Revised: February 3, 2008

AUSA 2007 Cosplay

TENTATIVE

Saturday Schedule: Rehearsal Session: 11:30 AM - 1 PM
Workmanship Judging: 1 - 2:30 PM
Green Room Lineup: 4:30 ~ 5 PM
Cosplay starts at: 5:30 PM (~ 7 PM)
Judging break, with stage photos and Hall Costume Winners announcement
Cosplay Awards Ceremony ends by 8 PM

TIMES STILL SUBJECT TO CHANGE

Registration:

You may pre-register for Cosplay via email at cosplay@animeusa.org, or sign up Friday evening at the con.

The online pre-reg deadline will be one (1) week before the con.

Pre-registering will allow you to avoid the hassle of trying to sign up at the last minute at the con, and allow you to easily make changes to your entry right up until the pre-reg deadline.

Limited on-site registration will take place Friday evening, at about 8 PM, outside the Cosplay Events Room at the con. You must read and agree to the rules before registering.

The total number of entries accepted for this year's Cosplay will depend on the total number and type of entries, and their group sizes.

Once registered, entrants must attend rehearsal to check in, receive their lineup order, hand in any A/V materials, practice on the stage (optional), etc. Exceptions must be approved in advance by the Cosplay Coordinator.

Online entries will be notified by email if they are accepted. On-site entries will generally be first-come, first-accepted, although preference will be given to Youth entries.

All entrants must be paid members of the convention.

All entrants who require parental permission to attend the con due to age restrictions, must have parental permission to enter the Cosplay contest.

All Youth entries (ages 13 & under) must be accompanied by at least one (1) parent or legal guardian in the Green Room at all times.

Special requests for A/V, lineup order, etc should be made where indicated on the entry form; we will do our best to accommodate your requests, but can make no guarantees.

All entrants are required to read and understand all Cosplay-related rules, guidelines, and requirements. Please read everything carefully, because some rules have changed since last year!

Skill Divisions:

All entries are required to enter in the skill division appropriate to their experience. The Cosplay Coordinator will always be happy to assist single entrants and groups in determining the correct division to enter, if necessary.

The following criteria will apply:

Youth - Entrants up to and including 13 years old. If a group entry, all group members must be 13 or younger. Youth entries may be further subdivided by the Cosplay Coordinator based on whether a parent or relative made or helped make the costume(s), or whether they made it themselves.
Novice - All entrants in each group have won fewer than three (3) major prizes in a judged costume competition at any con.
Journeyman - Any entrant in the group has won three or more major prizes at the Novice level, or any prize at the Journeyman level.
Craftsman - Any entrant in the group has won three or more major awards at the Journeyman level, or any prize at the Craftsman level.
Open - No restrictions. Intended for those entrants who wish to move up from the Craftsman division. Will be combined with the Craftsman division if there are not enough entries to form a full division.

A major award is one that starts with the words "Best," "Most," "First," "Second," or "Judge's Choice."

Honorable Mentions, gag awards, lookalike contest awards, and hall costume awards will not count unless the entrant wants them to.

Entrants and groups are allowed to compete in a division higher than they're required to, at their option.

Groups are required to enter and compete at the level of their most experienced member.

If you opted up, competed, and won a major prize in a higher division in the past, you must enter in that division, its equivalent, or higher, at AUSA.

If any costume in your entry previously won a Best In Show or Best In (Division) at a different convention, you must enter in a higher division at AUSA.

Entries must be judged in the same division for workmanship (if they opt for workmanship judging) as they enter for presentation judging. There is no such thing as a two-division entry.

Entries attempting to "sandbag," or enter in a lower/easier division than required, will be disqualified, even after the contest is over, and may be banned from all future AUSA Cosplays and/or conventions.

A small number of entries "not in competition" may be accepted, although priority will always be given to judged entries.

The following criteria *may* be used to determine which entries will be accepted, in case too many entries are received for the time allotted in our schedule:

Completeness and accuracy of entry form data
Originality of concept
Variety of group sizes
Taste/rating
Past poor sportsmanship of entrants
Appropriateness to the theme and mission of AUSA

Judging and Awards:

Workmanship and presentation awards will be given separately by different panels of judges. Judges are free to present as many, or as few, awards as they see fit. Judges' decisions are final. Harassment of or intereference with Cosplay judges, whether before, during or after competition, will result in disqualification.

