Otakon 2012 Hall Costume Contest
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Hall Costume Contest 2012
The Hall Costume Contest is a craftsmanship only contest held at Otakon. There are two separate contests held during Otakon, one on Friday and one on Saturday, winners will be announced at the Masquerade Saturday night and participants will be able to walk across the stage at the First Mariner Arena to show off their hard work during the Masquerade. If you wish to compete in both Craftsmanship and Performance, we recommend you go over to the Masquerade page.
Why Participate?
For those who want to show off their awesome costuming skills without the stress of creating an entire performance. Also, the Best Overall winner(s)(highest score out of both Friday and Saturday) will receive a complementary membership to Otakon 2013.
Judging Categories
- Youth - individual or group consisting primarily of children 13 years of age and under, as well as their parents, guardians, or other individuals deemed appropriate by the Hall Costume Contest Coordinator. The the designer and the primary constructor of the costume must be 13
years of age or younger, as well as any model, unless otherwise approved by the Hall Costume Contest Coordinator. Parents are required to accompany children 13 years of age and younger during the Hall Costume Contest.
- Novice - contestants who have won zero or one major cosplay awards at any convention, excluding performance only awards.
- Journeyman - contestants who have won less than four major cosplay awards at any convention, excluding performance only awards.
- Craftsman - contestants who have won four or more major cosplay awards at any convention, excluding performance only awards.
Performance only awards no longer qualify towards your placement. Only awards for best overall (performance+craftsmanship) and craftsmanship only will qualify. If you have won two performance only awards at any convention and no craftsmanship or overall awards, you will still only qualify as a novice. This is because the Hall Costume Contest is a craftsmanship only contest and we want to make sure everyone is placed into their appropriate division for craftsmanship. If you have any questions about which division you fall into, please feel free to ask.
Full Rules
For full rules and regulations click here.
Registration
To register for the Hall Costume Contest click here. Registration for the 2012 contests will open on June 15, 2012 and end on July 1, 2012. An exact time will be announced as the date approaches. There is a limit of 35 slots for online registration. Registration may close early if all the slots have been filled. At-con registration will take place the morning of each contest at 10:30AM on Friday and at 9:45AM on Saturday in the Hall Costume Contest office, there will be an additional 15 adult slots (and 10 youth) that will be filled at con, along with a wait list to call those who are not within the first 15 to arrive each day. This is to help keep lines down and everyone waiting for hours. If you do end up on the wait list, a phone number you can answer at con will be needed and we will call if a slot becomes open on a first come first serve basis.
Release Forms
All participants will be required to sign a permission/release/waiver form to participate in the contest.
Minors under 18 years of age may participate in the Hall Costume Contest only if a permission/release form signed by the minor's legal guardian is provided. We highly encourage you to print out and sign the appropriate form(s) and bring them to check-in to expedite the process. Please make sure to print out and bring the correct waiver for the day you plan to participate.
Hall Costume Contest Adult Waiver
Hall Costume Contest Minor Waiver
Important! Forms will be collected when you check in for the Hall Costume Contest. This is the only time we will accept waivers. If signed waiver forms are not present for all members of your group, we will not check you in. We strongly recommend that you make prior arrangements on your own with your group members to ensure that all waiver forms are present when you check in.
Costume Eligibility
Costumers may not wear the same costume in both the Masquerade and Hall Costume Contest. You may also only enter the Hall Costume Contest once during the length of the convention.
Frequently Asked Questions
- I'm wearing a costume to Otakon, am I entered in the Hall Costume Contest?
- No. The Hall Costume Contest is an event at Otakon that you must register to participate in.
- I didn't make my costume. Can I still enter the Hall Costume Contest/participate in the Fashion Show?
- No. You will need to have made at least 85% of your costume on your own. Questions will be asked to verify the authenticity of your craftsmanship. If someone else made the costume, you may still model it, but the contest entrant (and one who will receive the prize) is the designer.
The designer must be present for all aspects of the contest, including the judging sessions and the Fashion Show (if they wish to have the costume appear in the Fashion Show). The only exception to this rule is the Youth category. Youths are permitted to have more help on their costume, although they still must have participated in the direct creation of it, or made at least 65% of it.
- No. You will need to have made at least 85% of your costume on your own. Questions will be asked to verify the authenticity of your craftsmanship. If someone else made the costume, you may still model it, but the contest entrant (and one who will receive the prize) is the designer.
- Can I enter an original costume/original variant of a character? What about a Gothic & Lolita dress, kimono, or other type of fashion/historical design?
