Cosplay: Hall Cosplay Contest 2011

Event Description

The Hall Cosplay Contest is about craftsmanship – a participant’s ability to accurately recreate a character. Participants do not have to act “in character”. Judges will only be looking for how well the costume is made. They will be looking for items like clean seams and straight hems, wig styling, accessory and prop creation, and the various crafting skills used. Judges may ask questions about how costume parts were made, but the participant should be ready to explain the how, what, and why of their costume’s construction.

This is a separate cosplay event from performing a skit in the Masquerade.

In 2011, Zenkaikon is proud to announce that there will be two days of the Hall Cosplay Contest. There will be judging on both Friday and Saturday of the convention. All Saturday participants are required to participate in a “Fashion Show” walk-on at the Masquerade to show off their handiwork. The “Fashion Show” is optional for Friday participants. Friday participants should mark on the entry form if they will be participating in the “Fashion Show”.


At-con sign-ups for the Hall Cosplay Contests will be held at the Cosplay Room (Scanticon - GS4):

Friday Check-in for Pre-Registered/Open Slots: 11:00am—4:00pm
Friday Registration for Remaining Unclaimed Open Slots: 4:30pm—5:00pm
Friday Judging: 5:00pm—9:00pm

Saturday Check-in for Pre-Registered/Open Slots: 10:00am—12:00pm
Saturday Registration for Remaining Unclaimed Open Slots: 12:00pm—12:30pm
Saturday Judging: 12:30pm—4:00pm

Line-Up for Fashion Show at the Masquerade will be at 5pm Saturday in Main Events.

Masquerade runs from 6pm—8pm Saturday evening.


Rules and Requirements

  1. Participants must be registered to attend Zenkaikon. This means participants who are registering online for this event must already be pre-registered for Zenkaikon. This also includes all members of group entries.
  2. Participants may not enter a costume in the Hall Cosplay Contest that they did not make. It is expected that participants are the primary creator of the costume and make at least 80% of it. Youth participants can be expected to have received help with their costumes, however, the youth participant must have had a hand in its construction (approximately 50% of its creation). If the major part that makes it a costume is purchased (e.g. You are Edward Elric and you made the pants, shirt, and wig, but purchased your cloak, or have created a costume from a “kit”), it cannot be entered.
  3. Participants may have models to display their costumes. However, the primary creator must be present to explain their creations, and only the creator will be eligible for any awards for those costumes. No more than five (5) models/costumes may be presented.
  4. Groups are welcome to be judged together but no more than five (5) participants may be in any given group.
  5. Entries must be from official Asian and sci-fi sources. All entries will be judged as recreations of existing designs. Original character entries from sources such as role-playing campaigns, unpublished manga, fanart, or original art (ie. ginjinka designs) are not permitted. See Judging Categories below for descriptions of allowable entries.
  6. Reference material is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Even if a character is popular or well-known, reference material is needed in order to judge for accuracy. Lack of reference will greatly affect scoring as not every judge has every detail of every character memorized. Quality printouts of screencaps and official images of characters, and artbook images are acceptable. Please include images that show front, back, and sides to demonstrate details of your costume. Not every character will have such images available, but the more shown to the judges, the better they can analyze the costume. Progress pictures of construction work may also help, but remember that judging time is very limited and the judges do not have the time to look through pages upon pages of reference.
  7. All costumes and props are subject to the Zenkaikon Convention Policies.
  8. Staged falls, as well as smoke, pyrotechnics, glitter, or other special effects that will leave a mess behind are prohibited. This rule also applies to the “Fashion Show” and Masquerade, for the safety of all entrants.
  9. If the costume has ever won a “Best of” award or placed (ie. 1st, 2nd, 3rd), at any convention, it may not be entered in our competition.
  10. Any participant who does not follow the rules of the competition, misses assigned judging or line up times, or does not follow the instructions of cosplay staff during the event, may be disqualified at the discretion of the Head of Cosplay.
  11. Participants may enter both the Masquerade and Hall Costume Contest, but will only be able to participate in the Friday Hall Cosplay Contest. The same costume cannot be used in both the Hall Cosplay Contest and the Masquerade. Entrants cannot enter both the Friday and Saturday Hall Costume Contests. Those who enter both the Masquerade and the Hall Costume Contest, cannot participate in the “Fashion Show”.
  12. Participants’ costumes must allow them freedom of movement. Cosplay staff will be unable to assist entrants with their costumes. For the “Fashion Show”, entrants must be able to navigate stairs and move across the stage unassisted.
  13. Hall Cosplay Contest judging is a closed event. Only the participants, designers and models, parents/guardians of participating minors (under the age of 13), and others deemed acceptable by Zenkaikon Cosplay staff, may be present for judging.
  14. At check-in, you will select a time slot for judging. Check-in will be Friday afternoon for Friday participants and Saturday morning for Saturday participants. Participants cannot check-in on Friday for the Saturday Hall Costume Contest.
  15. The number and types of awards presented are at the discretion of Zenkaikon Cosplay Staff and the Head of Cosplay.

Event Judging Categories and Skill Levels

Hall Cosplay entrants will be judged according to Category and Skill Level. Please determine these to the best of your ability based on the descriptions below. Entrants must indicate these criteria on their entry forms. If an entrant wishes to compete at a higher skill level, the entrant is welcome to do so. Groups are welcome to be judged together but no more than 5 people may be in any given group. A group must also fall within the same Category. Skill level for a group is based on the highest skill level present within the group. For example, if a group entry has 3 Novices and a Craftsman, then the group must enter under Craftsman.

Sources must be entered in one of two Categories:

  • 2D – These costumes must have sources from anime and other sci-fi and fantasy animation, manga, artbooks, comic books, video games, etc.
  • 3D – These costumes include sources from Asian visual kei bands like J-Rock/Pop, live-action Asian or sci-fi and fantasy movies like Star Wars or Serenity, or television shows like Battlestar Galactica.

Entrants will be judged according to Skill Level. The skill levels for judging are as follows:

Youth

  • This is the category for those under the age of 13. Participants in this category will need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian. This includes groups that are majority youth.
  • Though it is expected that youth entries will have assistance, It is assumed that the work entered is still mostly created by the youth entrant. If the work is wholly created by a parent/guardian, a relative, or an older sibling, the entry should be entered in the appropriate Skill Level under the actual creator.

Novice

  • Professional costumers may not enter in the Novice division.
  • A contestant who has competed and won in any division other than Novice may not enter as a Novice.
  • A contestant who has won 3 or more major awards in the Novice division must enter in a higher division.

Journeyman

  • Professional costumers may not enter in the Journeyman division.
  • A contestant who has competed and won in the Craftsman division may not enter as a Journeyman.
  • A contestant who has won 3 or more major awards in the Journeyman division must enter in the Craftsman division.

Craftsman

  • Any contestant may enter the Craftsman division.

Note:

  • Professional costumer is defined as someone who makes over 50% of their income through costume making or commissions.
  • Major awards are defined as “Best in Show”, “Best of Division”, “Best of Day” or placement (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.)
  • Minor awards are defined as those such as Honorable Mention, Judge’s awards, and those not covered under Major awards. They do not affect skill level placement.

Although changes to these rules are not foreseen, there is always the possibility a need may arise. Changes to these rules will be highlighted.

Questions

If, after reading the above, you are still uncertain about what level you belong to, or if you have any questions, please use the contact form and select “Cosplay” as the category.