Workmanship judging is OPTIONAL, and will take place from 1 - 2:30 PM, after rehearsal, in the Cosplay Events Room. Each entrant opting for workmanship judging may be seen privately. The workmanship judges will judge as much of your costume as you decide, from a single prop, to one entrant's wig, to the entire group. Workmanship awards are traditionally given to individual costumers, but may be made to a group entry if all entrants opt for judging.

This year's workmanship judging panel will consist of one to three costumers who are guests of the convention.

Commissioned costumes, props, wigs, etc may not be submitted for workmanship judging. Violation of this rule will disqualify your entry, which can affect your entire group. There are no such restrictions on presentation-only entries, however.

Entrants are reminded to provide the workmanship judging panel with adequate hard-copy (paper) documentation in the form of reference pictures, screen shots, etc. Most entries will be judged as recreations. All judges will not be familiar with your favorite anime or game, and they will not have the time to watch reference videos. For those submitting Japanese-themed original costumes, such as historicals or EGL/EGA, reference materials would typically include authentic patterns, photos of actual Japanese costume (such as kimono), or books/magazines detailing the cultural reference(s).

Workmanship awards are traditionally given only to costumers who actually produce the work being judged. If you are modeling a costume produced by someone else in your group, plan to have them present at your workmanship judging.

This year, the Cosplay Coordinator's Award will be given to the individual or group entry that best embodies our theme this year, which is Sentai. So form those teams now! :>

General Rules and Guidelines

Cosplay entries should fall into one (or more) of the following categories: anime, manga, video games, JPop, EGL/EGA, or original. All entries should be based on Japanese sources, although "cameos" from other fandoms may be included.

Costumes may not be entered in this year's AUSA Cosplay if they were entered at AUSA in previous years, whether they won an award or not.

None of the following are allowed in AUSA Cosplay, and violations will result in disqualification:

Guns or props that fire objects
Live steel weapons with edges, such as shuriken or swords
Spray weapons, such as mace
Projectile weapons, such as bows or slingshots
Live flame, fireworks, flash paper, sparklers, or strobes (sealed flashbulbs may be used, however)
Electric weapons, such as tasers or cattle prods
Aerial acrobatics
Skits above a PG rating, including language and BGM
Nudity or partial nudity. Bathing suit areas must be covered. No costume is no costume!
Interaction with the MC, judges, or audience
Entering more than once, even as a "prop" for another skit
Entering a costume that was entered in this year's AUSA Hall Costume Contest
Falsifying entry form information
Messy props such as confetti, flowers, food or water
Severely exceeding the allowed time limit

Time Limits: Groups with 1 - 4 entrants will be allowed a maximum of 2 minutes onstage. Groups of 5 or more are permitted a maximum of 4 minutes onstage. Please plan accordingly.

Group size may be limited to an absolute maximum. We have no number in mind at the moment, but we'll let you know if your registered group is just too big. No more than ten (10) entrants from a group may be onstage at once.

When possible, specify tech cues (A/V) on the entry form, but entries will have a chance to discuss complicated music, lights, or other cues with tech crew at the rehearsal session. All BGM should be on a CD. It is unknown at this time if we will have the capability to project background stills or video during Cosplay; details will be announced later. Dialogue may be prerecorded if you prefer. Stage mikes (carry-on and/or floor pickup) should be available for your use.

All Cosplay participants implicitly grant permission to be photographed in connection with the AUSA Cosplay. The halftime judging break is expected to consist of an onstage photo op session as usual. Photos of entries may be used by AUSA for our website, publicity, etc.

All entries must be capable of going on and off stage without too much help. Stage access is by stairs, not ramp. Stage ninjas may be available to guide and steady you on and off stage, but not lift or support you or your costumes. All props must be taken off stage with you when you leave. (Don't make the Czarina make *you* lick the stage clean if you dirty or clutter it up.)

Any stage acrobatics, gymnastics, martial arts, or weapon/prop play (AKA stage fighting) must be okayed in advance by the Cosplay Coordinator, and finally approved during rehearsal.

Do not attempt to keep secrets from or surprise the Cosplay staff. We aren't going to leak your secrets in chat rooms or forums. Tell us everything so we can help you plan!

Cosplay entries can, have, and will be rejected by the Coordinator for reasons of safety, liability, oversize, lack of room, significant deviations from entry form data, violations of local or state laws, or violations of convention policy.

Finally, only the Cosplay Coordinator may make decisions in case of disputes over rules, eligibility, disqualification, lineup order and other special requests, etc. Her decisions are final. The Cosplay buck stops at the Czarina.

Before the Contest...

