Extreme Cosplay Gathering – Rulesets

ECG @ Insomnia the Gaming Festival, Sunday – SIGNUPS CLOSED

HOW CAN I ENTER?

We’re excited to announce the UK qualifiers for @ecgcosplay The Extreme Cosplay Gathering (formerly European Cosplay Gathering) will be hosted at Insomnia Gaming Festival at the NEC, Birmingham, 2024! 

Do you have what it takes to put on an epic performance and get ready for a trip to Japan Expo, Paris. to represent the UK?

ECG accepts solo, duo, trio and quartet entries and will choose one ultimate winner to be sent on a trip to Japan Expo, Paris to represent the UK for a chance to win the grand prize.

A link to the official rules for the finals can be found here

How can I enter?

Registration for ECG closes on Wednesday 27th March 2024 at 11:00pm.

The ECG preliminaries will be held at the Insomnia Gaming Festival on Sunday 31st March.

You can register by using the signup form, once you have signed up online you will be sent a confirmation email with all the details you need. Please pop by the desk nice and early to check through your requirements.

Participant(s) acknowledge that any application to the masquerade competitions indicate they have an understanding of both ECG and Costume & Play rules, thereby accepting and agreeing to abide by the rules found on the competition pages of ECG, Costume & play and the event.

Preparation before the masquerade

How will the competition be judged?

Craftsmanship and performance are equally weighted within this competition. 

These are further broken down as follows;

Costume (total of 60 points to be awarded)

Accuracy (20 points)

Finishing details (20 points)

Complexity and techniques (20 points)

Performance (total of 60 points to be awarded)

Acting and staging (30 points)

Creativity and entertainment (20 points)

Quality of media and use of stage props (10 points)

Who can enter and what are the general rules?

The Costume Element

• Costumes from any genre of anime, manga, comics, video games, movies, TV series, comic books, J-music and stage musicals may enter the competition. All costumes must have an official reference. If participants are a duo, trio or quartet, characters must be from the same source (no mashups).
• A costume qualifies as handmade if it is 80% your own work, parts of the costume not made by the participants will have to be declared. It is allowed that one or more participants is the crafter of the costumes for duo, trio and quartet entries. 
• While your costume does not need to be completely finished at time of sign up – additional information such as character reference and some proof of construction (in png or jpg image attachments) must be attached to your application form. You may include up to 30 images as proof of construction per costume by the submission deadline. 
• You are welcome to attach a cosplay portfolio or bring one on the day but please be aware that portfolios will only be viewed during the pre-judging time slot, therefore we suggest keeping this concise. 
• All applications will be checked over by the Cosplay Team, this will not influence any judges decisions, you will be notified for competition confirmation. 
• Solo, duo, trio and quartet entries may enter the masquerade (up to 4 people) one stage ninja is permitted for Solo, Duo and Trio entries only.
• You must be 18 to take part in the competition and either be a UK national or have the UK be your main country of residence.
• Participant(s) acknowledge that any application to the masquerade competitions indicate they have an understanding of both ECG and Costume & Play rules, thereby accepting and agreeing to abide by the rules found on the competition pages of ECG, Costume & play and the event.

The Performance Element

• The following elements may be included within your performance – Lighting choice, props, set, sound (mp3 only) and video (mp4 only). Microphone use is not permitted therefore all sound must be included within your track or video. Files must be labeled as Name – Series – Name of the character.
• Performance times are as follows;
  • Solo participants have 1 minute 30 seconds maximum.
  • Duo participants have 2 minute 30 seconds maximum.
  • Trio participants have 3 minutes 0 seconds maximum.
  • Quartet participants have 3 minutes 30 seconds maximum.
• You cannot exceed this time limit.
• The stage ninja does NOT count towards the number of participants on stage and cannot wear a costume, if the stage ninja is openly seen by the audience this will affect performance score.
• Performance details and requirements should be written on your application form. Any requirements and/or skilled performances need to be reviewed within good time before the show. 
• Your performance information will be checked through following your prejudging time slot.
• Arrive at the designated area ready NO LATER THAN half an hour before the masquerade is due to start.
• We ask you to fully fill out your application form. This includes confirming any music cues, performance requests and medical conditions.

