Section I. General Cosplay Skit Rules
[list][*]All Cosplay Skit participants must be members of AnimeFest 2017. Your badge must be present and visible at all times.
[*]Your costume must adhere to the AnimeFest Dress Code Policy.
[*]No costume is NO COSTUME.
[*]Per the Dress Code Policy, you must wear shoes at all times even if your character does not wear shoes. Please bring something as simple as a flat or even a pair of tennis shoes that you might have. This will not be counted against you in the judging process. You may, however, remove your shoes for your on stage performance.
[*]This event is for skits only. A skit is defined as a short, theatrical piece or performance. Fully choreographed dance skits are permitted, however must be original and reviewed by the Cosplay Manager in order to be accepted.
[*]There will be no walk-ons, they will show their costumes during the competition for the Cosplay Runway segment.
[*]At least 50% of the group’s costumes must pertain to Anime, Manga or Video Games and originate from one of these sources in order to be entered into the event.
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[*]For example, Adventure Time, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Hunger Games, My Little Pony, etc… did not originate from one of the above sources. However, for instance, if you have a group of 4, two of which are cosplaying from My Little Pony, two of which are cosplaying from Borderlands, this qualifies.
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[*]You MUST be able to move/walk primarily on your own in your costume. AnimeFest believes that cosplaying involves behaving like a character while wearing your costume, not being a costume mannequin.
[*]Please remember AnimeFest is a family convention. Skits must be within the the PG to TV-14 range. You can find more about the movie rating system at The Motion Picture Association of America and the TV guidelines on TV Parental Guidelines.
[*]You will have an approximate amount of usable stage space that is 20 by 25 feet. Please keep this in mind in preparing your skit.
[*]If you have any props in which you are going to use on stage, please make sure to clean up after yourself or hire a speedy stage ninja.
[*]No flash pots, explosives, fire, smoke, fog, or mist of any kind.
[*]No real weapons of any kind. Please read the convention Weapon Policy. If you have questions regarding the Weapon Policy specifically, please email safety@animefest.org
[*]No more than 8 people on the stage for skits. You may trade players by having one walk off and another walk on, but no more than 8 at any one time. Exceptions may be made for stage ninjas but please contact the Cosplay Staff for more information and accommodations.
[*]No microphones will be provided. All audio must be pre-recorded via cd, or .mp3/.mp4. All audio must be clear and understandable. Please ensure if providing a cd at the convention that your track is clearly marked when turned in.
[*]Individual and/or group acts have 5 minutes. If you go over your time, you will be asked to leave the stage and may be disqualified.
[*]If you do have bulky props and need accommodations for rehearsal preparations, please notify the Cosplay Staff in advance.
[*]You are permitted to enter into Cosplay Runway or Cosplay Skit Contest, but not both. If you are participating in the Cosplay Skit Contest, you may enter the same cosplay for Hall Cosplay, since the competition does not rely upon the craftsmanship of your costume. However, you may not enter the same cosplay from Cosplay Runway into Hall Cosplay and vice versa.[/list]
The AnimeFest Cosplay Staff reserves the right to disqualify anyone for any reason deemed sufficient.
Section II. Rehearsal Rules and Regulations
[list][*]There will be a mandatory dress rehearsal at The Majestic the day of the Cosplay Skit Competition. Check with the Cosplay Staff if you need accommodations due to a bulky costume, hours’ worth of body paint for the event, etc...
[*]Bring a script if you are unsure about the rating of your skit.
[*]Please be on time for your run-through; failure to show may disqualify you from the Cosplay Skit Contest.
[*]At the rehearsal, you will be issued information for your entry arrangements.
[*]Please do not throw anything onto the stage or at the audience. We WILL make you clean it up and it could also potentially get you removed from the convention.
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Section III. Divisions
There will be two divisions when filling out the Cosplay Skit form and they will be as follows:[list]
[*]OPEN
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[*]This category is intended for skits with novice to intermediate experience.
[*]The individual and/or group could not have collectively won more than three minor awards and/or two major awards at previous conventions.
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[*]MASTERS
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[*]The master category is intended for people with extensive experience in skit performance and theatrical arts, or for those that have won multiple awards off skit/theatrical performances at previous conventions.
[*]Anyone may register for this division.
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Craftsmanship only awards are not calculated in your Cosplay Skit Contest division. Awards of ranking commonly include Best in Show, Best in Division, Best Performance, or First Place, Second Place, etc. These types of ranking in a performance type of cosplay competition are considered “major awards.” Honorable Mentions, Judges’ Awards and/or other similar forms of recognition are not considered “major awards”, but “minor awards.”
An entrant’s appropriate division will be determined by the awards won by 50% or more of the group. As an example, if an entry consists of 3 participants, one participant has zero performance awards, and two participants have three major performance awards won, your group would be placed in the Masters Division.
If the Judges, Cosplay Manager, or Director feel that you should be placed in a higher division based upon your performance and/or history, you may be moved to a different division than for which you had applied.
Section IV. Awards
[list][*]GRAND PRIZE
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[*]The group/individual must display an exceptional monologue/dialogue as well as innovation of props, accessories, or movements that help identify the settings. Only one Grand Prize award will be given with a cash prize of $400.[/list][/list]
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[*]FIRST PLACE
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[*]There will be one of these awards for each of the two divisions, dependent on number of entries to the two divisions.[/list][/list]
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[*]JUDGE AWARD/HONORABLE MENTION
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[*]An award in which the judges give a group/individual that displayed great skills on their particular performance.[/list][/list]
Additional awards may be created at the convention itself at the discretion of the Judges, Cosplay Manager and Director.
Awards are announced after the conclusion of the event. All amounts listed are the total amount for that prize regardless of the number of members in an entry. All prizes must be picked up after the conclusion of the event, otherwise prizes will be forfeited.
Section V. Entry Form
[list][*]Please find your applicable checklist which will also link you to the correct form: DETAILS HERE.
[*]We would encourage that in your application, you submit pictures of the character you are portraying in order to help the judges.
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Section VI. Other
Q: Where is this Cosplay HQ you speak of?The Cosplay HQ is on the 2nd floor of the hotel side in Pearl 1.
Q: What is Cosplay HQ's hours of operation?
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[*]Thursday: 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm
[*]Friday: 10:00 am - 10:00 pm
[*]Saturday: 9:30 am - 5:00 pm
[*]Sunday: Closed
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Please remember to use common sense. We want everyone to have a good time, so please respect the rules, other cosplayers, hotel and The Majestic.
While no changes to these rules are foreseen, certain circumstances may require that the rules be changed. Any changes to the rules will be noted in bold red print. A complete set of the rules will be available at Cosplay HQ throughout the convention.
If you have any further questions, please contact the Cosplay Staff at cosplay@animefest.org