Contestants will assemble in the Green Room (Cosplay Events Room) from 30 - 60 minutes before the start of the contest, so staff can line your groups up in order.

Please observe the Green Room courtesy rules (which will be posted there, and are available below).

Only competitors and staff are allowed in the Cosplay Green Room. The sole exception is for minor children, who MUST be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

No photos in the Green Room, please. Take photos outside in the halls before or after the contest.

During the Contest...

Entries will be guided to the stage via hotel hallway in small groups by Cosplay staff.

We will try to have a live video feed with sound to the Green Room.

NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY by the audience during the contest! Flash photos will be allowed onstage during the judging break, when participants will be ushered back to the stage for photo ops by our lovely AUSA mascot, Kaede. When the photo ops are finished, the Hall Costume Contest Coordinator will announce their weekend winners.

Time limits will be enforced by the Cosplay staff and tech crew (lights out, sound off).

Entrants will go offstage and back to the Green Room after their presentation.

After the Contest...

Phew, you're done!

Feel free to hang in the Green Room after the contest, because entrants will get a special screening (instant replay!) of the entire contest there.

Green Room Courtesy Rules:

While you are in the Green Room, we ask that all members follow these simple rules, to ensure that everybody gets along (and that the Cosplay staff doesn't go insane). Thanks!

Eat beforehand! Limited light fare and water service will be available. Try not to bring food/drink with you, since it can cause spill/stain accidents.
Contestants ONLY in the Green Room. The sole exception: parents/guardians of minors MUST accompany them.
No photo-taking.
Please keep the noise down to a dull roar. Screaming is strongly discouraged. (It freaks the mundanes, frazzles your stage voice, and makes your neighborhood staffers less friendly.)
Please follow Cosplay staff directions at all times.
Please don't muck with other people's belongings, costumes, props, etc.
Please throw all trash, wrappers, water cups, etc into the trash cans provided.
Feel free to ask a Gofer or staffer for help eating and drinking if you're "facially challenged" (ie, heavy makeup, masks, big paws, etc)
Once you're lined up in order in the Green Room, remember your order, and try to stay lined up as much as possible.
Please be organized and on time for your final lineup call. If it's your turn to go on, and you or a member of your group is missing, you may not go on.
Please don't talk loudly in the hall backstage: The Audience Is Listening!
"Don't be mean... We don't have to be mean..."
No drugs or alcohol!
And finally, please remember to take all your stuff with you when you leave.




