COSTUME CONTEST
*Please read the Rules and Regulations before registering
Welcome to the Alamo City Comic Con costume contest! In our 6th year of continued excellence and bringing the best in quality services, the costume contest is no exception.
This year we will be transitioning towards a contest governed by International Costumers’ Guild Guidelines. The intent of the guidelines is to promote equitable competition in a diverse group of costumes from varying fandoms. The tier system is designed to promote fairness and recognize differences in experience levels. The goal of the awards is to recognize excellence at those differing skill levels.
Our costume contest will consist of three tiers of adult cosplay expertise that require registration prior to the event, a youth tier that requires registration prior to the event, a group tier that requires registration prior to the event, and a tier devoted to those cosplayers that have not pre-registered and secured a prejudging time slot. Information about each tier is provided in a link below.
With Alamo City Comic Con taking place at the end of October, there is plenty of time to prep your costumes, pre-register for prejudging time slots, and practice your on stage presence for the audience at large with finesse and show-stopping swagger. We look forward to all of your wonderful ideas and cannot wait to see what you bring to our costume contest the day of the event.
Those wishing to participate in the costume contest will each be given a maximum of 30 seconds for their presentation from start to finish. Contestants will be judged on preparation/ research and development, craftsmanship, stage presentation, and creativity.
Eligibility for Entrance into Costume Contest:
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All contestants must have a paid admission into Alamo City Comic Con on the day of the event.
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All costumes must abide by general comic convention cosplay rules.
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All contestants must check in at the Costume Contest table.
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Content should not go beyond a PG-13, as Alamo City Comic Con is family friendly. Offensive language of any kind is not allowed - no racial or sexual epithets; no profanity, etc. No excessive violence. No sexual activity or contact- real or implied.
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“Dabbing”, drug references, etc are not allowed.
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All costumes must be self contained, including no fire, flame, smoke, fog, dry ice, wind machines, lasers, pressurized gases or liquids, messy substances - wet, dry, or oily, including glitter, flower petals, etc in the staging room or the stage. Anything brought onto the stage must leave with the competitor.
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No jumping on or off stage - please use the officially designated stage entrances and exits.
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No stage fighting (one foot must remain on the stage at all times and any mock fighting must be done at a distance and at half speed - no physical contact).
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Contestants may not use stage time to make political, religious, insulting, or other demonstrations not related to their entry.
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Sportsmanship is important. Any bullying will not be tolerated and will cause the contestant to be disqualified and/or escorted from the convention.
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All props used in the costume contest must be checked in/inspected at the appropriate location the day of the event.
Important Dates and Times:
Due date to register for prejudging: Friday, October 19, 2018
Date of Costume Contest: Saturday, October 27, 2018
Times for onsite/walk on registration: Saturday, 10:00 AM -3:00 PM
Times for check in for prejudging: Saturday, opens 10:00 AM, email will have further instructions.
Times for prejudging: Saturday, 11:00 - 12:30 & 1:00 - 3:00 PM; email will have further instructions.
Time of Costume Contest: 6:00 PM; report for line up by 5:00 PM.
Stage Presentation Procedure:
Each contestant will have a maximum of 30 seconds on stage from entrance to exit. The on stage time can be utilized by each contestant to the best of their abilities in accordance with the eligibility requirements already outlined. Prior to the start of the stage presentation, contestants are required to meet to line up at a time and place given by coordinators on the day of the event. Contestants will be judged on Preparation/ research and development, craftsmanship, stage presentation and creativity.
Informational Links:
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Costume Contest Tier Rules and Regulations
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Registration Form
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Costume Contest FAQs
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Judging Panel & Host Bios
Costume Contest Rules and Regulations
For those that have registered prior to the day of the event, there will be three tiers of competition for adult entries and a singular tier for youth entries. These tiers will be governed by the International Costumers’ Guild Guidelines. Compressed instructions are provided here, but more comprehensive instructions and guidelines are provided at http://www.costume.org/documents/fairness.html.
The adult tiers (anyone at least eighteen), based upon experience, are Novice, Journeyman, and Master. The person competing does not have to be the person modeling the costume,but they must accompany the model through prejudging and the stage performance. The model can be any age, but the person competing is at least eighteen years of age. An individual may choose to compete in whichever category they feel best fits their individual skill level; however, the judging panel has the ability to move the contestant up tiers if they see fit. Information about requirements for each tier are listed below.
To be considered in any of these tiers, at least 80 percent of the costume MUST be constructed by the individual who is entering into the competition. Reference photos of the character being portrayed, as well as a “Build Book” (electronic versions are acceptable) chronicling the construction of the costume, will be needed at the prejudging being held the day of the competition. Costumes that have previously won at Alamo City Comic Con may NOT be entered for consideration.