- Original designs are not permitted because the lack of consistent reference materials makes it nearly impossible to judge accuracy. However, you are encouraged to show off your costumes/fashion in the hallways. Gothic and Lolita will only be permitted if it is a design from an anime or J-drama series, this includes brand designs for anime series, BUT you still need to make 85% of the costume yourself.
- Can I dress like my Dollfie and enter the Hall Costume Contest?
- Dollfies that come prebuilt (complete hair, eyes and clothing) may be cosplayed, but ones you build yourself or ball joint dolls from non Japanese manufacturers are not eligible. Please bring official photos from the manufacturer to prove that is how they are sold. As a reminder, the 85% rule still applies, even if your Dollfie is from a designer cross over (IE: Baby the Stars Shine Bright x Dollfie).
- I'm not sure what division I should enter in?
- Youth - individual or group consisting primarily of children 13 years of age and under, as well as their parents, guardians, or other individuals deemed appropriate by the Hall Costume Contest Coordinator. The the designer and the primary constructor of the costume must be 13 years of age or younger, as well as any model, unless otherwise approved by the Hall Costume Contest Coordinator.
- Novice - contestants who have won no more than two major cosplay awards at any convention, excluding performance only awards.
- Journeyman - contestants who have won no more than four major cosplay awards at any convention, excluding performance only awards.
- Craftsman - contestants who have won five or more major cosplay awards at any convention, excluding performance only awards.
- What are these new group roles and how do I know what I am?
- Designer – The person who does the majority of research, sketches, and material shopping. Oversees the project and uses their vision to bring the costume to life. This should be the group leader. The label "designer" does not refer to the artist that created the character, but rather to the member of the group who is carrying out the majority of the costume.
- Model – The person(s) wearing the costume for the group.
- Costume Construction – The person(s) who do the majority of the work physically creating the costume.
- Props/Accessories Construction – The person(s) who do the majority work on properties and accessories.
- Other – Any other person involved in the process, including assistants to help the model move safely around in the costume.
- I want to compete with my friends but your rules say only one costume can be judged per group, why can't I compete with my friends?
- The Hall Costume Contest focuses on costume construction skills and because of this it extremely difficult to judge a group of people who have different skill sets and costuming abilities. Even in the cases were a single person makes all the costumes for a group, four minutes is an extremely short period of time and in order to judge each costume to it's fullest potential. We need the full time to focus on the costume individually, rather than having a quick look at each costume and not being able to properly judged the craftsmanship.
- What do I need to bring to my judging session?
- All parts of the costume that you wish to be judged on MUST be with you at your judging session. We cannot judge any item that is missing, even if you have a photo of it. Reference materials are HIGHLY recommended. Print-outs are preferred. A good reference binder will show the front, back, sides; and close-ups of any detailed parts and props. It is also helpful to bring photos of you working on your costume, especially difficult or extremely detailed parts, although again this is not necessary. We will be keeping reference materials that are handed in at judging. Please do not bring art books or manga as your sole source of reference material, since the judges do look at the materials before giving their scores.
- What can I expect to happen at my judging session?
- Your judging session will last no more than four minutes. During this time, you will be given a chance to talk about how you made your costume, materials you used, and the time it took you to make it. Pictures will be taken of your costume that will be used during the judging process. Please be aware of your time. You will be warned at three minutes and stopped at four. It may help for you to practice talking about your costume in front of a few friends while they time you, leaving room for a question session at the end. Speak clearly and confidently, and try to cover details, rather than obvious parts. GOOD EXAMPLE: By using an enlarged version of the reference picture, I used jacquard fabric paint to copy the leaf design on the bodice. BAD EXAMPLE: I used paint on the bodice.
- How many people can enter as a Group?
- No more than six people may enter as a group, but each group will only be judged on a single costume. More people in the group will not increase judging time.
- I just want to walk across the stage, but I don't want to enter the contest. Can I do this?
- No. The cat walk during the Masquerade is for Hall Costume Contest participants only.
- What if I'm late for my judging time because of a completely unforeseen emergency, rather than carelessness or forgetfulness?
- You will be given your judging time upon check-in. A late arrival will result in your disqualification. Any appeals can be made to the Hall Costume Contest Coordinator. The decision of the Coordinator is final.
- Do all members of my group need waivers, even if they won't be in the catwalk?
- Yes, all members of the group must have waivers signed. This includes assistants and people that helped with the construction of the costume.
- What is the difference between the Hall Costume Contest and the Masquerade?
- The Hall Costume Contest is a competition that focuses solely on costume craftsmanship, while the Masquerade is a competition that focuses on costume craftsmanship as well as cosplayer performance and presentation.
