Changes to cosplay contest

By sakuramiyabi. 02/11/09, 03:26 pm

Agreed

By Tails. 04/11/09, 04:53 pm

Just wondering, will people entering different classes be able to do a skit together?

By Suixelo. 04/11/09, 11:52 pm

No, you have to enter the same class if you enter as a group.

By Tails. 06/11/09, 09:55 am

Oh damn. I just dont feel right entering novice but I don't want to force my friends to enter open. Oh well, I'll sort something out~

By neimhaille. 15/11/09, 04:53 am

Just a quick update.

Dunedin is now part of the cosplay contest so these changes will affect that as well :)

At the meeting with Bill on Friday all demands.. er requests.. were accepted and are being implemented :)

So:

~Best in show prizes stay (will explain them soon once the logistics are sorted and will be asking for imput as I see pros and cons to it)
~Cash prizes converted to many lots of certificates! Basically there will be pricing and such and looking into possibilities of plaques and mini trophies.
~ I'm looking at this division:

Best in Show

Open best in class
Open up to 3x tech awards
Open up to 3X performance awards

Novice best in class
Novice up to 3x tech awards
Novice up to 3 X performance awards

Best in show will probably then be one of these which is why I want more room to award based on the two parts of Cos and Play. It's easy to miss why someone won a commendation with nerves and such.
That said there will be discretion to give encouragement awards.
When I started entering the contest we had Top Ten plus 1st, 2nd 3rd and that worked for a while and then got changed to Top Ten plus skit plus costume plus winner. Which worked for a while... We have asked that sponsors do not have a say in awards or giving of them. So awards will only change as the contest evolves and needs them.
And the contest is different every time so it is usually an end of year review that will spot the trends.

Solo and group winners may remain, there is a very clear distinction between how a group can divvy up work as opposed to solo so this is valid. Whether it is over all or within class divisions is not yet decided.
There are other variables that can be taken into account but it will be a balance between oversaturating the awards and so devaluing them and not being free to award based on merit due to lack of awards to pull from.
So these are not set in stone yet and there will be a lot of taking the best bits from overseas and seeing what works in the current climate here.

The tech awards can be presented to those who do well with rigid costume pieces (armour etc) as well as fabric manipulation and finishing etc etc. Performance can be awarded to entries for skit writing, excellence in presentation, character representation etc. But I do not want to name each award as there will again be someone(s) who will be able to scoop the lot with one outstanding entry!

~ Have stressed the importance of having a room with closeable doors. Auckland room has been sorted and it will be a nice size and be easy to get to.
~ Haven't asked for the ability to play cds in the room but I have speakers and there will be a lap top available so there is no issue there.
~ Looking at starting half an hour earlier, we all need a break after the judging.
~ Wellington will always be difficult because of the rooms that are available, so I can't make any promises about that. With open and novice classes there is the possibility of splitting the groups that way to fit in the room.

~I do not want to write a recipe for How to Win but I am going to give a general guide on what is looked for in both tech and performance, and it will be on the contest web page. It'll be a huge page now but I think it is needed- it's hard to write without it being used as a check list.
~ Speaking of the page, it will be linked to from the General Events section as well so hopefully we can get that nice mix of genres again :)
~ rules will be tweaked a bit to help in those tricky "I used wood! I used metal!" questions ;) Also there will be more clarification of genres allowed. I love original characters and I love wearable arts but this contest cannot be a catch all for everyone. This is partly why the parade idea has been pushed: a showcase for everyone without needing the same kind of rule set.

So while it's not a full answer I do hope this helps people see changes are being very seriously looked at and they are intended to give a level playing ground for everyone. It will never be able to be perfect but I do hope it will continue to improve.

By Suixelo. 15/11/09, 05:03 am

Wow, you work so hard! Thanks for letting us know whats going on, we all really appreciate it!

Loving the new ideas and changes, thankful to Bill for listening too!

By Icarus. 15/11/09, 05:45 am

neimhaille wrote:: I love original characters and I love wearable arts but this contest cannot be a catch all for everyone. This is partly why the parade idea has been pushed: a showcase for everyone without needing the same kind of rule set.

I'm so grateful for the parade because I knew I wouldn't be able to enter the comp with an original design, thumbs up for the hard work!!

By Narya. 15/11/09, 09:19 am

Those changes all sound absolutely excellent, I'll look forward to entering the competition so much more now I think :) You guys are fantastic.

Did you remember the offers of help if you need it? That's still there - let us know if there's anything you'll need done. I'm in Christchurch and I know you guys aren't so if that could help you at all for the Chch armageddon (I know you have limited time in the city before the con), great.

By RegnieRiku. 15/11/09, 10:01 am

I think that the changes made and considered are great, also that everyone working on it has done extremely well and worked damned hard.
However I am wanting greatly for there to be something like the parade. I didn't realise before my first entry in Auckland just how it was run. I thought it was a lot more light hearted and fun, rather than just a competition. So I think that your priority should definitely remain on the contest, as so many people are backing it.
But I for one would very much appreciate consideration into a non competitive show case for the costumes.
I enjoy making and wearing them greatly, and so would definitely be backing an event that acknowledges that without any form of prize giving whatsoever.

By **JVCA**. 15/11/09, 10:11 am

The new regime sounds very well considered - I really look forward to seeing how it turns out. Very Happy

By Tails. 15/11/09, 10:40 am

Great idea for how the prizes are rewarded! Certificates will be awesome too :) *excited*

By Mandie_Chan. 15/11/09, 01:10 pm

(MAN I LOVE UPDATES~)
This is getting me so excited about cosplay and I have no idea why!
Thank you so much for putting in time and effort to re-organize the competition I love the certificates and the possibility of cups.

