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Masquerade

The Masquerade is a staple of your AOD convention experience.

Sign-up and Con Information

1. To sign up for masquerade come to the cosplay office at AOD during open hours. Online sign ups are now closed.
2. All participants are required to submit a properly completed waiver to masquerade staff at the convention. If participants are under the age of 18 the waiver must also be signed by their parent or guardian. Masquerade staff may choose to verify either in person or by telephone that the parent or guardian has signed the waiver prior to allowing a minor to participate. MASQUERADE WAIVER AVAILABLE HERE.
3. At con signups will be open on Saturday January 30, 2010 from 10:00 am until 12:00 pm and from 1:00 pm until 4:00 pm or until there are no available spaces, whichever comes first. At this time please wear the costume you intend to enter in masquerade as we will be doing the construction judging at check-in rather than at the pre-meeting.
4. Each individual who signs up for masquerade prior to the convention must check in with the masquerade sign up desk by 4:00 pm January 30, 2010. At the time of check in the individual must present a con badge valid for the day of masquerade and a properly completed waiver. Also at this time any audio cds should be turned in. If there is any practical reason (for example, work, childcare, flight times) that you will be unable to check in by 4:00 pm on Saturday, please email cosplay@aodsf.org by January 28, 2010 to make other arrangements for check in.
5. Prior to masquerade on Saturday night there will be a required meeting for all participants at 6:30pm. Missing this meeting will result in disqualification. Only registered participants or those accompanying young child participants and approved press will be allowed in the room. Participants should appear at this meeting prepared for masquerade. During this meeting stage and seating instructions will be given. Masquerade staff highly recommends that participants eat in the afternoon before attending this meeting as there will probably not be an opportunity to leave before masquerade starts.
6. There will be a maximum of 40 entries in the masquerade due to time constraints

General Rules

1. All costumes entered in masquerade must meet the same decency guidelines as hall costumes.
2. All props used in masquerade must meet convention weapons policy guidelines.
3. All masquerade content must meet PG-13 guidelines. In addition to these basic guidelines, swearing and depiction of sexual acts is forbidden.
4. Costumes that have previously won major awards in best of show or for construction at other conventions may not compete for construction scores or awards. If you have any questions regarding how this may apply to your costume, please email us.
5. Professionally made or bought costumes may not compete for construction scores or awards. If you are unsure how this affects you, please email us. Found item costumes in which the wearer has gone shopping for individual articles of clothing to assemble a costume from do not qualify as bought costumes.
6. Participants costumes must be self-contained and not interfere with other participants or cause damage to other participants' costumes.
7. Costumes not worn by children age 12 and under that are competing for scores are to have been made primarily by either the wearer or another member of the wearer's group.
8. An entry may only contain a maximum of 8 people, regardless of number of unscored costumes. Depending on space and the performance, more members may be allowed with special permission.
9. Participants may only be part of one entry.
10. No jumping off the stage.
11. No incendiary devices, projectiles, silly string, or confetti.
12. Anything left on stage after your performance must be able to be cleaned up in under 15 seconds.
13. If at any time a participant causes a problem that cannot be easily resolved, we reserve the right to disqualify the participant from Masquerade. If further problems persist, it will result in the revocation of that participant's badge. The cost of registration will not be refunded, and the participant will be escorted from the convention grounds.

Walk-ons

1. Only individuals may do a walk-on. Group entries must do a presentation. If a group of costumers wishes to do a walk-on, all members must sign up as individual entries rather than as a single group entry.
2. Walk-ons will not receive a presentation score and are not eligible for presentation awards. However, their total scores will be weighted to allow for a fair opportunity to win best of show awards.
3. A walk-on may take no longer than 45 seconds.

Presentation Rules

1. All group entries will receive a presentation score. Therefore it is in the best interest of a group to decide prior to masquerade how they wish to present their costumes.
2. Presentations will be limited to 2 minutes and 30 seconds on stage. Entries are not required to make use of the full allotted time. Once the time limit is reached, any pre-recorded audio will be cut and participants will be escorted off the stage.
3. A live microphone on stage as well as the ability to play pre-recorded audio should be available to participants for the masquerade.
4. Any pre-recorded audio must be brought to the con in CD audio format. No other formats will be accepted. In the past we have attempted to play audio off iPods and other sources, but it was unreliable. For this reason, we only take CD audio format.

Children Age 12 and Under

1. Children age 12 and under are not required to have constructed their own costume. It may instead have been constructed by a parent or other adult. In the event that the costume wins a construction award, credit for construction will go to the person who made that costume.
2. Children age 12 and under must be accompanied backstage by their parent or guardian at all times. They may also be accompanied on stage by their parent or guardian if assistance is necessary, however the adult may not be part of a performance unless he or she has signed up as a masquerade participant.
3. All other rules still apply.

Scoring Policies and Proceedures

Construction Scoring

Construction Accuracy (100 points possible)

Construction Technical (100 points possible)

Construction Coolness (10 points possible)

Individual construction score is the average of the total construction scores awarded to the individual by each judge. Group construction score is the average of the individual contruction scores within the group.

Presentation Scoring

Presentation Concept (100 points possible)

Presentation Execution (100 points possible)

Presentation Audience Response (10 points possible)

Presentation score is the average of the total presentation scores awarded by each judge.

Scoring Exemptions

Unscored Costumes

1. A participant who feels their costume will negatively affect the score of the group may choose to opt out of construction scoring, and become an "unscored costume".
2. Professional made costumes, purchased costumes, and costumes that have previously won awards are automatically considered "unscored costumes".
3. If everyone in a group wishes to not be scored on construction, that entry will only be eligible for presentation awards.
4. Unscored costumes count toward the total number of people in the group.

Walk-ons

Awards

Questions and Concerns

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