Novice and Expert Cosplay competition announcement

By Minato_mori. 27/10/09, 05:39 am

What are your views on this? I've heard some people
that won this year or in the past and they're sad that they
are now going to be considered to be in the expert class now ^^;;

This Armageddon was my first official cosplay other than visual kei and reita
at events but now that there will be a novice, the pressure is revoked from people
like ROWAN xP and so, let the planning for my first armageddon cosplay competition begin!

who else is going to enter? what class? how do you feel about this? gogogo!

By **Duckeh**. 27/10/09, 05:43 am

>.> <.<
Can I go in novice?

By Re-l. 27/10/09, 05:53 am

I think its good that they are splitting the judging up into two classes, as people like me who fail in every sense of the word cosplay, have a chance to maybe win if they enter in the novice class, because we have absolutely no chance winning against epic winnars like Rowan D;

**Guest** Guest

I like the idea cause then even us newer cosplayers and us 12yr olds might have a chance.

Just wondering though, so if you've won a contest and just started cosplaying, which section do you go in?

By **Duckeh**. 27/10/09, 05:58 am

Expert~ I think?

**Guest** Guest

I have been bringing up a novice category every time feedback was asked for on the competition structure for years now. I know our darling judges have not always been in complete control of the structure of the competition, so there wasn't any point doing anything more than trying to bring it up Very Happy

But some kind of division is standard in pretty much every other type of art/craft/sport competition on the planet.

I think it makes the competition more fair, by having people compete in their skill levels. It's unfair to have a 14 year old kid with a school sewing class compete against someone who has been through a costume design course.

It makes the competition more inclusive. If said 14 year old looks at the last few years competition winners and say, possibly correctly, "Jeebus, I can't compete against that!", they might be less inclined to participate. Which would suck! We want people to join in!

Also, I'm so in favour of there being more prize. More loot! Whats not to like about there being more loot to go around? Very Happy

By Pura. 27/10/09, 06:03 am

I think it's a really good idea. All/most? of the people who won at Auck this year have all won before xDD. I'm pretty sure one of them won multiple categories too.

Lawl, I would enter novice, but being in a group with Rowan probably wouldn't make it work that way 8DDD. Rowan ftw. I'm not exactly a new cosplayer, but I've never entered the contest before.

By Le_Saboteur. 27/10/09, 06:19 am

I think it's a great idea.

By the time next 'Geddon comes around I'd like to think I'd be competent enough to at least enter the novice category. How can you NOT be intimidated by some of the costumes entered? Awesome idea, really.

By Mandie_Chan. 27/10/09, 06:42 am

I LOVE THE IDEA!!!
Though I shall admit I'm a bit annoyed because that means Im in the expert class (if I understand correctly) so I have less chance of winning something... :sadcry:

Oh the other hand I think It'll really push me to pick carefully what I am cosplaying and make me strive to perfect my sewing skills when I do make an outfit (I'm usually pretty relax about it).

I also think it's gonna be better with all the 'novice' people still having a chance to win a prize. I'm sure it'll help cosplay to grow more~

By **Riven_**. 27/10/09, 07:09 am

I like the idea, but it makes me a bit >_< for the judges, because I know that LOTS OF PEOPLE will enter this new novice class, and it means they'll have to do a whole lot more work organising them and judging them.

And then you could get into trouble with having fewer entries in the open? Iunno.

By **Duckeh**. 27/10/09, 07:13 am

Nyah~ I'll probably enter open anyway.
I'd feel bad for entering novice. D:
@Mandie: Technically you have the same chance as you had this year? :3
Iunno. Winning Novice instead of Open wouldn't make me as happy. The whole point is I want to beat the people I find as competition. >.< In a friendly way? Because I know them all... it just makes it that much moar fun?

By **JVCA**. 27/10/09, 07:27 am

I think it's a fantastic idea - I do think some people were intimidated by previous entries when you look how many fewer people there were this year compared to last, and it really encourages people to get into it if they think they actually have a chance to win. I'm not sure what I think about Honourable Mention being included in the qualifications that mean you can't enter novice though, because some people who get honourable mentions may not quite be ready for open class yet? I personally think it should be if you've had two or more honourable mentions then you can't enter novice....

@Duckeh: I can sympathise entirely with that! I love Jess and Alex to bits but one of my cosplay dreams is to beat them in the competition one day. 8D But I think it's great that despite the competition between us all, we're still friends and help each other out with stuff (for example, Jen styled Jess & Alex's wigs, and we're planning on doing some sewing parties together over summer) - I don't think I'd love this hobby nearly as much if there was that nasty competitive thing going on where people were deliberately cutting each other down.

