Masquerade rules AgamemCon IV, 2000

REGISTRATION:All persons who wish to enter the masquerade must be registered.Registration will be open on Friday from 3:00 to 6:00 and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. REGISTRATION CLOSES AT 2:00!! All forms must be completed and turned in by then!You may preregister but must check in at the hotel during registration hours.

A Masquerade entry form must be submitted when registering.All entrants must sigh the form.

Pick up entry forms at the Masquerade registration desk.All cassette tapes, instructions to the MC and tech crew, and reference materials must be handed in at the time of registration.Mark materials with the names of the contestants and the title of the presentation.Cassette tapes should be labeled on both the tape itself and on its storage box.Mark the side to be played "PLAY THIS SIDE" and mark the other side "WRONG SIDE".Tapes should be cued with three seconds of leader and ready to play.

DIVISION SYSTEM:This masquerade will be run on the standard Costumer's Guild Division system of four skill levels:Young Fan, Novice, Journeyman, and Master.

Skill levels:

Young Fan:A costumer under the age of 13.Such entries will be judged separately unless they are part of an adult group.Please indicate on your entry form whether the costume was made by the Young Fan or by an adult. An adult must stay with the young fan.

Novice:Anyone who has fewer than 3 wins for 3 different costumes at Novice level.

Journeyman:Anyone who has not yet won 3 times at the Journeyman level or feel their skill is up to competing at the Journeyman level.

Master:You must compete as a Master if you have won three times as a Journeyman/Craftsman or if you have ever won as a Master.Anyone may enter at the Master level if you wish.Professionals (those making a significant income as costumer) are encouraged to enter as Masters.

DEFINITION OF A WIN:"A win is a win" -- except "Honored for Excellence" and "Honorable Mention".Workmanship awards are only counted if you wish.NOTE:In the case of groups, the skill level will be determined by the member of the group making the most significant contributions.If equal contributions were made, the entry may be able to compeat at two levels.Check with the Masquerade Director forthis and any other special exceptions.

Any questions regarding what level to compeat at?Ask the Masquerade Director for clarification.

Please note that any contestant may elect to compete "up" by entering at a higher skill level than they might appear to qualify for.But contestants found competing "down" -- entering at a lower skill level than they would qualify for - may be disqualified.

* If you are uncertain of your skill level, ask at Registration *

Judging will be combined for original and recreation costumes unless large enough groups of both types of costumes exist.However, be sure to check the correct category because there are variation in judging the two types.

Regular Categories:

Original Costumes:A costume inspired by a Science Fiction or Fantasy source, but whose design is the creation of the contestant.A contestant need not wear his/her creation, but may use a model on stage.Be sure to note on your entry form who is the designer and who is the model.

Recreation Costumes:A costume whose design is copied or closely derived from a film, TV, art, comics, stage presentation, book illustration or any other medium showing one or more view of the costume.Recreation costumes are duplicates or close adaptations of the design work of someone other than the contestant.Those entering recreation costumes are encouraged to provide the judges with photos or Xerox copies of the costume source or pertinent information, since not all judges are familiar with all source media.

Regular Categories:

Costumed from the Closet:This is a special category.Costumes may be a mix of found, bought and made or completely bought.It is the combination of items and imagination that count here.Entrants in this category will be judged separately from the main competition.

Exhibition Costumes:Have an older costume you wish to show to the audience?Have a costume that has won at international competition levels?It may be shown out of competion to entertain the audience.

PRESENTATIONS: There will be no live microphones !!Contestants are strongly discouraged from attempting to address the audience without one.You may turn in a narration for the MC to read.It must be type or written in large letters on one side of the paper only.The MC will be backstage prior to the Masquerade to discuss your copy with you.Another option is to pre-record words on a cassette tape for us to play during your presentation.Turn this in when you register.Indicate that there is narration too.

Contestants are urged to have at least some musical background to accompany their presentation.If you haven't brought one, you may discuss this with the Sound Tech and select one of his pre- recorded stock tapes if you like.

