2018 Masquerade / Costume Contest - Myths and Legends Con

No geek convention is complete without the headlining, head-turning Masquerade!

For those of you new to the convention scene or costuming, the Masquerade is not actually a costumed ball. The Masquerade involves participants assembling their best costumes, putting forth their best performance on stage, and wowing the audience with their showmanship in under a minute. If you’re looking for the ball, you can certainly put on your finest attire and masks and dance on stage…

This year’s Masquerade Director is Erin Card, an award-winning costumer, fashion designer, prop artist, and seamster of over 20 years.

Masquerade / Costume Contest Information & Rules

Competition Categories

All competing costumes entered must be either Original or Re-creation.

Original costumes are designed by the contestant, although they may be inspired by a fantasy, science fiction, or other source. They may be “interpretations” or “mash-ups” of media sources. A costume is still considered original if it is based on a text-based description rather than a visual source.

Re-creation costumes are those whose design is copied from a media or other source: TV, film, animation, art, illustration, comics or manga, theatre, etc. They may also be recreated from a print description in a book. Documentation of the original source, showing at least one good view of the costume, or a print/prose description by the designer/author, must be provided for judging. (Bring paper copies only, no books or other media. No cell phones or USB drives will be accepted as reference!)

Skill Divisions

The Skill Division System is for protecting those who have little to no experience in costume presentation and craftsmanship from having to compete directly against those who have costumed for many years. Entrants may always choose to compete at a higher division if they feel their skills are adequate, but they may not compete lower than a division in which they’ve won in the past.

These divisions are based on the International Costumers Guild (ICG) rules. For more information, see their website at www.costume.org.

Young Fan:

Any contestant aged 13 or younger who made their own costume, who is not part of an adult group.
All entries in a Young Fan group entry must be 13 or younger.
If an adult made the costume, the entry will compete in the appropriate adult division, and the maker must be present at time of judging to explain the costume.

Novice:

Any contestant who has never competed, or never won any awards at all.
Any contestant who has only won minor awards, judges’ awards, or honorable mentions in any competition.
A person may not compete at Novice if they have won more than two major awards (Best in Division, or Best in Show) in the Novice Division in international competition.
Any Young Fan contestant may elect to “compete up” and enter the Novice Division. Professional costumers may not enter in the Novice division.

Journeyman:

Any contestant who has not won more than three major awards (Best in Division, or Best in Show) in the Journeyman Division in international competition.
A person may no longer compete at Journeyman if they have won more than three major awards.
Any Young Fan or Novice contestant may elect to “compete up” and enter in the Journeyman Division.
Professional costumers may not enter in the Journeyman division

Master:

Open category: any contestant may elect to “compete up” and enter in the Master Division.
Any contestant who has competed and won in the Master Division in an international competition must enter at Master.
Professional costumers must enter in the Master Division.
Any contestant who has won Best in Show at any regional competition is strongly encouraged to enter at Master.

Exhibition:

If you wish to simply show off your creation, or it does not meet the percentage requirements for creation / craftsmanship, you can enter this category.
Entries that have already won awards at other conventions and have not been significantly modified may enter in the Exhibition division.
You are not eligible for any award, but you get to show off your costume with no pressure!

Group entries must enter in the skill division that their most experienced member sorts into.

Definitions:

International: International competitions include, but are not limited to, the masquerades at Worldcon and Costume Con.
Professional: Any person who made more than 1/2 of their annual income from costuming in any of the last 5 years qualifies as a “professional”.
Major Award: Any award that is not qualified by “Honorable Mention”.

If you’re not sure which division you should enter, please contact the Masquerade Director at info@malcondenver.org.

