Armageddon Cosplay Contest Rules and registration forms

By neimhaille. 16/09/09, 04:01 am

These rules will be adapted as we try and streamline this to make is as easy as possible on everyone.

If you use this to enter please make sure to make note that you have read the rules. We have a number of entries were the rules were clearly not read nor indeed the form... I get a few blank forms each event ;)

For discussions about the rules please read the thread on the official forums here. This thread is to help me rewrite to make things as clear as they can be. I'd love to just say use common sense but it doesn't work as we all have different experiences and expectations.

Welcome to Armageddon's Cosplay Contest! If you are interested in entering the contest this year this page should answer all questions you may have. If not please feel free to email us with questions at ARMAGEDDON.COSPLAY@GMAIL.COM and we will try to answer in as timely a manner as possible.

Please note the contest has undergone many changes in the last few years so you must read fully to understand any new rules and guidelines. Please note the new start time for the judging!

Download the registration forms here: (next post down)

GROUP Registration

SOLO Registration

When you have read it and filled out all information required please email it to ARMAGEDDON.COSPLAY@GMAIL.COM

Dates: Auckland - ASB Showgrounds - October 24-26th 2009 - ALL NEW VENUE BIGGER THAN EVER

Time:
11am Judging in the Animation Events room.
4pm Presentation to the public on the Main Stage.

Prizes:

Best in Show Auckland - Canon Eos 1000D WITH 18M-55MM lens pack, valued at $1199.00
Outstanding Performance Award - $50.00
Outstanding Technical Award - $50.00
Best Group - $100.00
Best Individual - $50.00

The winners of Melbourne and Auckland cosplay contests will then compete for the Trans-Tasman Cosplay Cup which will be presented after the Auckland show winners.

The judging for this will also take place before the presentation.

Regardless of a group or solo entry win there is ONE PRIZE PER CATEGORY. It is up to the winners as to how these prizes will be most fairly shared.

Cosplay

(Additional awards and honourable mentions may be given out as deemed appropriate by the judging team.)

The current judge is a twice winner of past Armageddon competitions and has many years of practical and theoretical costuming experience. The rest of the team are also made up of past winners of the contest and have been closely involved in many fan groups from anime to sci-fi and has attended Armageddon since it began

Rules

1 Registering:

Registrations must be received by email before midday Wednesday 22nd October.

Late entries handed in at the Armageddon booth by Midday Saturday 24th October will be accepted but no new forms will be available. Late entries must be as complete as online entries and incomplete forms will count against you in judging.

YOU MUST PRE-REGISTER TO TAKE PART IN THE CONTEST.

Note that there are two forms; one for solo entries and one for group entries. One group entry form per group only please.

Please complete the appropriate form and send it to ARMAGEDDON.COSPLAY@GMAIL.COM

1a) Registrations MUST BE FULLY COMPLETED and will determine the order of contestants.

1b) Once registrations are received you cannot change your costume.

1c) You MUST BE THE MAKER of the majority of your costume. If you received help this must be mentioned in your registration form. As a rough guide more than 70% of your costumes and props must be made or heavily adapted by members of your group.

NO COMMISSIONS- NO EXCEPTIONS.

1d) No past winning (Best in show, technical or performance awards, best in category) costumes or props or skits can be entered into the contest. Past winners are welcome to enter with all new costumes, props and performance pieces.

1e) You must PROVIDE ALL THE INFORMATION ASKED FOR, if you have questions about anything in the form please ask us at ARMAGEGEDDON.COSPLAY@GMAIL.COM before submitting your entry.

1f) In group entries everyone will be entered into the same division and it will be the average score that determines placing.
ALL MEMBERS OF THE GROUP MUST BE NAMED AND ALL WILL BE JUDGED. This means everyone including "extras".

1g) In a group everyone must have contributed equally towards skit and costumes- but each element can be shared as makes best use of skills each group member has.

1h) If you have not received confirmation from us by Wednesday evening please print and bring your forms and information to the Armageddon booth. It happens rarely but there have been instances of forms not getting through to the judges. All folders in the Armageddon Cosplay account are checked to make sure no forms have wound up in the spam folder but ISPs have also been known to not send or accept email as expected.

