C O S P L A Y

What is it? Cosplay is generally defined as dressing up as a character or object from a movie, series or other pop culture reference. Some cosplayers also form groups with a common theme of dress (ie: all from the same series) and act out a scene they make up themselves. ConBust 2004 will hold a Cosplay contest, however, we will not have time for everyone to act out scenes; the contest will be based solely on the costume aspect of cosplay. However, if you would like to act out a scene, we would enjoy watching you. You will have 2 minutes per person in the group for a short skit. If you exceed this limit, the judges will be forced to expel you or your group from the cosplay competition for that day. Contestants will be judged by a panel on how close their costume is to the costume in the anime, movie, tv series, manga or other visual references. When Cosplay judging will occur on each day of the con. There will be an hour scheduled for Friday, and 2 hours on Saturday and an hour on Sunday afternoon. Friday The call is at 9pm. We will be judging from 9-10pm. Be in line to get judged between 9pm and 9:10pm. Saturday The call is at 6pm. We will be judging from 6-8 pm. If you wish to have your costume judged, be in line between 6 and 6:30 Sunday The call for judging will be at 12 pm. Judging will occur between 12 and 1 pm. Please be in line to get your costume judged by 12:10. Where Contestants will form an orderly line on the wall and out the door of Seelye 206. We encourage audiences for the judging, come see all the cool costumes that are being worn at ConBust! You don’t need to wait in line to watch, come right in and take a seat! Rules 1. Weapons - No live weapons as part of your costume. This means no guns, knives, swords, spears, halberds or anything with a sharp edge or can work as a projectile. If your costume requires one of these items to be complete, please feel free to make a replacement for said item out of less dangerous materials. Cardboard wrapped in smoothed out tin-foil can make good knives. Find ways around this. Judges will be understanding towards your inhibitions of using live weapons. Participants caught with live objects will be thrown out of the con. No exceptions (ok, 1 exception. Staffs will be allowed if they pass a judging inspection. You must undergo inspection in order to carry a staff.). 2. General dress - Dress appropriately. The Judges understand that many outfits in science fiction/ fantasy/anime/manga are not at all discrete, but we’re asking that you dress as you would if there were to be 4-year olds at the con. Please cover anything that a bathing suit (not a thong or string bikini though) would cover (though we’d prefer if you wore a bit more than that, we’re trusting you, here), however, please keep in mind that the con is in April in Massachusetts and that it will be a bit chilly. Dress accordingly. 3. Wings and stick-y out-y things – Many costumes may require wings or other things that stick out away from your body. You will be allowed to wear these, but we ask that wings not be larger than 4 feet and not come out from your body more than 3 feet on each side of your body. Understand that this is the absolute maximum and that any larger and you may have trouble navigating the con, and your costume may get ruined by crowds in the hallways. If your costume requires something else or you are unsure about a particular aspect of your costume, contact Cosplay Judge Misti Judging 1. Cosplay is just for fun. Please don’t hurt yourself making your costume. It’s not that serious. 2. The judges demand that you bring a photo, computer print-out, or picture of your character in the costume you’ve chosen to emulate. This makes the judges’ jobs a lot easier, especially if you choose a character that is not well-known. We’ll love you even more if you have pictures from multiple angles, particularly from the front and from the back. 3. All costumes will be photographed for later judicial deliberation. Actual deliberation is not open to the public. 4. Awards – Costumes that are decided for awards will be given a certificate at the end of Sunday’s judging. If you cannot be present at this time, we will ask you when you are being judged to leave your address where we can send your certificate.         There are many types of costumes. Don’t forget these which are often left behind at Cosplay Contests.         Fuzzies - please note that this category includes all animal friends, not just fuzzy ones, but is reserved for non-humanoids such as pokemon, cabbits, dragons, and un-identifiable things such as Makona and Menchi         Groups – If you came to the con with other people and made your costumes in a theme, or group, you can be judged as a group. Groups must appear before the judges together with all members present. Each individual may also enter separately in the other categories.          Awards will be given out from 4-5pm on Sunday during Milk and Cookies. You should be there to cheer our winners on. Or, if you’re the winner, you should be there to gracefully accept your award! 5. There are 3 days of Con! Wear a different costume each day! We encourage creativity and you will be allowed to enter each costume into the cosplay competition. So don’t be shy! 6. Plushies are great and can really add to your costume if it pertains to it. However, please note that judges will judge you on your costume only, and plushies (unless you made them yourself) will not be accepted as a part of your costume. Contact We’re totally approachable! If you have any questions concerning the cosplay competition, feel free to contact us! Lauren Rizzo Box 8489 1 Chapin Way Northampton, MA 01063 Mistifi246@yahoo.com, lrizzo@email.smith.edu