Masquerade

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For general inquiries, please contact the Information Desk at info@otakuthon.com.

For all registration questions, please contact registration@otakuthon.com.

Date: Saturday August 4th, 2012 Time: 7:00 PM - 9:30 PM Location:  Main Events Room - Room 517ABCD Think you have a great costume and want to show it off? The Masquerade gives you a chance to do it on stage in a really big way! Whether it be a walk-on or a skit, by yourself or as a group, show off your costumes to the rest of the world and to our panel of experienced cosplayer judges who will decide the winners and present awards based on best costumes and presentations. Even if you're not costumed, come and cheer the labor of dozens of cosplayers as they show off their hard work. We are proud to announce that the boutique Manga-Thé (www.manga-the.com) will be offering prizes to some of the winners of the Masquerade.

(In order to respect the safety and security of the participants, the Masquerade entry capacity has been revised.  The Masquerade will now be accepting entries on a first-come, first-serve basis based on the number of participants per entry and capacity of the greenroom.  Entries will be accepted during Masquerade registration hours on Friday until half of the capacity has been filled with the remainder being filled on Saturday.  We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your understanding.)

Masquerade Rules

• Masquerade Participant Rules
• The Standard Division System

What is a Masquerade?

The Otakuthon Masquerade is an amateur costuming competition for anime, manga and gaming-related costumes as well as costumes inspired by such works. It is an opportunity to see cosplayers show off their superb costumes, craftsmanship and creativity.

Two types of entries are presented: skits and walk-ons.

• Skits are short theatrical performances of up to one minute in length in which participants wear costumes and perform a skit based on their favorite anime or manga. These presentations may be funny or serious, parody or action and may use characters from one or many shows, but they are always creative and entertaining.
• Walk-ons do not perform skits. They simply come out on stage to show their superb costumes, like a catwalk at a fashion show. These presentations allow fans to see the work of cosplayers who are great craftsmen but are less interested in writing and acting.

To recognize the work of these cosplayers, awards will be given out to the best performances and costumes.

How Do I Participate?

To participate in the Masquerade:

1. Please read the Masquerade rules.
2. Fill out the Masquerade registration form, and submit it along with your audio CD (optional) to the Masquerade Registration Desk on the following dates:
   • Friday, August 3rd, between 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm*
   • Saturday, August 4^th, between 10:00 am and 12:00 pm*
   • * In order to respect the safety and security of the participants, the Masquerade entry capacity has been revised.  The Masquerade will now be accepting entries on a first-come, first-serve basis based on the number of participants per entry and capacity of the greenroom.  Entries will be accepted during Masquerade registration hours on Friday until half of the capacity has been filled with the remainder being filled on Saturday.  We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your understanding.
3. Only regular audio CDs will be accepted. Any CDs using a compressed audio format (ex: MP3) will NOT be played. See the Masquerade rules for details.
4. Registration forms are available in an online printable format and at the Masquerade registration desk. PLEASE NOTE THAT WE WILL ONLY TAKE COMPLETED REGISTRATION FORMS AT THE REGISTRATION DESK. (DO NOT SUBMIT THE REGISTRATION FORM BY E-MAIL)  ALSO NOTE THAT PRINTING THE REGISTRATION FORM IN ADVANCE DOES NOT GUARANTEE ACCEPTANCE IN THE MASQUERADE.
5. You must report to the Masquerade Green Room between 1:30pm and 4:00pm on Saturday, August 4th. Please note that you will not be able to leave the Green Room until going on stage. It is therefore strongly recommended that you get something to eat beforehand.
6. You must be ready to go on stage when you arrive at the Green Room, as your costume will be judged before going on stage.

Note: Very large costumes that cannot pass through a standard door frame will be refused, unfortunately, as they will not be able to reach the theater backstage and therefore the area used for the competition.

Awards Ceremony

The Masquerade Awards Ceremony will take place on Sunday August 5th, 2012 at 11:00AM in Special Events 2 - Room 710B.

CD and Award Pickup

The Masquerade Desk will be open from 12:00 PM until 1:00 PM on Sunday, August 5th, 2012 (after the ceremony).

Masquerade Participant Rules

Entry types:

i) Skit: A short scripted performance of maximum ONE (1) minute. May be performed alone or as part of a group, however larger groups will NOT be given more time. If the skit should run over the time limit, the entry will be disqualified, sound and lighting will be cut and the participant(s) will be escorted off the stage.

ii) Walk-On: A presentation of the costumer's workmanship. The participant walks onto the stage, poses at center stage showing various angles of their costume and character portrayal, and then exits the opposite side of stage. Background music is permitted and should be supplied by the contestant.

Microphones will not be provided for the entrants. It is strongly recommended that participants provide pre-recorded material on audio CD. No other audio playback means will be provided. This audio CD should be playable in any ordinary CD player (DO NOT provide MP3s and DO NOT use rewritable CD-RW disks [normal write-once CD-Rs are fine]). To avoid confusion, it is highly recommended to only have one track on the CD and to make sure it plays well before handing it over at the registration table.