Awards

Winners will be chosen for the 2018 Competition in the following categories

Best In Show
Best in Division – Master, Journeyman, Novice, Young Fan
Division Runner Up Presentation – Master, Journeyman, Novice, Young Fan
Division Runner Up Craftsmanship – Master, Journeyman, Novice, Young Fan
Honorable Mentions / Judges Choice

Notes:

Best in Show award can be given to ANY class entrant. You must have had craftsmanship judging to be eligible for this award.
Best in Division Presentation awards do not require you to have had craftsmanship judging.
Exhibition entrants are not eligible for any awards, including honorable mentions.

Rules

These are the things you MUST pay attention to, as violating one of the rules can and will make you ineligible for awards.

Remember, when in doubt, ask the Masquerade Director! Don′t guess.

All contestants must be registered attending members of Westercon 71. This includes both makers and models.
No wholly purchased, commissioned, or rented costumes may be entered in competition. If you wish to show off on stage though, you may sign up for the Exhibition category. Any purchased elements of a costume must be disclosed on your entrant form or at the time of craftsmanship judging.
A costume may not be entered in this competition if it has won a “Best in Show” at any other competition. A previous “Best in Class/Division” winning costume from other competitions may be entered only if it can be entered one skill division level higher than its previous win – which means costumes which have won “Best in Master Class” cannot be entered in this competition except as “exhibition”. Costumes which have only won minor awards or won nothing at all may be entered with no caveats.
This competition is rated PG-13, so no nudity, please. “No costume is no costume” still applies.
No contestant may appear on stage more than once. Costumers may enter more than one costume, but each must appear on a different model. No “cameos” allowed, either.
Each entry will have no more than 60 seconds on stage. You may certainly use less time but going over 1 minute requires approval of the director. Large group entries may receive approval for additional time but must ask the director.
No fire or open flame will be allowed on stage. No throwing things off the stage. No special effects (flash bulbs, strobes, sparklers, etc.) that might endanger anybody will be allowed on stage.
The “no peanut butter” rule applies: no messy substances – wet, dry, sparkly or oily – that might ruin another costume are allowed on stage or in the Green Room. This means no loose glitter or confetti, no unsealed body makeup, no loose powder, etc.
There will be no live or pickup mikes on stage. You must pre-record your dialogue (if any) and background music. You may also submit text for the MC to read before, during, or after your entry. All of this background content may be vetted before approval to ensure we stick to our PG-13 rating. Audio must be submitted no later than your rehearsal time on CD or USB (in mp3 format). Music will not be provided. Editing assistance will not be provided.
No weapons which might endanger people will be allowed on stage – edged steel, working projectile weapons, or real-world weaponry. Entrants must display all weapons to the Masquerade Director at time of check-in to be approved. Prop weaponry is fine, but when in doubt, ask for the director’s approval. All weapons and props must meet the general safety requirements for the entire convention. If brandishing a firearm prop on stage, DO NOT point it toward the audience.
Special effects may be approved after safe display at rehearsal, provided they are legal. In no case will a special effect be approved that leaves a mess on the stage. Self-contained fog-machine type effects will be approved only if the “fog juice” is proven non-allergenic and non-messy.
No flash photography will be allowed during the competition. Please pose for your friends during the photo-run after the contest, or for our photographer while you are not on stage!
You must check in at the green room by the required call time or you will be disqualified.
Entry numbers will be given out in the Green Room. You must be in line and ready to go on stage when your entry number is called. If you miss your call, your entry may be dropped.
Entries with great difficulty getting on and off stage within a reasonable amount of time must be pre-arranged with the Masquerade Director. All entries will be provided stage assistance as necessary.
The Masquerade Director requires real names to be supplied on entry forms. These real names must match the ones you used to register for the convention. You can always ask the MC to announce nicknames.
No exceptions will be made to these rules without advance approval by the Masquerade Director.
Do NOT surprise the Masquerade Director or crew! Let us in on what you have planned and trust us to keep the surprise from the audience until you’re ready to unveil it.

