It's on the website and see below... Woot! Cosplay Information!
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Hey, Portcon Cosplayers! Welcome to another year of the good ol' Cosplay Masquerade, where we are celebrating PortConMaine's 10th Anniversary! ^^
We run two separate cosplay competitions here at Portcon. The first is the Cosplay Crafstmanship Competition, and the second is the Cosplay Maquerade. The following rules are for the Cosplay Masquerade only. Participation in the Crafstmanship Competition is not automatic upon entering the Masquerade - it requires a separate sign-up sheet and is judged at a separate time. If you want to compete on the accuracy and skill of your costume's construction, make sure to read the Craftsmanship Competition rules as well.
Portcon Cosplay Masquerade:
There are several categories in which participants in the Masquerade may win a special Portcon-style prize. They are:
- Best Group
- Best Skit
- Best Female
- Best Male
- Best In Show
- OMGWTFBBQ
Cosplayers may enter the Masquerade as individuals or groups, and do either a Skit or a Walk-on.
•A “Skit” is a polished and original performance involving two or more persons from any number of sources, running between one and two minutes in length. Though songs and music may be a part of your skit, we request that they not be in its entirety. (Example of a good song: Jiggly-puff singing the Jiggly-puff Song. A bad song: Random Opening Song #4, which is five minutes long and has nothing to do with your character.)
Sign-ups for skits begin at the end of April, and will continue either until our slots are filled, or until Saturday, June 18th, 2011. Due to time constraints, we can allow a maximum of twenty-five skits this year.
Those wishing to sign-up for a skit should send an e-mail to
portconcosplay@gmail.com between April 30, 2011 and June 18th, 2011. Sign-ups will be first come, first serve, though if need be there will be a waiting list. The e-mail should include:
1. The names of the cosplayers
2. The names of the cosplayers’ characters
3. The show or shows which the characters are from
4. Whether the cosplayers will need music/sound effects played during the skit
5. A copy of the script for the skit.
We ask that skit groups check-in with Cosplay HQ at the Info Desk as soon as possible after arrival at the con. They must check in by 11:00am on Saturday, June 25th, or they will be counted as a no-show. No-show spots will be given away, either to those on the waiting list, or to create more walk-on space.
Those on the skit waiting list will have a reserved spot as a walk-on space, so you are guaranteed to be able to at least participate. Those on the waiting list should also check in upon arrival, and check back by noon on Saturday at the latest, at which point a final decision will have been made as to their status.
Once again, please be sure that your skit is polished - that is, something which has been thought about and practiced prior to arrival at the con. Also, be sure that your act is appropriate to all ages, and follows the guidelines for PG-13 events in both language and general content.
•A “Walk-On” is a short presentation of your costume and character. Though speaking and acting are not requirements (feel free to just look pretty!), some element which showcases your character is encouraged, such as a special pose, catch phrase, etc. Walk-Ons MUST be less than a minute long; those looking for more space should examine the rules for Skits above. However, this still leaves plenty of time for one or two lines, a few jokes, a short song or an extremely short skit: feel free to be creative. ^^ Walk-ons may be done individually or as a group.
Walk-on sign-ups will occur at the con itself, and will run from 2:00pm - 3:00pm on Friday and from 9:00am - 11:00pm on Saturday, or until we run out of spaces. Please keep in mind that our limits are due to time constraints, and that each group shares a time slot; those who are unable to sign up individually should consider forming or joining a group in order to conserve space.
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All cosplayers must attend the Cosplay Line Up, which will begin at 2 PM (before the actual event), in order to participate. Anyone who does not arrive in time to line up will be considered a no-show. This goes for both Skits and Walk-Ons, so please be aware of when to show up.
Music as an accompaniment to a Walk-On or a Skit is acceptable. Music may only be submitted on a CD. Any music should be precut to two minutes or less, with a description within the script of when it should be cued. (For Walk-Ons, please keep music to under thirty seconds.) Bring music to the sign-ups, labeled with your name and your character’s name. Please be sure to also clarify which track number the sound clip is on when submitting it. Participants will be able to pick up their CDs after the event has ended on Saturday.
Some microphones will be provided.
Please keep in mind that this is a PG-13 event. We reserve the right to refuse or ask for corrections in those skit applications which forget this rule in their script, as well as to remove from the stage those who forget it during the event.
Also remember that the con will be crowded, and that PortConMaine requires Safety First. This means that none of your cosplay props or effects should be dangerous. All props will have to pass security’s inspection upon arrival at the con. If at any time they feel that your prop has become dangerous or is being used in a dangerous or inappropriate manner, they have the right to take it into custody. Also, while creating skits, please remember that the stage will be quite small, and that falling off is a possibility.
Beyond this, please be aware that we reserve the right to modify these rules as issues come up, and that the decisions of the Cosplay staff during the con itself will be the final word.
Any and all questions may be directed to
portconcosplay@gmail.comCraftsmanship Judging Information
This competition judges cosplays on the quality of their construction only- those looking for a chance to act as or showcase their character should look to the Masquerade rules above. Participation in the Crafstmanship Competition is not the same as participation in the Masquerade, and Cosplayers who do not wish to do not need to participate in both. However, sign-ups for each will be in the same place, and awards will be given at the same time, so that attendance at the Cosplay Masquerade itself is in fact necessary.
Because this competition is based on the creation of the costume itself, the cosplayer wearing the costume need not be the one entering the costume in this competition. However, the creator does need to be the one entering- thus if the costume is professionally made, it should not be entered. If multiple people worked on the costume, the judges must be told during judging.
There will be different categories based on the creators’ level of skill, ranging from novice to expert:
A Novice has never won any awards for cosplay at any other event, or has never cosplayed before. Please be aware that those with a lot of tailoring experience outside of cosplay may be moved out of this category.
A Journeyman has won up to 5 awards at cosplay competitions.
An Expert has won more than 5 awards for cosplay competitions.
Costumes are split into those which are Fanworks, that is, based on a game, anime or other character, and those which are Original Designs. They will also be split into costumes which were made individually, those which were a team effort, and those which were created out of found items. The Found Items category still requires that those pieces which were found were altered in some way by those creating the costume. There will also be a Prop category.
However, the most important rule for participation in the Craftsmanship Competition, is that the participant must have a picture of their character or original design to attach to the sign-up sheet. Although the judges can see how well the costume was made without this, they will in no way be able to judge the accuracy of the costume. All the work on the little details which can make or break a costume will go to waste. If a picture is not available at the time of sign-up, the competitor MUST have it by the time of judgment, or the judges will have to turn them away. Please keep in mind that the judges will need to keep this reference photo- pictures on laptops, palm pilots or other portable devices are not acceptable.
Craftsmanship Judging will take place on Saturday, June 25th, between 10:00 am and 1:00 pm. Awards will be given at the end of the Masquerade.