2 Time limits:

2a) Skits will be limited to 1 minute per solo skit and 2 minutes for groups. Be prepared for the judges to ask questions on how you made your costume outside of this time.

2b) You will be given a warning when you have reached the limit and if you do not stop when asked by the judges YOU WILL BE DISQUALIFIED. You will also be disqualified if you present a different skit on stage than in the judging round.

This limit is to allow all entries to present their skits in the time we have allotted on the main stage. We have had close to 50 entries (and more individuals than that) in the past and we simply cannot have long skits if we are to accommodate everyone.

3 Safety:

3a) Prop weapons cannot pose a risk to yourself, the organisers, the convention centre or the general public. So we ask that your props and weapons be made of materials that will not cause harm. This includes- but is not limited to- items that can cut or burn or are very heavy objects. No real weapons (including but not limited to air guns and training weapons) or metal prop weapons are allowed in the contest. There are many online tutorials and guides for how to make props on the forums of http://www.cosplay.com so if you feel unsure how to go about working within this rule please visit there first. Past contestants have used pre-made plastic toys as a base with papier mache, foam, Das, polymer clays, plastic piping etc. to build parts.

NO METAL PROPS AND REAL WEAPONS ON STAGE- NO EXCEPTIONS.

No projectile weapons, no pyrotechnics allowed.

3b) Large costume pieces must also pose no risk to the public so pre-test wearing the full costume to know how they will limit your movement through crowds. If you are very limited consider wearing those pieces only in the contest or for photos and carry them at all other times. Again http://www.cosplay.com has guides and tutorials for making armour and large costume pieces. Other sites for information would be http://www.alleycatscratch.com and many Star Wars fan sites. Please choose wisely for your own safety as some of these materials or methods can be harmful to your health.

3c) NO EXPLOSIVE OR INCENDIARY DEVICES TO BE USED- NO EXCEPTIONS.

3d) No mess is to be left on the stage or judging area after your skit. No messy skits will be accepted. This includes but is not limited to food items.

3e) Choose body make up/paint carefully. For your own safety and those at the convention please read as much information as you can about the various options. Do not choose anything that will stain other guests and attendees. Test your make up/paint before the contest so you understand how long it will take to apply and dry. There are many guides to how to choose make up and two of the best are http://fx.wikia.com/wiki/Special:Categories and http://cosplaywiki.org/index.php/Makeup
Many of the products are available here in New Zealand at art or specialty stores. Remember to chose wisely for your own safety as some pigments or paints can be toxic.

3f) The event is billed as a family friendly event but does attract a varied audience so please choose a costume you will feel comfortable wearing in a large and diverse crowd.

Please email ARMAGEDDON.COSPLAY@GMAIL.COM if you have any questions.

4 On the day:

4a) ONLY PRE-REGISTERED ENTRIES WILL BE SEEN.

4b) Judging begins at 11am and continues until all pre-registered contestants are seen. You MUST BE AT THE DOORS BEFORE 11am so everyone can be seated on time.

4c) You will be called into the judging room in the order we will view the entries. We will enforce the rules; if we have not received your entry YOU WILL NOT BE ADMITTED so make sure you have entered as per the rules above.

4d) The order we will see the entries is in the order of completed entries we receive. The presentation in public will follow the same order.

4e) Each convention centre has different temperature controls and settings so extra layers and some water may help make your wait more comfortable.

4f) Please set phones to silent or off while the judging takes place.

4g) While only contestants and authorised personal are permitted in the judging room a helper or guardian- where required- will be allowed. Please email us at ARMAGEDDON.COSPLAY@GMAIL.COM to let us know if you have any special requirements in this regard.

4h) You will need to provide your own method of playing any pre-recorded music. The presenters will have microphones and in the past hand held players have successfully been used in conjunction with these.

4g) In order to be fair to all contestants you will be asked to stay for the entire judging round- exceptions to this will be made for medical or special circumstances. Please let us know as soon as you can if allowances need to be made.

You will then be free to rest after the judging and before the presentation.

5 Main stage

5a) Be ready at the the main Stage at 3.50pm and be in the same order as you competed (numbers will be provided at the judging round) so that everyone is ready to present themselves or their skits from 4pm. The awards will be announced once everyone has been on the stage.