By Mandie_Chan. 27/10/09, 07:27 am

Duckeh wrote:: @Mandie: Technically you have the same chance as you had this year? :3

true... I honestly had no idea how good everyone else was (except for Rowan who was at chch and Static through her pictures). I thought I did a pretty good job on Rachel (I am SO PROUD OF IT! ~~except the fraying edges T_T~~)

From now on I shall always pick my cosplays carefully~ Seems there is certain 'difficulty' levels required to get somewhere >_<;

By **Duckeh**. 27/10/09, 07:29 am

@Jess- ... //hides the paper voodoo doll we made of Jens wig.
>.>
<.<
Yes, that's good isn't it?
OHOHOHOHO~
<3

@Mandie- It looked awesome! <3

By Olli. 27/10/09, 07:32 am

I think it's a good idea.
I'm a complete noob and I was gonna enter this year but knowing I'll be up against Rown and all the experienced people kinda put me off >_

By Rikki-Leigh. 27/10/09, 07:32 am

I don't think I can bring myself to enter the novice class, purely because I've entered the competition before and it wouldn't sit right in my mind.

I've already got next years one planned out in my mind... It's a matter of making it work.

By **JVCA**. 27/10/09, 07:35 am

@Mandie: You shouldn't just think you did a good job on Rachel - you DID do a good job on Rachel! ;D But yeah, the 'difficulty' thing is why I think it's such a good idea to have the novice class now - those who can't reach that difficulty level yet still have a chance to win something. C: Michaela was saying to me afterwards that it's not the prizes we really care about (money being the main reason why Bill has denied classes previously), but the kudos for our hard work, so having the classes will mean that everyone has a much fairer chance of getting that recognition. n_n

@Duckeh: You should have just spray painted a bird's nest green - it would have made it much easier than making a voodoo doll out of paper. ;D

@Rikki: Why not? The novice class is for anyone who hasn't won before, not anyone who hasn't entered before. :) If the novice class existed back in '07 when I first entered, I would have entered in the novice - heck, I would have entered as novice in '08 if it existed then too.

**Guest** Guest

Sometime between the rules being posted and my organising for April I'm going to have to ask how far back it counts. I placed in Aucks years ago, back when Michaela was entering (and wiping the floor with the rest of us. *sigh at her awesomeness*) - so do I count as novice or open?

By Mandie_Chan. 27/10/09, 07:41 am

@ JVCA
awwww thank you very much ^_^

I find it quite funny that we win money, after all it hardly covers the cost of materials and time spent to make it worth while lol. Will be interesting to see how different things will be between the 2 categories (eg will they both have best solo/group, best skit, most tech, honorable mention) or maybe not? *ponders*

Well it was the 2nd time I've seen the competition and now I have a much better idea of whats expected i look forward to Chch 2010. Still kinda wish I could be in the Novice, but hey I do look forward to *one day* catching up to Clan biscuit, Rowan and Static~

By creature124. 27/10/09, 07:42 am

I personally am very pleased that they have done this - I think it is very nessecary. I haven't bothered to attempt to make a costume on my own thus far simply because it wasn't worth the effort - my skill is meager at best, and I don't much enjoy being overshadowed, if you catch my drift. I think the novice class is a very important 'in' for insecure newfags such as myself 8D

By Rikki-Leigh. 27/10/09, 07:44 am

JVCA wrote:: @Rikki: Why not? The novice class is for anyone who hasn't won before, not anyone who hasn't entered before. :) If the novice class existed back in '07 when I first entered, I would have entered in the novice - heck, I would have entered as novice in '08 if it existed then too.

Haha. I don't actually know. ^^; It's just something that my mind does an classes novice as someone who hasn't entered before. I r strange 8Db

By **JVCA**. 27/10/09, 07:57 am

Hahahaha, that makes sense. But Michaela said that anyone can enter novice so long as they haven't received an award (best in show, best technical, best skit, best individual, best group, honourable mention). n_n

@Mandie: Rofl, ikr? We got $150 between our two awards - $50 doesn't cover even a quarter of my costume. P: Michaela was saying that they'll go for some kind of 'award' rather than a 'prize' next year, if that makes sense, which I think is much better. You can't really say "and this is the $50 I got for getting best skit" to people, anyway. P:

By Minato_mori. 27/10/09, 07:59 am

what if you really have a good skit but you are not at
all adept at cosplay?

By Mandie_Chan. 27/10/09, 08:01 am

@JVCA
So they're thinking of getting awards? I'm guessing a smaller/simpler version of the cosplay cup. I must admit I'd rather have a cup to show people that's for sure lol (even more so if you get to keep it!)

lol thinking about the cost of cosplays is making me wonder why we put our selves through so much sweatdrop

By **Duckeh**. 27/10/09, 08:04 am

You win best skit? 8D

Edit: Yeah, ohgawd. >.< COSPLAY COSTS SO MUCH MONEY.

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