KAUAI COMIC CONVENTION

COSPLAY CONTEST RULES 2019

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These rules are for all competitors in The Night Darling Kauai Cosplay Contest. If you are a cosplayer, but not interested in entering the contest, youʼre still welcome to show off your skills! Our cosplay guidelines give you an overview of what costumes are appropriate without all the details necessary for our costume contest entrants.

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1. Props Policy Below!

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2. ENTRY – Entry into the costume contest does not have an additional cost.

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3. ADVANCE REGISTRATION – There will be online registration for the costume contest. This will secure your spot as an entrant ahead of time.

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4. DAY-OF REGISTRATION – We will allow on-the-spot registration at the Night Darling Cosplay table. These spots will be awarded to entrants on a first come, first serve basis. Sign-ups start at 11 AM.

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5. JUDGING –

○  Judging will take place on Saturday, June 8th, 2018 (Upper and

Group Division) and (Keiki contest for children 13 and under) at 3:30 PM. All contestants are required to report to the Night Darling Booth at 3 PM and the contest will start promptly at 3:30 PM.

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○  Late contestants will be disqualified!

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○  Judges are allowed to see (but not touch!) your costume from all angles.

 

○  This is exclusively a costume contest. Feel free to pose or yell your favorite tagline, but no presentations or skits, etc. will be allowed.

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○  Only contestants and judges will be allowed in the judging area, but the public is free to look on and take photographs while judging is taking place.

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1. CATEGORIES – Entries will be separated into 3 categories:

 

● Individual Upper (MALE AND FEMALE) – All single individuals. Multiple individuals wearing a single, large costume will be entered as an individual. Female Category Ages 14 and up. Male Category Ages 14 and up.

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● Group – Groups of individuals are encouraged to stick to a common theme (e.g. villains) or game (e.g. characters from A Link to the Past .) etc. Groups will register for the contest under a single name. The prize will be awarded to the group leader, who will be solely responsible for splitting the prize among the group. Group maximum size of 10, ages may range due to group theme/category.

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● Keiki- Children 13 and under must be accompanied by an adult and sign the parent consent form portion of the cosplay sign up form. Parents must be present through the ENTIRE cosplay competition from start to finish. Parents will be responsible for the child's winnings after they have been awarded to the winners of the competition. Must be a legal parent/guardian to sign the consent form, brothers/sisters or relatives cannot sign the permission form for a child under 13 years of age.

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1. ELIGIBLE COSTUMES –

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○ Any individual can only enter the contest one time. An individual cannot enter as an individual AND as part of a group.

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○ Entrants are allowed to have an assistant help with last-minute repairs and preparations before the costume contest. Costume contest judges will do their best to accommodate contestants who need extra time due to emergencies and malfunctions, but in the interest of fairness, we cannot guarantee that any extra time will be allotted.

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1. INELIGIBLE COSTUMES –

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○ No glitter, confetti, pyrotechnics, live flame, or smoke generators of any kind are allowed at the Kauai Marriott Resort. Any costume that “makes a mess” will not be allowed.

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○ Costumes and props must be worn and carried with no risk of injury to people or property.

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○ No darkening of the complexion with make-up or otherwise to mimic another race than that of the cosplayer.

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○ The costume contest will be open to the public and observed by people of all ages. Excessive blood or gore, overly sexual, or otherwise inappropriate costumes will be ineligible for entry, and you may be asked to leave Kauai Marriott Resort and the convention. It should then go without saying: No Nudity! Please keep it tasteful!

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1. PHOTOGRAPHY – Pictures will be taken during judging of all participants. By entering the costume contest, you are agreeing to allow your image to be used in future advertising efforts.

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● JUDGES – All decisions of the costume contest judges are final.

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● CHANGES TO THE RULES – 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 on the Kauai Comic Convention Website and/or Facebook page. A complete set of current rules will be posted at the cosplay contest check-in tables on the days of competition, you can find the check in at the Night Darling Cosplay Booth.

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● JUDGING CRITERIA- All costumes will be judged on how much of the costume was handmade/made. Upper division/Groups will be judged on 60% of the costume being made. Keiki division will be judged on 30% of the costume being made. Judges will also be judging on how accurate your costume is to the character you pick to cosplay. The judges will be looking at the details and creativity of each costume.

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UNACCEPTABLE PROPS:

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Any item capable of firing projectiles will not be allowed. This includes airsoft guns, Nerf guns, water guns, BB and pellet guns, and others, as we deem appropriate.

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Costume props may include LIMITED MOVING PIECES. Any costume piece made from real gun parts, even parts now rendered inoperable, are not acceptable.

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No props designed to appear identical to real guns are allowed, whether they are made of appropriate materials or not. A Fallout cosplayer, for example, can bring a self-built plasma rifle. Leave the Chinese Assault Rifle at home!

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Although some costume props may include screws or small nails, absolutely no steel will be permitted. A steel sword, even blunt or secured permanently within a scabbard, will not be allowed. The same applies to morning stars, flails, etc. Any metal other than screws and nails for construction purposes will render your costume weapon inappropriate!

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Other non-metallic solid materials are not permitted either. Hard rubber, leather, fiberglass or the like can be just as dangerous as steel and are not allowed.

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No explosives or chemicals, including anything capable of “making a mess.”

ABSOLUTELY NO FIREWORKS!

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PERMITTED PROPS:

Costume or prop weapons, made of papier-mache, plaster of Paris, cloth, balsa wood, and other prop-grade materials.
Bows or crossbows, provided they are strung with string, twine, or some other non-weapon grade substitute. The bow must be capable of producing no pull when drawn. Arrows or bolts must be dull.

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The Kauai Comic Convention wants to provide maximum creativity to cosplayers while still keeping safety our top priority. Props will be removed from the premises when appropriate, but remember that the Kauai Comic Convention and Kauai Comic Convention staff have the right to remove individuals from the premises as well. When in doubt, our staff will err on the side of caution, and we expect cosplayers to do the same.