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Cosplay Contest

Ikkicon will operate under the following rules when conducting the Cosplay contest.

Cosplay Competition Rules

Class System

Ikkicon is going to implement a Two Class competition system for Craftsmanship, Performance, and Walk-On judging. This is to ensure fairness in competition that is otherwise not seen at most cosplay-related events seen in the State of Texas. It is HIGHLY important that all potential entries read and understand the layout of this system. This system is a bit of an experiment, so if you have any questions at all, we strongly encourage you to ask away.

Novice: This is the class for first time costumers or people who have been costuming for less than a year with no major awards (Judge’s Awards are not counted). They will have their own award category for all three major judgments. If you have been costuming for over a year and are not perfectly confident in your skill, please discuss this with us so we might negotiate your placement in this category.

Open: This is the class for all cosplayers whom have been cosplaying for some time or have won major awards. They will have their own award category in all three major judgments. There may be some who do not fulfill the normal requirements of Open placed in this category if the directors and judges feel you should be competing at this level given situations where a first time costumer is able to produce a higher level craft (it has happened, we promise). Unfortunately, based upon lack entries from previous conventions, there will not be an Open division for skits.

Basic Rules for the Stage

As a note, all Skit entries will be pre-screened before being allowed on stage. Signing up for the show does not guarantee you a place in the show. Pre-screening means we will be going through skits for content that doesn’t apply to our rules or for things that might go over time. We require a SCRIPT FROM ALL SKIT ENTRIES, recorded or not, to be turned in AT THE TIME OF ENTRY. If your skit has audio, please turn the CD in with your entry form and script.

  1. Content: We expect all stage entries, both walk ons and skits, to ensure their entry maintains a TV-PG rating (not how PG is defined for film, but for television). To quote Wikipedia

    TV-PG (Unsuitable for young children)

    This rating signifies that the program is unsuitable for younger children without the guidance of a parent. Some game shows are rated TV-PG, including Deal or No Deal, The Power of 10, 1 vs. 100, early episodes of Futurama, Family Feud (current episodes) and Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader & Run’s House, mainly for their suggestive dialog. Most reality shows are rated TV-PG, including Supernanny, Wife Swap, Kid Nation, and American Idol, for their suggestive dialog or coarse language. Sitcoms such as Everybody Loves Raymond, The Steve Harvey Show, The Simpsons, and Seinfeld also usually will carry a TV-PG rating. Also some unamericanized anime sometimes receives this rating such as Princess Tutu, One Piece (the FUNimation version, though some episodes are rated TV-Y7-FV), Naruto and Kodocha. Some feature films originally rated PG-13 are edited for network or basic cable and are rated TV-PG. Despite edits, all episodes of the show Naruto are given a TV-PG rating. Some shows may skip over from TV-PG to TV-14 between episodes, such as House or 30 Rock, in some rare instances when switching networks as well.

    Basically, if it can’t air on Toonami, then it won’t fly on our stage. This rule applies to ALL ENTRIES.

  2. Time: Skits are allowed four minutes. You are not allowed any more, and are encouraged to take less. We strongly suggest your skit use pre-recorded audio to ensure the smooth running of the show. We only have two hours to work with, after all. Skits that go over time will be disqualified and removed from the stage.
  3. Stunts: Any choreographed fighting or stunts must be done at 3/4s speed and jumping/tumbling, while not against the rules, is discouraged. You will not be counted against for jumping/tumbling, but for your safety we’d rather you did not. Please discuss it with the directors if you plan to do any of this.
  4. Karaoke: Basically, no. There’s other events for this.
    1. We are limiting skits/performances containing pre-choreographed dances (such as the Caramelldansen and Hare Hare Yukai) in order to promote original content. If you’re going to be doing a pre-choreographed dance from something such as Idol Master, please run it by us first.
  5. Cleanliness: Anything that goes on stage with you leave with you. Do not bring any sort of particle/fluid/other projectile on stage with you. It is not our responsibility to clean up after your performance.
  6. Bulky Costumes: Please inform us ahead of time if your costume is difficult to move around in so we can make proper accommodations. We are willing to do almost anything in order to allow an amazing costume on stage so please talk to us!
  7. Craftsmanship: This year’s director endorses a ’50%’ rule on craftsmanship that means at least half of your costume must be your own work and not just bought/found. Plain clothes costumes, unless made by you, will not be allowed as entries. We are willing to make exceptions to this rule for skits, or if the accompanying accessories/props constitute over 50% of the costume itself (An example would be Light Yagami of Death Note with the infamous scythe from the manga cover). Please do not lie to the judges or cosplay staff about this. We won’t hold anything against you if you didn’t make your costume, you just will not be eligible for anything other than judges awards or performance awards.
  8. Group size limits: We are limiting the amount of people on stage to 12, SO LONG as there is not a crowding issue, and all members can be seen. You may have more than that in your group, but not on stage at a single time. Depending on the dimension of the stage itself, this MAY change to allow more or less.

Awards for Stage

There will be several awards presented at the Ikkicon Cosplay Show. The following are brief descriptions of each:

Judge’s Award: These are the personal awards of each judge that they may present to whomever they wish. Class does not mean anything here and the qualifications of the award are dependent entirely on the judge presenting it. There will be 5, one for each Judge.

Best Performance (Walk-On): There will be an award for both the Open and Novice class for this category. This will be based entirely on an entry’s ability to command the stage and entertain the audience with both posing and stage presence.

Best Performance (Skit): This will be based on the quality and execution of a skit entry, given their ability to execute their performance as well as entertain the audience and keep people excited about their entry. This applies to all skits, be they dance numbers, dramatic scenes, or comedic sketches.

Best Craftsmanship: Both Novice and Open will have their own awards here as well. This award is based purely on the skill of your craft and performance is not factored in at all. Excellence in costuming as well as prop/accessory construction will be looked at here.

Best in Class: Basically, there will be two Runner Up awards for Best In Show based on Class, and these are it. See below for Best in Show.

Best in Show: This is a category that both Novice and Open will compete for. This will be awarded to the entry that shows the best examples of both craftsmanship and performance together. This is considered the top award in the show.