TIME LIMITS:Maximum time limit is 60 seconds for every four persons on stage, up to a limit of three minutes, e.q. 1-4 persons have 1 minute, 5 - 9 persons have two minutes, etc.; however, shorter is better.Remember, the real limit is the audience's attention span.DO NOT BORE THE AUDIENCE!!If your presentation is a skit, the time limit still applies unless you have been pre-approved by the masquerade director.

WEAPONS AND HAZARDS POLICY:In general, nothing will be permitted on stage that can endanger the audience, crew or judges. Due to fire regulations, NO OPEN FLAMES, FIRE, FLASH POWDER, etc. will be allowed.If your presentation involves the unsheathing of edged or projectile weapons on-stage, you must clear your presentation with the Masquerade Director prior to contestant's call.Contestants ignoring this rule will have their presentations stopped, and they will be escorted off the stage.We recognize the role weaponry plays in many costumes and will do everything we can to arrange a safe way for you to display them with your costume.Equally, we don't want anyone hurt.

WORKMANSHIP JUDGING:In addition to the usual front-of-stage judging, contestants may choose to compete for Workmanship awards.These will be given for exceptional accomplishments in the crafting of a costume.Workmanship judging is entirely optional.If you think your costume or some portion of it exhibits exceptional craftsmanship, bring it over to the workmanship judge.The standard is excellence, so there are no divisions.

TECH OR STAGING INFORMATION:Please let us know on your form if you need any of the following:Two-sided entry, black-out or other special lighting, special sound cues, unusual assistance getting on or off stage, unusual effects that might startle our catchers.In general, you may surprise the audience but DON'T SURPRISE THE CREW!Also note if your costumes will drastically limit your sight-lines.We will try to provide you with extra guidance.

DEFAULT TECH:This is what you will get unless you ask for something else... 1) The tree lights go to black at the end of the previous presentation and we wait to let the people get off at the center.2) After a 10 second pause, the MC reads your number and costume name.The tape will start at the point where the MC stops.3) The light tree comes. 4) The tape will fade out and stop after you are down the stairs then the lights go to black and we're back at step one.

ADDITIONAL RULES:

1.(It’s a not rule actually.)Hall costumes may be worn in the competition, in fact they are encouraged.

2.NO messy substances, wet, dry or oily that might ruin the costume of any other contestant will be allowed in the Green room or on-stage.

3.Purchased or rented costumes may not be shown in the main competition.They must be entered in the “Costumed from your Closet” category.

4.Each contestant may appear only once in the competition.A costumer may have more than one costume entered, but they have to be on different bodies.

5.We are encouraging exhibition costumes from other conventions.However, if a costume has won at a regional level or above, it can only be show as an exhibit. (This does not preclude the competition of a costume that has been worn at another convention's masquerade at the same level.) Please speak to the masquerade director in advance.

6.This masquerade is rated PG-13.Remember, if you're nude, Ghod gets the credit as the costume designer!

7.The Masquerade Director has full authority to eliminate anyone from the competition on the basis of taste, behavior, danger to the audience or contestants, violation of the above rules or any other reason deemed sufficient.We've never had to eliminate anyone yet, but this protects you and the convention from the real "loons".There will be no appeal.

SOME GENERAL GOOD ADVICE:Please be kind to yourself before the competition.Get some sleep the night before.Register early and turn in all your materials properly labeled.Let the Masquerade Director know what you'll need for your presentation to run smoothly.Get a lot of practice in ahead of time.Don't forget to eat and drink something in the late afternoon.We will only have light munchies and beverages backstage for you.

Check in on time and let your Den Mother take care of you.Stay in one place so we can find you when it's time to go on stage.If you need a sudden repair, ask at the repair table and we'll try to put you back together.If you need assistance dressing, ask your Den Mother to help.If you have a sudden problem, tell your Den Mother or the Backstage Manager.

When you go on, let the crew help you on and off the stage so you don't fall.Let your Den Mother take care of your excess belongings while you are on stage.The catcher crew will retrieve anything you leave on stage and get it back to you.Then take a seat in the audience and watch the show.Don't forget to stick around for the awards -- it just might be your name they call.