5b) Please note: ONLY PROPS, COSTUMES, SKITS AND PEOPLE PRESENTED IN THE COMPETITION ROUND WILL BE PERMITTED ON THE MAIN STAGE.

These rules and prizes are subject to change without notice. However where possible notification of such changes will be made here or in other appropriate media.

Decisions made by the Cosplay judges are final. No Exceptions. The Armageddon Cosplay organisers are not responsible for your lost forms or damage to you or your costume or damage caused by you or your costume.

Participation in the Cosplay Contest implies an understanding and acceptance of these rules and regulations. Please email ARMAGEDDON.COSPLAY@GMAIL.COM if you have any questions or concerns.

By neimhaille. 16/09/09, 04:02 am

SOLO REGISTRATION FORM

Contest (city and year):

Melbourne entries only: Is your passport valid for travel mentioned in the rules? Are you able to travel between those dates?:
If not please nominate a representaive and provide contact details so we can confirm and make arrangements with them should you win:

Your full name:

Your age:

Contact details:

Character you are cosplaying as:

Did you make the entire costume, if not, who helped and how did they help?:

Are you doing a skit?:

How long is your skit?:

Describe your character:

Describe the creation process of YOUR costume, be as descriptive as you can especially detailing how YOU made it and what from:

Why did you decide to cosplay as this character?:

If you have not attached images of your character please explain why. If it is a book character please quote any descriptions from the book/series describing the character and costume as you can:

**********
Before you send this form please make sure you reread the rules and have asked any questions you have needed to. A copy of the rules has been added to the bottom of this form.

Please note the times you need to be at each stage of the contest.

Also please send as many views of the original costume/character as you can. We need to know what it looks like front top to bottom, front side and back to make a fair comparisson.

In the subject header of your email please include the city you are entering to help speed the organisation process.

Please be as descriptive as you can when explaining how you made your costume. If you have any particular details in your work you would like the judges to make special note of please include that also. For example the inside of an item to show the structure or finishing technique.There is a limited time for judging so any information of this sort will help in the judging process.

**********
ARMAGEDDON.COSPLAY@GMAIL.COM

By neimhaille. 16/09/09, 04:02 am

GROUP REGISTRATION FORM

Contest (city and year):

Melbourne only: please nominate someone from your group to accept and take up the prize should you win. They must have a valid passport and be able to travel on those dates:
Their contact info:

Your group name:

Members of the group, names and ages:

Contact details:

Characters you are cosplaying as:

Who is responsible for each costume componant?:

Describe the creation process of YOUR costumes and props, be as descriptive as you can especially detailing who made what and how and what from:

Are you doing a skit?:

Please describe your skit and how long it is:

Describe your characters and any special interactions between them:

Why did you decide to cosplay as these characters?:

If you have not attached images of your characters please explain why. If they are book characters please quote any descriptions from the book/series describing the character and costume as you can:

**********
Before you send this form please make sure you reread the rules and have asked any questions you have needed to.

Please note the times you need to be at each stage of the contest.

Also please send as many views of the original costumes/characters as you can. We need to know what they look like front top to bottom, front, side and back to make a fair comparison.

In the subject header of your email please include the city you are entering to help speed the organisation process.

Please be as descriptive as you can when explaining how you made your costumes. If you have any particular details in your work you would like the judges to make special note of please include that also. For example the inside of an item to show the structure or finishing technique. There is a limited time for judging so any information of this sort will help in the judging process.

**********
ARMAGEDDON.COSPLAY@GMAIL.COM

By **JVCA**. 24/09/09, 04:06 pm

Question~! Is wood still a permitted material in prop building? C: Someone told me it wasn't allowed anymore, but rereading the rules I can't see that in there - but figured I'd ask and check anyway. Very Happy

**Guest** Guest

I must enter <3
Thanks for the reminder ^^

By **jpwise**. 24/09/09, 04:21 pm

JVCA wrote:: Question~! Is wood still a permitted material in prop building? C: Someone told me it wasn't allowed anymore, but rereading the rules I can't see that in there - but figured I'd ask and check anyway.

Speculative post is speculative: I'm 'guessing' if it's padded or used as a structural aid rather than exposed wood it would probably be OK. As far as I know it was the whole safety aspect (wooden swords at con aside). Hopefully michaela will clarify on the limits.