The maximum of participants per entry is limited to twelve (12). We will not accept groups larger than this size.

1. Use of open flame, fire, flash powder or flash paper is not allowed. Sealed electronic flashes are permitted. If you are using a strobe effect, please note it on your form so the MC may warn the audience. No laser pointers allowed.

2. No messy substances on stage. If in doubt, ask the Masquerade organizers during registration. The stage must be in as good a condition when you leave as when you entered. If you are leaving something on stage, it must be easily retrievable by the stage crew, or you will be expected to bring your own ninja for that purpose.

3. No flagrant nudity. The Masquerade rated as "13 years and up" and may be viewed by persons 13 years of age or over. Children 12 years of age and under may only be admitted to the show if accompanied by an adult. The Masquerade may contain some scenes of violence which will happen without forewarning, though they will be minor in number and nature. Explicit content and scenes involving drug use are forbidden, though discreet romance scenes may be included; depending on the situation, the use of curse words may be acceptable, however vulgar and degrading language is not permitted. Any presentation that doesn't follow these guidelines will be disqualified on the spot and may be subjected to being cut from the show. (Régie du cinéma du Québec: http://www.rcq.gouv.qc.ca/en/process.asp#c13)

4. No real firearms, no realistic copies, and no projectile weapons are allowed. No metal blades are allowed, regardless if they are dull or live. If your costume requires a bow, it must be unstrung when you are not on stage. All weapons must follow the Convention's Weapons Policy. NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE.

5. Each person may participate in only ONE entry during the Masquerade. Individuals may enter several costumes into competition, but they can only wear one of them and the others must be worn by other Masquerade contestants.

6. Contestants must report to the Masquerade Green Room on time. Report times will be supplied at the convention at the Masquerade Registration Desk. Failure to appear or to be ready to go on stage may result in disqualification. Note that Acts of God may, to an extent, mitigate this.

7. The Masquerade organizers reserve the right to remove anyone from competition based on taste, danger to the audience or other contestants or for any other reason deemed sufficient.

8. This is an amateur competition. Professional costumers are ineligible for awards, but may still present their work during the show in the Out-of-Competition category.

9. Commissioned costumes are allowed only if the designer of the costume has filled out and signed the registration sheet. While the designer does not have to walk on stage, his/her presence in the Green Room is obligatory. Costumes bought online will NOT accepted. Wigs and small accessories/jewel are exempt of this rule.

10. The decisions of the judges are final. Other than categories, types of awards will be determined at the discretion of the judges and the Masquerade organizers.

The Standard Division System

The Standard Division System, in accordance with the International Costumers' Guild Guidelines, will be used as follows:

Junior Division
(Also known as the Young Fan Division)
Any contestant less than 13 years of age at the time of this competition may compete in the Junior Division. The Junior Division is divided into two subdivisions.

Junior Self-Made: A Junior contestant who has largely or wholly constructed his/her own costume.

Junior Adult-Made: A Junior contestant whose costume has been largely or wholly constructed by an adult.

Novice Division
A contestant who has not won a major award at a Masquerade other than as a Junior costumer.

Journeyman Division
A contestant who has won fewer than three awards at Masquerades while competing in the Journeyman Division.

Artisan Division
Any costumer who has won three or more awards; or who wishes to enter this division, provided that they do not belong in a higher division in use in the competition.

Master Division
A contestant who has won more than three times in the Artisan Division, or has won a Master award at a nationally recognized regional anime convention. Also, anyone who is a professional in a costume-related business must compete as a Master. For the purpose of this competition, a professional is defined as making 50% or more of their income in the costuming-related business.

Out-Of-Competition Division
The Masquerade is an amateur competition. Purchased or rented costumes may not be entered in competition for awards, but may be shown on stage in the Out-Of-Competition Division. Costumes made for business purposes, theatrical and professional events are not eligible for awards but may also be shown in this Division. In addition, anyone who wants to show their costume in this Division may do so.

Note : A contestant may compete in a Division higher than the one they are eligible to enter. Keep in mind that if the contestant wins in this higher Division, they must compete in that Division in future competitions.

Workmanship Judging
Judging for Workmanship Awards will take place backstage prior to the start of the Masquerade. These awards, for excellence in construction, will be given out in addition to the Masquerade awards. You can be judged on your costume or on a specific piece or prop. Workmanship judging is mandatory for Artisan and Masters only. It is optional for all other divisions (except for the Out of Competition Division), but highly recommended. Quality is quality, no matter the Division, and a beautiful job deserves recognition. Our Workmanship Judge(s) will look for technical skill, finishing, fit, handling of fabric and materials, etc. The judges need to know what parts of the costume were constructed and what parts (if any) were purchased.

Documentation

Documentation can include any pictorial representation of your costume. Provide copies only; do not bring originals. It is strongly recommended that you provide documentation for re-creation costume entries if you feel the judges may not be familiar with a particular anime/manga.

Questions?  Send an email to masquerade@otakuthon.com.