Cosplay Contest

Anime Syracuse once again will be host to a cosplay contest! Prizes are to be announced, but here are your rules!

Anime Syracuse 2011 Cosplay Contest Rules

1. There will be three sections to the Contest: Skit, Workmanship, Walk-On and Youth. Entries will be taken on a first-come-first-served basis at the convention. Limit 10 Skits, and 25 Walk-On/Workmanship Entries (10/10/5 at max for each). For division purposes all skit entries are entries with dialogue, dancing, fighting and/or singing for 90% or more of the entry. Just lip-syncing is not a skit entry. All participants in an entry must have a purchased membership at the convention. Entries must abide by the time limit: Skits: 3 minutes; Walk-On: 1 minute. You will be buzzed off if you take too long and disqualified if you contest. Time limits or entry field may be increased at the discretion of the Contest Director. Stage size is X’ deep and Y’ wide with entrances upstage left and right. A diagram is available on the Anime Syracuse website. Contestants will enter from the right and exit on the left. Due to stage size entries are limited to 12 contestants at a time no matter the section of the entry.

2. All contestants must abide by the rules of the convention and the laws governing the location the convention is held in. This includes laws governing public exposure. The illusion of nudity is to be cleared with the Contest Director ahead of time. Weapons rules may be relaxed for the Contest, however, it must be cleared with the Contest Director who will review the entry ahead of time to ensure the safety of everyone involved. No entry may leave anything on the stage, including confetti, blood, or water; no entry may fire projectiles; no use of fire, fireworks, or incendiaries; contestants may not throw items off the stage; all props must be removed from the stage by the contestant(s) or a stage crew provided by the contestant(s).

3. To enter, fill out an entry form and email it to cosplay@animesyracuse.com by September 14th, 2011 or return them to the Contest Director at least one Hour before the rehearsal starts. All entrants aged under 18 must also have a consent form signed by a parent or legal guardian to participate in the contest. You may submit a Youth entry online and provide the consent form at the convention and still qualify. After entry, you must show up at in the New Times Theater when rehearsal starts or be instantly disqualified.

4. Contestants in the each section will be divided into 2 categories: Novice and Expert. The Youth division is limited to walk ons only and is for contestants age 13 and under. For workmanship purposes the Youth division is for costumes made by a person age 13 and under. A Youth entry may be placed in a different category for performance judging, however, for all entrants aged 14 and older the workmanship category and performance category will be the same. The Expert category is open to anyone who wishes to enter in it. The Expert category is the only option for anyone who has received money from costuming or cosplay commissions, anyone who has received any award at Anime North, Costume Con, or WorldCon; or anyone who has won a Best-in-Division award award at any convention over 5000 people. Previous winners at Anime Syracuse only can enter Expert. Groups will be placed into the highest division of their individual members. The division system is designed to protect newcomers, not force them into categories they are not ready for, so if you are unsure what category you belong in or if you feel these rules place you into a higher category than you belong in talk to the Contest Director.

5. Purchased costumes are allowed in the talent and skit portions, but not in the walk-on section of the contest. In the walk-on section 75% of the costume must be items that have been made or altered by the contestant. Contestants who made or altered their costume will be eligible for workmanship judging regardless of the section the entry is entered in. Entries may also choose for only a portion of their entry to be entered in workmanship (example: in a three person entry only one person made their costume, that one person may enter workmanship, or an entrant may choose to have only their props judged even if they made the rest of their costume). Contestants are highly recommended to bring documentation of their costume to workmanship judging. This can be as simple as a picture of the character the contestant is trying to reproduce. Judges will retain documentation for the period of judging, so please bring documentation on paper or other portable method. Digital documentation, such as a picture on a usb device or phone, is not acceptable as it cannot be retained by the judges.

6. All entrants may provide sound and/or music to go with their entry. All sound must be provided on a CD playable by a generic CD player. If no music is provided then no music will accompany that entry. Skit Entries may be allowed up to six body microphones (subject to change). To ensure sound, it is preferred to have all dialog pre-recorded on a CD and syncing your actions to said audio. If a skit or talent entry does not provide audio they are required to provide the Contest Director with a copy of their script at registration or at rehearsal.

7. Violating these rules may result in removal from contest, removal from stage, and/or disqualification of the entry by the Contest Director. Contest Director has final say on all rules and exceptions to them.

Want to enter? Click here for an entry form!
Click here for a concent form. They cannot be emailed and must be delivered in person.