Stage prop rules

• The stage team will help with the placement of props: Big props handled by two people cannot exceed 20 kg. Medium props handled by one person cannot exceed 11 kg. Props must be placed within 15 seconds and removed within 15 seconds. A maximum of 4 stage hands will be available. (if in doubt send us an email and we will check to make sure we can place your desired items in the timeframe.)
• If using stage props, items and backdrops, these must be safe and of working standard as they will be moved quickly by our stage team. The event and/or Costume and Play reserve the right to refuse any props deemed unfit, unsafe or unsuitable for purpose at any time. While we will endeavor to take very good care of your items, it is strongly recommended that you do not use any items that are precious or delicate as, while our team will do our best to care for your items, accidents can happen and our team will not be held responsible for any breakages in this fast paced environment. If you have any specific handling requirements for these items please email and provide handling instructions, images and details. If utilizing a stage ninja they will be held responsible for any breakages or damage to unsuitable items.
• pyrotechnics (fireworks, firecrackers, lighters, inflamed or incandescent objects, candles), Liquids (even in a closed container) Confetti, glitter and feathers etc. cannot be used.

ALL ENTRANTS MUST COMPLY WITH THE COSPLAY MASQUERADE RULESET AND PROPS RULES.

General Props Ruleset

What are the rules on weapons/props?

Weapons and props must be approved by security staff and/or event staff before being allowed into the convention. This may include checks which will be carried out by the cosplay team. 

Decisions made by the venue, security and/or staff are final and these rules serve as a guide only.

Please be aware that these rules are here to ensure we have a safe event for both staff and attendees. If you have been asked to put your prop away, please do so. In an extreme case, you may be escorted from the event.

If there is any doubt, please send photos and a description of the prop and/or costume to; cosplay@costumeandplay.co.uk. Please note that we cannot definitively suggest that your prop will be allowed into the convention without inspection in person.

Types of props:

• Live weapons (including, but not limited to; deactivated guns, Airsoft, metal knives, swords, axes, live bows or slingshots, bokken, hanbo) are expressly prohibited, whether sheathed or peace-bonded.
• No pyrotechnics, gas canisters, explosives (including cap-guns) or incendiary items.
• You cannot perform any action which may lead event staff, attendees or members of the general public to believe you are in possession of a real live weapon.
• No exceptions will be made regardless of any special licences, training or memberships!
• ‘If the prop was to hit someone, would it break before they do?’ If your answer is ‘no’ then it means that someone could get hurt and we would recommend you leave your prop at home so you are not disappointed.
• Props cannot be made out of metal or hard woods e.g baseball bats or swords. 
• Props must not be capable of firing any sort of projectile at any point, including foam darts or water. If you have a bow type prop, you must make sure this cannot fire a projectile.
• Props must also be fitted with a visible brightly coloured safety tip and/or panel of colour. This must be clearly visible at all times. It must also be clear at all times that you are not in possession of a real weapon.
• Any sensible material is permitted for use with your prop such as light wood, foam, card, light plastic etc. but make sure your prop contains no sharp, protruding edges. Make sure these are sanded, rounded, padded, covered or otherwise protected adequately.

Transport of costumes/props

• When outside of the convention hall, please make sure you have a safe way to transport your props and that they are sufficiently covered. Be extra careful when travelling through high traffic areas such as the airport and railway stations, so as not to cause alarm or issue to others.
• If your prop is made out of light wood, this cannot be too heavy, large or unwieldy (i.e blocking corridors/doorways or is likely to hit, hurt or inconvenience others.)
• If your costume is large and/or has trails/trains of fabric, please make sure you are aware of how you will travel to and from the venue and in high traffic areas of the convention. Costumes cannot block isles/gangways, or act as a trip hazard.
• In all cases, the weapon or prop must be no longer than 1.6 m (5’2”).
•  Large elements, such as wings, exceeding over two metres, must be collapsed when on the convention floor.
• If you lose your prop please report this to someone immediately with a full description and if possible a picture of the item.

