your stage hands or assistants for your entry.
4. Please listen carefully to the instructions given by the directors while back stage. The key to a smooth show is cooperation.
Contest Rules & Regulations
1. Number one rule. Please eat something before you come to the contest. Take care of yourself first and foremost. Be sure to take advantage of the water stations back stage if you have a bulky costume, or are hot. I really don't want anyone passing out.
2. Absolutely NO curse words will be tolerated at Oni-Con this year. If one pops up on during your entry, the sound and lights will be cut, and you will be disqualified. There are children attending this convention.
3. Inappropriate or overly sexual material will not be tolerated. Subtle humor or innuendos are just fine(I'm not being a total kill joy here.), but it had better be over the heads of younger audience members. If you feel that you are not sure if your skit is appropriate or not, private message me or please forward a copy to: "cosplay@oni-con.com".
4. Please make sure your costume covers all of your private areas well. While we do not mind skimpy costumes, there is a point when too much is too much. If your costume is deemed inappropriate, we'll have to ask you to leave the competition. Again, if you're worried about this rule, email me a picture of the character.
5. Wings, large props, or large costumes are just fine at Oni-Con, but if your costume is over 6 feet tall, or 4 feet wide we'll have to take a different route to get you on stage. Please be sure to have an assistant on hand if you have trouble walking, or are worried that your costume may be damaged by the crowd. We have no limit on the size of costumes or props, but simply ask that you be safe and aware while on stage.
6. Fight scenes during skits are just fine, but we ask that you only perform at half speed. Be sure to well choreograph any fight scenes to insure that no one gets injured.
7. No acrobatics or jumping off of the stage.
8. Everything that comes with you on stage MUST come back off with you. For this reason, please do not bring confetti, liquid, messy substances, glitter, or anything else that cannot be picked up by you easy at the end of your entry. Clean up after yourself quickly to make way for the next entry.
Craftsmanship Judging
When you fill out your registration form for the cosplay, you MUST choose whether or not you wish to be judged for your craftsmanship. If you check the "YES" box, you will be asked to fill out a small paragraph detailing how you created the costume, and anything special that you think the judges should know about your craftsmanship. If you did not make the majority of you costume, please be honest and state so on your form. You are still allowed to compete for skit and judges awards.
Skits
1. The time limit for skits this year is going to be 3 minutes. We were going to put it at 2 minutes and 30 seconds, but we've decided that we haven't given adequate time to allow everyone to prepare for that. Please do not go over 3 minutes, or we'll be forced to cut the sound and lights. This is just because of the fact that we don't want cosplay running an eternity like last year.
2. Skits will be limited to 30 this year, as said before. We won't be accepting more for the same reason as rule 1. If you have a skit, I encourage you to hit up the Cosplay desk as SOON as you get to the convention.
Walk-Ons
1. Time limit on walk ons will be 30 seconds each. I know this doesn't seem like enough time, but believe me it's plenty.
2. When you walk onto the stage, please walk to the center of the stage and STOP. Many people have a habit of shuffling off quickly and it's very unfortunate, as it doesn't alot time for people to take the costume in and for photographers to get pictures. Stop, do a few poses and hold them, then you can walk off. It only takes about five seconds to walk to the center of the stage, and five to walk off. USE those 20 seconds of posing, guys!
Music
1. We are only accepting CDs this year because of our equipment.
2. If you chose to have music for your skit or walk on, please burn it to a fresh CD and put your music on track one. It will make things much easier on our technician.
3. PLEASE write your full name on your CD and clearly label it. We had someone's music get lost last year, and I do not want it to happen again.
4. HOLD ON to your CD until cosplay line-up. When we begin to put you in order, we will be calling your name, and issuing you a number. When we issue you this number, please inform us that you have music. We'll be writing your number onto your CD to ensure that it is played at the correct time.
Trophies & Award Categories
1. If you would like, you are welcome to bring a reference picture of your costume for the judges to better understand how accurate your cosplay is. You are also welcome to bring in-progress pictures of your costumes as they were created and material lists if you would like to better show the judges your hard work.
2. There will be no specific divisions of cosplay experience this year. Next year we'll be having a class system, but as we haven't given adequate time to work out the system of this, this year it will proceed as usual. We've got a much larger panel of judges, with various specializations.
3. Awards:
Best in Show Over All / First Place **( $100 Cash Prize! )**
Second Place
Third Place
Best in Craftsmanship
Best Skit
Best Presentation
(We may or may not have Best Comedy Skit and Best Dramatic Skit)
Judges Awards
(*Note: More awards may be added between here and when Oni-Con begins.)
4. The sooner you get to cosplay line up, the more time you will have to show the judges your costumes. If you really want to make sure you have time to speak with the judges, and tell them of your hard work please get into the room right at 5:00pm on Saturday.
Again, I am sorry that we were not able to implement the two-tier judging system this year, but I don't believe we really need it this year after all.
Look back here for any further updates on the main masquerade!
