Medway Cosplay Masquerade – Saturday

How will the competition work?
The Cosplay Masquerade will be taking place at Medway on Saturday and aims to give Cosplayers the opportunity to gain experience Cosplaying, show off a fantastic costume or simply come up on stage and perform in character!

Prizes

How can I enter?

You can take part by using the signup form below. Please arrive at least half an hour before the competition is due to begin. If you have signed up online you will be sent a confirmation email with all the details you need. We advise popping by the desk nice and early to check through your requirements. See you at the Masquerade!

Costumes from any genre of video game, television, film, book, anime, manga etc. may enter the Masquerade. 

Can I enter if my costume is handmade and/or altered?

Yes, the more of your costume that is constructed by yourself, the more likely it is to impress the judges and gain points in the craftsmanship category for those specific components. All costumes will qualify for Character Concept and Performance categories.

Can I enter my costume if it is completely brought?

If no alterations to the costume have been made, a fully brought costume can only enter at the discretion of the cosplay team. You are encouraged to enter the community masquerade on sunday instead. 

Cosplays will be judged on 3 main categories all weighted evenly

Craftsmanship – How much you made yourself and how well you made each handmade, altered or adjusted element such as costume, props, accessories and makeup. Showing and explaining how you made your cosplay is encouraged on the signup form. Help us see how you’ve created your masterpiece! 

Costume/Character Concept – Who are you cosplaying? What are their motivations? Where are they from? How well are these ideas communicated to us through performance/costume design. An easy way to do this is to attach a picture of your character to your signup form.

Performance – You’ve got up to 3 minutes on stage to strut your stuff, be it posing in character or a full performance piece. Show us what you’ve got! Know what you want to do, be confident, use as much of the stage as you can, Show us the character! 

The cosplays with the best chance of winning will have elements of all 3 categories:- 

• Well made cosplay elements put together by yourself. 
• A strong character concept so the judges will understand and know the character you’re cosplaying. 
• An amazing performance that impresses the judges and wows the audience. 

Remember: The inclusion of reference images and/or construction notes and pictures on your application will be viewed favorably.

Will I get a chance to speak to the judges?

An optional 2 minute time will be set aside for you to visit the masquerade area and chat to the judges. You can use this time to showcase your costume, ask the judges for feedback and advice or simply chat about your cosplay! We’ll show the judges your application regardless of if you choose to visit them or not, and they may visit you in the line to have a closer look at your costume.

What do I do if I want to do more than just poses in character?

We’ll usually ask you for 3 poses and we will either provide you a music track or ask you for your selection of music, but if you want to do a performance;

1. Performances/Skits must be no longer than three minutes in length. Please state the length of your performance, performance details and requirements on your application form. 
2. Any requirements and/or skilled performances need to be reviewed within good time before the show. This includes setting up a ‘cue’ for when you would like your music track to be played. 
3. Music, pre-made track and/or microphone may be used during your performance. You may also list lighting choices but we cannot guarantee it can be used.
4. We highly advise you visit the cosplay desk early to check through your requirements. If you do not visit the desk, your requirements for your performance may be refused. Please email us if you have any queries. 
5. If you have additional requirements for stage (such as having something placed on stage before your performance,) this does not count towards your track time allowance, however you must contact us beforehand within a reasonable time frame. 
6. All entrants must have a spare copy of their music track on USB. 

• All applications will be checked over by the Cosplay Team, this will not influence any judges decisions and you will be notified for competition confirmation. 
• A small selection of places will be open to those who wish to present either a costume containing specific handmade components and/or a performance piece. It will be up to the discretion of the cosplay team to allow these entrants. 
• The competition is open for all ages, but if you are under the age of 13 please make sure to get parental consent. If you are under the age of 16 we may need to seek parental consent to award you a prize directly, we may request to send your prize to your parent/guardian in this event.
• Costumes must be appropriate for a family friendly convention and include enough body coverage to be worn in public.
• We ask you to fully fill out your application form. This includes confirming any music cues, performance requests and medical conditions.  
• Please make sure to bring a spare copy of any notes and photos you have supplied with your application on the day.
• Costumes entered that were used in the saturday masquerade who also wish to enter the sunday masquerade may be put on a waiting list if we are getting full. We will let you know in the unlikely event this may happen and will give as much notice as possible should you get a space. 
•  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.

•  You agree to be filmed and photographed during the event, all rights of this belong to the event organizers and/or Costume and Play.
• In order to keep up with latest advancements in social issues and concerns within the cosplay and competition community, Costume and Play reserve the right to change the rules at any time. However, rules for individual events may be amended at any time to maintain the safety of attendees and staff by venue staff or organisers. 
• Rulesets and materials are provided for use to the event at the discretion of Costume and Play and cannot be copied or altered without prior permission from Costume and Play, except where doing so would constitute a threat to safety of the staff, attendees or other members of the public.

Weapons and props must be approved by venue security staff before it’s allowed into the convention. This may include checks which will be carried out by the cosplay team. Decisions made by venue security and staff are final and these rules serve as a guide only.

The general rule is;

‘If you were hit with the prop, would it break before you do?’

If your answer is ‘no’ then it means that someone could get hurt were this to happen. If this is the case, we would recommend you leave it at home just so you are not disappointed.

When outside of the convention hall, please make sure you have a safe way to transport your props and that they are sufficiently covered. Take extra precaution when travelling through high traffic areas such as public transport locations, so as not to cause alarm or issue to others.

1. Live weapons (deactivated guns, Airsoft, metal knives, swords, axes, live bows or slingshots, bokken, hanbo) are expressly prohibited, whether sheathed or peace bonded.
2. No pyrotechnics, gas canisters, explosives (including cap-guns) or incendiary items.
3. No sharp points, protruding points or sharp edges, make sure they’re sanded, rounded, padded, covered or otherwise protected adequately.
4. Props made out of wood cannot be too heavy, large or unwieldy (I.E. to the point they may hurt or inconvenience others.) 
5. 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.
6. No Items presenting a ‘mess’ or ‘spill’ risk.

No exceptions will be made regardless of any special licenses, training or memberships!

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.

• • Under the grounds of fairness, only one prize can be awarded per costume. If entering one costume to both competitions, in order to maintain maximum fairness, we will be asking entrants to choose which ONE competition they would like to forfeit being judged in and to choose two different music tracks, one per competition. This will be noted on all your masquerade documents, so we can provide the clearest and fairest means of competition we can.
  • Any size group may enter the Masquerade. However, if eligible for a prize, this will be split evenly between participants. 
  • Cash Prizes awarded after the event will be paid directly to you. If you are under the age of 16 we may need to seek parental consent to award you a prize directly, we may request to send your prize to your parent/guardian in this event.
  • 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.
  • Costume and Play handmade trophies are only awarded to first place winners. If the winner is a group, there will be one trophy only.
  • No cash or alternative prize will be awarded in replacement of items such as (but not limited to) trophy, items, certificates, sponsor prizes etc.
  • Due to the handmade nature of the trophies, postage and Bank processing times a timescale of 8 weeks is set for the processing, sending and arrival of prizes. This starts the day following the concluding day of the event.
  • Should any issue beyond our control arise that may extend the 8 week processing time (weather, postal/bank strikes, damage ect) all receiving applicants will be made aware of the situation and kept in contact until the situation is resolved.
  • The judges may choose to award and honor/special mention or shout out above and beyond the listed categories. 

• All judges’ decisions for any award/mention/honor are final.