By **JVCA**. 24/09/09, 04:28 pm

Yeah, essentially I'm wanting to use a medieval shop wooden sword I bought a few years ago as a base for the sword for this costume. One would assume they'd be acceptable as they're sold at the con, but I figured it would be wiser to check, hahah.

By neimhaille. 26/09/09, 12:05 pm

Unfortunately as an official part of the event we don't have the same rules as for what can be worn/sold by the general public.

Wood is one of those discretionary materials where it has been taken one on one in the past however some people slipped through with very heavy wooden props which really are not safe.

Used to make parts of a prop it's ok and in small amounts (such as the stock of a small fake hand gun or some dowel for support). I don't want to ban wood outright as there are many different kinds.

I will email Bill and ask him specifically about the wooden swords, I know we discussed them a while back though as an example of though the exhibitors were allowed one thing the cosplayers weren't able to.

By Static. 26/09/09, 01:29 pm

Just a quick question, neimhaille: from what you said at judging earlier in the year, the information in the registration is becoming more and more inportant - is it better to delay registration slightly until you have as many progress/detail images as possible to attach with the form? I'm just remembereing how little time we had at Wellington...damn tiny judging room!

Hehe, just started to fill mine out and then realised I'm not even CLOSE to being finished...and a lot of the structural stuff is not easily flash-able in a judging room!

By **JVCA**. 26/09/09, 03:25 pm

@neimhaille: Thanks for that. n_n If it helps at all, the sword seems to be relatively light, and it's not terribly big - of the top of my head I'd say the blade is about half a metre long - it's a shortsword rather than a longsword. It would also be sheathed on a sword belt that sits very close to the body, so imho, would be very difficult for me to accidentally hit someone with it whilst crowd trawling, and would be equally as difficult for someone else to get a hold of without me realising. Just keep me posted on whether or not it's okay - the sooner the better though, naturally. If I have to find an alternative, then it'll be easier to find one sooner rather than later. :XP:

By Icarus. 26/09/09, 03:44 pm

@neimhaille: oh yea, I might have a wooden sword for the comp as well, I think its... just over a metre, I'll keep it sheathed if that helps

By **seraphik**. 26/09/09, 06:09 pm

i used balsa wood for kanda's mugen sword last year...

then again, balsa wood wouldn't hurt a fly.

By Winds-Of-Despair. 27/09/09, 08:38 am

Ummm I was wondering, in the rules it said about not using food or anything that causes a mess. So I wanted to know if I would be able to use faux cupcakes, these are going to be made out of foam, in my groups skit

By **JVCA**. 27/09/09, 09:53 am

I'm not a judge, so this is just speculation, but I would assume as long as it's not real food and you're not gunna break it up and leave 'foam crumbs' on the floor, then it would be fine.

By Tails. 29/09/09, 03:59 pm

Hey I was wondering, can a cosplay be entered into the comp of a character wearing an original outfit? I want to make an Angel!Chii for next Wellington Armageddon, the outfit is designed based on Chii's outfits, would this be okay or nay?

**Guest** Guest

today is wednesday the 21st of october you said entries were due in on wednesday the 22nd of October

By **JVCA**. 21/10/09, 07:34 am

Eh, typo I'm guessing. The regos are always due on a wednesday, so I'm guessing that the intention was for today to be the hand-in day.

**Guest** Guest

okay xD i read it and was like whattt? anyway we entered in ours last week anyway

By **JVCA**. 21/10/09, 07:36 am

...I entered ours at 4am this morning. 8D;;;

By Amura. 21/10/09, 07:47 am

I have 10mins to get mine in or I will be late for work...LOL

**Guest** Guest

wow ;w; thats dedication

By IcyRose. 21/10/09, 07:52 am

I feel prepared, I submitted mine on Sunday

By Mandie_Chan. 21/10/09, 07:58 am

lol... i still haven't sent mine in...

I've been asking Riven for help for what to write with mine (because I actually fail at writting stuffz) she's known all afternoon and yet still isn't putting any effort into it >_>
*gives her an evil glare while she's on Live journal*

**Guest** Guest

mine took me about 20 minutes D8

By Amura. 21/10/09, 08:26 am

Just sent mine ;D
I hope I get home from work before 8pm...:S

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