	Revised: February 3, 2008 AUSA 2007 Cosplay TENTATIVE Saturday Schedule: Rehearsal Session: 11:30 AM - 1 PM Workmanship Judging: 1 - 2:30 PM Green Room Lineup: 4:30 ~ 5 PM Cosplay starts at: 5:30 PM (~ 7 PM) Judging break, with stage photos and Hall Costume Winners announcement Cosplay Awards Ceremony ends by 8 PM TIMES STILL SUBJECT TO CHANGE Registration: You may pre-register for Cosplay via email at cosplay@animeusa.org, or sign up Friday evening at the con. The online pre-reg deadline will be one (1) week before the con. Pre-registering will allow you to avoid the hassle of trying to sign up at the last minute at the con, and allow you to easily make changes to your entry right up until the pre-reg deadline. Limited on-site registration will take place Friday evening, at about 8 PM, outside the Cosplay Events Room at the con. You must read and agree to the rules before registering. The total number of entries accepted for this year's Cosplay will depend on the total number and type of entries, and their group sizes. Once registered, entrants must attend rehearsal to check in, receive their lineup order, hand in any A/V materials, practice on the stage (optional), etc. Exceptions must be approved in advance by the Cosplay Coordinator. Online entries will be notified by email if they are accepted. On-site entries will generally be first-come, first-accepted, although preference will be given to Youth entries. All entrants must be paid members of the convention. All entrants who require parental permission to attend the con due to age restrictions, must have parental permission to enter the Cosplay contest. All Youth entries (ages 13 & under) must be accompanied by at least one (1) parent or legal guardian in the Green Room at all times. Special requests for A/V, lineup order, etc should be made where indicated on the entry form; we will do our best to accommodate your requests, but can make no guarantees. All entrants are required to read and understand all Cosplay-related rules, guidelines, and requirements. Please read everything carefully, because some rules have changed since last year! Skill Divisions: All entries are required to enter in the skill division appropriate to their experience. The Cosplay Coordinator will always be happy to assist single entrants and groups in determining the correct division to enter, if necessary. The following criteria will apply: Youth - Entrants up to and including 13 years old. If a group entry, all group members must be 13 or younger. Youth entries may be further subdivided by the Cosplay Coordinator based on whether a parent or relative made or helped make the costume(s), or whether they made it themselves. Novice - All entrants in each group have won fewer than three (3) major prizes in a judged costume competition at any con. Journeyman - Any entrant in the group has won three or more major prizes at the Novice level, or any prize at the Journeyman level. Craftsman - Any entrant in the group has won three or more major awards at the Journeyman level, or any prize at the Craftsman level. Open - No restrictions. Intended for those entrants who wish to move up from the Craftsman division. Will be combined with the Craftsman division if there are not enough entries to form a full division. A major award is one that starts with the words "Best," "Most," "First," "Second," or "Judge's Choice." Honorable Mentions, gag awards, lookalike contest awards, and hall costume awards will not count unless the entrant wants them to. Entrants and groups are allowed to compete in a division higher than they're required to, at their option. Groups are required to enter and compete at the level of their most experienced member. If you opted up, competed, and won a major prize in a higher division in the past, you must enter in that division, its equivalent, or higher, at AUSA. If any costume in your entry previously won a Best In Show or Best In (Division) at a different convention, you must enter in a higher division at AUSA. Entries must be judged in the same division for workmanship (if they opt for workmanship judging) as they enter for presentation judging. There is no such thing as a two-division entry. Entries attempting to "sandbag," or enter in a lower/easier division than required, will be disqualified, even after the contest is over, and may be banned from all future AUSA Cosplays and/or conventions. A small number of entries "not in competition" may be accepted, although priority will always be given to judged entries. The following criteria may be used to determine which entries will be accepted, in case too many entries are received for the time allotted in our schedule: Completeness and accuracy of entry form data Originality of concept Variety of group sizes Taste/rating Past poor sportsmanship of entrants Appropriateness to the theme and mission of AUSA Judging and Awards: Workmanship and presentation awards will be given separately by different panels of judges. Judges are free to present as many, or as few, awards as they see fit. Judges' decisions are final. Harassment of or intereference with Cosplay judges, whether before, during or after competition, will result in disqualification. Workmanship judging is OPTIONAL, and will take place from 1 - 2:30 PM, after rehearsal, in the Cosplay Events Room. Each entrant opting for workmanship judging may be seen privately. The workmanship judges will judge as much of your costume as you decide, from a single prop, to one entrant's wig, to the entire group. Workmanship awards are traditionally given to individual costumers, but may be made to a group entry if all entrants opt for judging. This year's workmanship judging panel will consist of one to three costumers who are guests of the convention. Commissioned costumes, props, wigs, etc may not be submitted for workmanship judging. Violation of this rule will disqualify your entry, which can affect your entire group. There are no such restrictions on presentation-only entries, however. Entrants are reminded to provide the workmanship judging panel with adequate hard-copy (paper) documentation in the form of reference pictures, screen shots, etc. Most entries will be judged as recreations. All judges will not be familiar with your favorite anime or game, and they will not have the time to watch reference videos. For those submitting Japanese-themed original costumes, such as historicals or EGL/EGA, reference materials would typically include authentic patterns, photos of actual Japanese costume (such as kimono), or books/magazines detailing the cultural reference(s). Workmanship awards are traditionally given only to costumers who actually produce the work being judged. If you are modeling a costume produced by someone else in your