(I'm also glad to hear you guys are asking to start judging earlier so you get a break!) thumbsup

By vefalasiel. 17/11/09, 02:11 pm

I know this is late in the conversation but better late than never right?

Hi, I’m Alexandra and I speak for my sister and partner in crime (Jessica) for this message.

We were Team Rocket Fuel this year (this is our new group name), this year we cosplayed as Makoto and Yasuhiro Gensou from the online role paying game ‘Samurai Duellers League’. For those of you who still don’t know who we are, we won Best in Show and with that, the Trans-Tasman Cup.

All of our feelings on this subject have already been expressed by others so we have nothing new to add.

All we want to say is that we have been entering the Cosplay competition for the last 5 years and we, like everyone else, have worked our way to better cosplays. We don’t Cosplay for the prizes because that’s not what the competition is about. We Cosplay for the acknowledgement of like minded people. The prizes are JUST an added bonus at the end of the day. Seeing everyone else’s cosplay ‘s throughout the competitions have made us want to better ourselves and try new things, seeing other people create elements of cosplay’s we wouldn’t have thought would translate well from game/2D/out of professional context, and being able to see and touch them has been tremendously inspiring. A point to add is that even though with winning the past 2 years, we still get intimidated by different aspects of ALL the cosplayers we see each year. Thank you for encouraging us to improve ourselves.

We have to mention names now.

Jen’s fabulous and awe inspiring Rydia wig blew us away, I personally cannot style wigs to save my life, and Jen helped me though this.

Tails, your wings were just...we can’t find words for them. We wish we could have found out how you did it, we can’t fathom it. Oh and btw, idk if you remember us but we sat next to you at the Cosplay games when you were Tifa. Hi!

Sylvie, I have so much respect for you, your whole outfit was just stunning, and coming from a fashion background myself I know how technically complicated your outfit would have been and I commend you.

Rowan, well, you know. There is so much that we could say to you and we have, but the biggest comment we have is you blew us away last year and redid so this year, we stalked you for photos! And we relish the time when we can see your next cosplay’s.

Clan Biscuit, there are so many fabrics and techniques that you use that we have no idea where to start with, it’s astounding. Your skit was so professional and freaking awesome.

Tammy, no matter what you have to say about it, we adore your Fran, I have so many questions about how you went about the armour, among other things. Your accent was spot on.

Samurai Pizza Cats, you guys made us laugh so much, your skit was brilliant, and well timed and I loved your cute little mouths!

Hana! Thank you for being so upbeat. You made our day standing in that line with us and though it didn’t place I loved your Cosplay.

There are so many other people that we could go on about but I’ve spoken too much already. Please keep participating because it’s everyone’s input which makes this competition the richer for it.

And lastly, but definitely not least. THANK YOU SO MUCH M AND ANGIE! We literally couldn’t do it without you, please don’t ever let it get the best of you. I can say for all of us that we need you!

Next year we really want to get involved with everyone, we want to know more about other cosplayers, as both cosplayers, and people. WE WANT TO BE FRIENDS, so please don’t hesitate to talk to us, even if it’s only in passing.

By Tails. 17/11/09, 03:56 pm

vefalasiel wrote:: Tails, your wings were just...we can’t find words for them. We wish we could have found out how you did it, we can’t fathom it. Oh and btw, idk if you remember us but we sat next to you at the Cosplay games when you were Tifa. Hi!

Oh I remember you! Hi! I was quite nervous for those games, I remember being glad that the people sitting next to me were so friendly :) & thank you! My wings were my favourite part. Vvvvery time consuming though! & of course, you guys looked great! I wish I could have seen the designs on your outfits upclose~

By neimhaille. 18/11/09, 05:20 am

RegnieRiku wrote:: But I for one would very much appreciate consideration into a non competitive show case for the costumes.
I enjoy making and wearing them greatly, and so would definitely be backing an event that acknowledges that without any form of prize giving whatsoever.

If you have any ideas please do put them in the parade thread (I'm about to go look in there now and put in a few more ideas. It really is going to be a more light hearted event because I too really want to see that :) I take the contest seriously because it is a big passion of mine and seeing people excelling and surprising themselves with what they can do is so amazing.

Haven't forgotten about the offers of help :) It may not be sexy but the go to people on doors and able to be runners are absolutely vital. And are very very much appreciated. I have a limited number of passes to give out but they do cover the whole event and so people can have heaps of fun on the first day(s) :)

By Highlander. 18/11/09, 01:13 pm

Well any year I am not entering the comp I am willing to help. That's probably not next year, but the year after, unless firefly is put off until then? Too far away to think about!

But outside of the comp, anything I can do to help with what ever time I have available.

One question. Well two or three. But will email you the rest. With the trans-tasman competitor flying over from Aus. to Auck. does that mean that the DnDn/Welly/ChCh winners will have to head to Auckland to compete against the Auckland winner to represent NZ?

By Static. 18/11/09, 01:18 pm

@Alex: <3

By neimhaille. 18/11/09, 02:55 pm

Highlander wrote:: One question. Well two or three. But will email you the rest. With the trans-tasman competitor flying over from Aus. to Auck. does that mean that the DnDn/Welly/ChCh winners will have to head to Auckland to compete against the Auckland winner to represent NZ?

This is part of what is to be really sorted out logistically :) But let's just say winners in D/W/C would be looked after :)
It's the Aus side that is proving a bit of a sticky wicket to make sure any prelim judging is equal to here.

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