Additional Information

Sound: For everyone who signs up online, we ask you to email the mp3 file. After successful signup, you will receive an email with further information on submitting music. For on-site entrances, we will be accepting USB sticks with mp3 media only. Please make sure there is no DRM lock on the music on the file. Also, please reduce clutter on your drive so we don’t have to search for your audio file. Please scan your USB stick before providing it to the tech crew to prevent virus/malware infection.
Lights: No details yet.
Power: There will not be power cords/plugs on stage. Lights and other effects must be self-contained.
Stage: Our official stage dimensions are still to be determined. Default entrance will be stage left, default exit will be stage right. Plan on using stairs to enter/exit the stage. If a ramp is available, we will add that information when it becomes available. If you have mobility issues, please inform the director so accommodations can be made.
Miscellaneous: We do allow stage scenery, large props, etc., but the director would appreciate a heads-up if you will be bringing anything of this nature, so we can coordinate storage space, stage crew handling, and rehearsal time.

Craftsmanship Judging

This is where the technical construction and techniques of a costumers’ creation get judged. Our highly skilled and knowledgeable craftsmanship judges will get up close and personal with your costume and props in the Green Room in the two hours prior to the start of the masquerade. You will have the chance to share and show off the details of your costume that you are particularly proud of or may not get noticed from 15 feet away when you’re on stage. You can also use this opportunity to talk about nifty tricks and techniques you used in the construction of your costume.

Craftsmanship judging is entirely optional, but strongly encouraged. Your entire costume need not be judged; you can (and many do!) submit just one part of it for judging. For example, you may present just one prop, or a headdress, or all the beading. It is absolutely acceptable to just have a part of your costume judged for workmanship: “this bit I am proud of, even if the rest is put together with staples and spit.”

If you are entering in the re-creation category, providing reference material is absolutely necessary. The judges don’t know every media source out there, they may not know your costume. If you are entering in the Original Creation category, a sketch of your design, or a description of how your character acts or the design came to be is great! Craftsmanship documentation books are not necessary, but if you want to show off a particular technique that the end result cannot properly describe, we welcome you to bring in the documentation. Please print copies of any reference or documentation you wish to submit — phones/tablets/computers will not suffice. Judges have limited time to review documentation and references. If you have excess documentation, judges will likely overlook the important things.

You do not need craftsmanship judging to win presentation or honorable mention awards, but your score here DOES factor in to awards for Best in Division and Best in Show, as well as division craftsmanship.

If you think you may want workmanship judging, please check the YES box on your entry form. If you’re positive you won’t, please check NO. This will help us schedule our judges’ time better, to ensure everybody’s work gets a fair viewing.

Presentation Judging

This happens when you are on stage and is an evaluation on how well you show off your costume, and how well your costume shows you off. Presentation is not necessarily about a performance or skit, but if your performance enhances your costume in some way, all the more benefit to you. Our presentation judges will assess how you (or your model) and your costume appears on stage. Do you inhabit your character’s body when you move on stage? Is your presentation (no matter whether it’s a walk-through or a full-fledged skit) appropriate to the character and costume? The judges discuss these kinds of questions as they debate which entries deserve prizes.

Additional tips and tricks for entrants!

There is no rule against wearing your competition costume in the halls before the Masquerade, but it may lessen the impact it has on the audience and judges if it has been widely seen before the show. We recommend waiting until the Masquerade to reveal your creation.
If you have multiple props or stage items, we recommend having a stage ninja with you to help out. Setup for anything on stage will be included in your time, unless you have prior approval from the Masquerade Director.
Do not design an entry that depends on complex lighting. We may be able to dim the house lights briefly, but logistics are still being worked on.
If you think a personal or business relationship with a judge will make it difficult for the judge to be objective, please talk to us. We will consult with the judging panel, and we will come up with a reasonable course of action.
Make a packing list that includes all of the pieces you need to bring. Do not forget shoes or makeup. Consider including photos of the pieces and you wearing the complete costume.
Make a repair kit with basics as well as any special items you may need to fix a problem with your costume.