group, plan to have them present at your workmanship judging. This year, the Cosplay Coordinator's Award will be given to the individual or group entry that best embodies our theme this year, which is Sentai. So form those teams now! :> General Rules and Guidelines Cosplay entries should fall into one (or more) of the following categories: anime, manga, video games, JPop, EGL/EGA, or original. All entries should be based on Japanese sources, although "cameos" from other fandoms may be included. Costumes may not be entered in this year's AUSA Cosplay if they were entered at AUSA in previous years, whether they won an award or not. None of the following are allowed in AUSA Cosplay, and violations will result in disqualification: Guns or props that fire objects Live steel weapons with edges, such as shuriken or swords Spray weapons, such as mace Projectile weapons, such as bows or slingshots Live flame, fireworks, flash paper, sparklers, or strobes (sealed flashbulbs may be used, however) Electric weapons, such as tasers or cattle prods Aerial acrobatics Skits above a PG rating, including language and BGM Nudity or partial nudity. Bathing suit areas must be covered. No costume is no costume! Interaction with the MC, judges, or audience Entering more than once, even as a "prop" for another skit Entering a costume that was entered in this year's AUSA Hall Costume Contest Falsifying entry form information Messy props such as confetti, flowers, food or water Severely exceeding the allowed time limit Time Limits: Groups with 1 - 4 entrants will be allowed a maximum of 2 minutes onstage. Groups of 5 or more are permitted a maximum of 4 minutes onstage. Please plan accordingly. Group size may be limited to an absolute maximum. We have no number in mind at the moment, but we'll let you know if your registered group is just too big. No more than ten (10) entrants from a group may be onstage at once. When possible, specify tech cues (A/V) on the entry form, but entries will have a chance to discuss complicated music, lights, or other cues with tech crew at the rehearsal session. All BGM should be on a CD. It is unknown at this time if we will have the capability to project background stills or video during Cosplay; details will be announced later. Dialogue may be prerecorded if you prefer. Stage mikes (carry-on and/or floor pickup) should be available for your use. All Cosplay participants implicitly grant permission to be photographed in connection with the AUSA Cosplay. The halftime judging break is expected to consist of an onstage photo op session as usual. Photos of entries may be used by AUSA for our website, publicity, etc. All entries must be capable of going on and off stage without too much help. Stage access is by stairs, not ramp. Stage ninjas may be available to guide and steady you on and off stage, but not lift or support you or your costumes. All props must be taken off stage with you when you leave. (Don't make the Czarina make you lick the stage clean if you dirty or clutter it up.) Any stage acrobatics, gymnastics, martial arts, or weapon/prop play (AKA stage fighting) must be okayed in advance by the Cosplay Coordinator, and finally approved during rehearsal. Do not attempt to keep secrets from or surprise the Cosplay staff. We aren't going to leak your secrets in chat rooms or forums. Tell us everything so we can help you plan! Cosplay entries can, have, and will be rejected by the Coordinator for reasons of safety, liability, oversize, lack of room, significant deviations from entry form data, violations of local or state laws, or violations of convention policy. Finally, only the Cosplay Coordinator may make decisions in case of disputes over rules, eligibility, disqualification, lineup order and other special requests, etc. Her decisions are final. The Cosplay buck stops at the Czarina. Before the Contest... Contestants will assemble in the Green Room (Cosplay Events Room) from 30 - 60 minutes before the start of the contest, so staff can line your groups up in order. Please observe the Green Room courtesy rules (which will be posted there, and are available below). Only competitors and staff are allowed in the Cosplay Green Room. The sole exception is for minor children, who MUST be accompanied by a parent or guardian. No photos in the Green Room, please. Take photos outside in the halls before or after the contest. During the Contest... Entries will be guided to the stage via hotel hallway in small groups by Cosplay staff. We will try to have a live video feed with sound to the Green Room. NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY by the audience during the contest! Flash photos will be allowed onstage during the judging break, when participants will be ushered back to the stage for photo ops by our lovely AUSA mascot, Kaede. When the photo ops are finished, the Hall Costume Contest Coordinator will announce their weekend winners. Time limits will be enforced by the Cosplay staff and tech crew (lights out, sound off). Entrants will go offstage and back to the Green Room after their presentation. After the Contest... Phew, you're done! Feel free to hang in the Green Room after the contest, because entrants will get a special screening (instant replay!) of the entire contest there. Green Room Courtesy Rules: While you are in the Green Room, we ask that all members follow these simple rules, to ensure that everybody gets along (and that the Cosplay staff doesn't go insane). Thanks! Eat beforehand! Limited light fare and water service will be available. Try not to bring food/drink with you, since it can cause spill/stain accidents. Contestants ONLY in the Green Room. The sole exception: parents/guardians of minors MUST accompany them. No photo-taking. Please keep the noise down to a dull roar. Screaming is strongly discouraged. (It freaks the mundanes, frazzles your stage voice, and makes your neighborhood staffers less friendly.) Please follow Cosplay staff directions at all times. Please don't muck with other people's belongings, costumes, props, etc. Please throw all trash, wrappers, water cups, etc into the trash cans provided. Feel free to ask a Gofer or staffer for help eating and drinking if you're "facially challenged" (ie, heavy makeup, masks, big paws, etc) Once you're lined up in order in the Green Room, remember your order, and try to stay lined up as much as possible. Please be organized and on time for your final lineup call. If it's your turn to go on, and you or a member of your group is missing, you may not go on. Please don't talk loudly in the hall backstage: The Audience Is Listening! "Don't be mean... We don't have to be mean..." No drugs or alcohol! And finally, please remember to take all your stuff with you when you leave.