Electronics and Electrical Safety

• Ensure appropriate* cabling and connectors are used in costume circuitry (*appropriate = suitable for the circuit load and power source)
• Ensure there is no fraying or loose connections or damage anywhere in the circuit before connecting to the power source.
• Include a suitable fuse in any circuit. If a fuse blows or the circuit fails remove power from the circuit and find/repair the fault.
• No wet cell or LiPo batteries to be used.
• We reserve the right to refuse use of any electrical circuits used on stage and on the convention floor if it is deemed unsafe.

NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE REGARDLESS OF ANY SPECIAL LICENCES, TRAINING OR MEMBERSHIPS HELD!

Please be aware that these rules are here to ensure we have a safe event for both staff and attendees. If you have been asked to put your prop away, please do so. In an extreme case you may be escorted from the event.

If there is any doubt, please send photos and a description of the prop to cosplay@costumeandplay.co.uk.

Masquerade Ruleset

• Costumes must be appropriate for a family friendly convention and include enough body coverage to be worn in public.
• Participants aren’t allowed to alter their skin tone with the intention of portraying or matching a character from an ethnicity, existing or similar to an existing one, other than their own. This aspect of portrayal doesn’t have any incidence on the scoring regarding accuracy to the original source material.
• All entrants must have a spare copy of their masquerade music/video on USB.
• Costumes being entered into ECG cannot enter in either the Community or Championship competitions.
• A full and valid attendee ticket or creator pass is required to enter. Any exhibitor wanting to enter will be required to purchase a ticket accordingly. Please be aware that Costume and Play have no involvement or input in the allocation and/or decision making of Insomnia Creator Passes. 
•  We reserve the right to decline or stop any performer at any time for any reason.
•  Use or performance of the following will be immediately stopped and you may be disqualified from the competition or convention floor:
• Excessive/inappropriate language such as swearing.
• Committing an act which is viewed as something which may potentially harm yourself or others.
• In order to keep up with latest advancements in social issues and concerns within the cosplay and competition community, Costume and Play and any staff, venue or organizer reserves the right to change or revise these rulesets at any time, to better reflect these issues and make sure a fair competition is held. 
• The participants must be able to come to France for a period of one week in early July. Entries must have a passport valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to return. 
• Please bring valid ID and proof of residency as a form of government issued documentation that proves you are a UK Resident.

All ID must be in date.

 Accepted Identification Documents: 

• Passport
• ID card (National, citizencard/provelt card, electoral office of northern ireland)
• UK driving license or provisional license
• State pension notification letter
• Benefits agency letter
• Current years HMRC tax code notification
• Current MOD90 Armed forces ID

• It is advised for each participant to make sure they are medically covered on French territory in case of emergency.

You agree to be filmed and photographed during the event, all rights of this belong to the event organizers and/or Costume and Play.

Prize Terms

• In the event the first place winner cannot attend the final, the runner up will take their place.
• The winner will need to be available from Wednesday July 10 until Monday July 15, 2024
• Any other prizes such as sponsor items may be kept by the first place winner if they are unable to attend the final.
• No cash or alternative prize will be awarded in replacement of any awarded items.
• All cosplayers may receive photography/video performances provided by Insomnia Gaming Festival. The time frame for these will vary. If we do not have your email address, announcements will also be placed on our social media for receipt of these.
• Any prizes provided by third parties will be the sole responsibility of the group providing said prize. Costume and Play accepts no liability for the provision of these prizes. A list of all prizes not being supplied by Costume and Play for the event, and the third party providing said prizes will be available upon request.

• THE JUDGE’S DECISIONS ARE FINAL ONCE MADE.