Due to pre-judging time constraints, there will be a limited number of slots available for each category. Slots will be filled first come, first served. Applicants will be notified of their status by email after the closing of online registration. If slots are filled, contestants may register for the Walk On Costume Category on the day of the contest at the Costume Contest table.
Master:
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Any competitor may enter in the Master division.
Journeyman:
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Professional costumers may not enter in the Journeyman division.
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A contestant who has competed and won in the Master division at an international competition may not enter in the Journeyman division.
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A contestant who has won "Best in Show" or "Best Journeyman" at an international competition may not enter in the Journeyman division.
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A contestant who has won more than three major awards in the Journeyman division in international competition may not enter in the Journeyman division
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Awards won at regional competitions may be counted towards placement at the discretion of the costumer and the masquerade director.
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Minor awards may be counted towards placement at the discretion of the costumer.
Novice:
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Professional costumers may not enter in the Novice division.
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A contestant who has competed and won in any division other than Novice at an international competition may not enter in the Novice division.
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A contestant who has won "Best in Show" or "Best Novice" at an international competition may not enter in the Novice division.
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A contestant who has won numerous major awards in the Novice division at international competitions is encouraged to enter in the Journeyman division
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Awards won at regional competitions may be counted towards division placement at the discretion of the costumer and the masquerade director.
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Minor awards may be counted towards placement at the discretion of the costumer.
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Information about the youth tier is provided below. This tier is for any contestant that is under the age of eighteen.
Junior/Youth:
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A child who has made most of the costume themselves (80%) may enter in this category for competition and should pre-register at this level.
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A child wearing a costume designed and built mainly by an adult will be considered a model and the adult should be entered in the adult's appropriate skill division.
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Information about the group tier is provided below. This tier is for 2 or more contestants wishing to be judged together. Groups may consist of 2 - 6 members, however prejudging is still 4 minutes and stage presentation is still 30 seconds, so plan accordingly.
Group:
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All levels of craftsmanship may compete in this division, however note that groups will be in competition with each other.
Prejudging Process:
Each individual/group must complete the following procedure:
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Complete the online registration form in its entirety by the due date.
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Check in at the Costume Contest Table at the required time the day of the event.
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Complete prejudging at the given time the day of the event.
Each individual/group will be given a maximum of 4 minutes to present their costume for the contest. Remember, reference photos and a “Build Book” (may be electronic format) are required during prejuding. Costumes being considered for competition must be worn to prejudging and stage presentation. Also, please bring all parts of the costume and/or props that you are presenting to prejudging. Anything not brought to prejudging will NOT be permitted during stage presentation.
Music you bring to help with overall stage presentation, can be used during your stage performance; however, it must be given on a USB drive clearly marked with your name on it during the check in process the day of the event. Your music selection must be accompanied by proper copyright information stating legal purchase of said music being used. Failure to provide proper information will result in your music not being admitted into your stage performance. The music file must be in mp3 format, must be clearly marked as well, e.g. firstname_lastname_accc2018, and be no longer than 30 seconds.
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Information about Day of Registration for the Walk on Costume Category is listed below.
Walk on Costume Category
This is a transitional category designed to allow cosplayers who have not prepared a record of their costume build, ie “Build Book,” to participate. Contestants that would like to participate in the costume contest and have not pre-registered, can still sign up the day of the event for the Walk on category only. If individuals would like to participate, they must come register prior to the event at the Costume Contest Official Table located at the venue during the designated hours. The number of Walk On participants will be limited to the first 30 entries and is on a first come, first serviced basis.
There will be no prejudging; however, photos will be taken upon registration and given to the judging panel prior to the stage presentation later that day. The competitor will have the same time limit and rules and regulations on stage, but will have no time to explain costumes to the judges nor any interactions to add to the consideration of ranking in the category.
Costume Contest FAQs
What are Alamo City Comic Con (ACCC) Date and Times?
Please refer to the event info link provided on the main page.
Where is Alamo City Comic Con Located?
Please refer to the Event Info link provided on the main page.
Do I need to purchase a ticket to participate in the ACCC Costume Contest?
As per eligibility guidelines, a ticket is needed for the day of the event. A ticket is needed to be admitted into the venue for the entire Comic Con. For ticketing information, please refer to the purchase link provided on the main page.
How does one become eligible for the ACCC Costume Contest?
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All costumes must abide by general comic convention cosplay rules.
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All contestants must check in.
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All contestants must have a paid admission into Alamo City Comic Con on the day of the event.
-
Content should not go beyond a PG-13, as Alamo City Comic Con is family friendly. Offensive language of any kind is not allowed - no racial or sexual epithets; no profanity, etc. No excessive violence. No sexual activity or contact- real or implied.
-
“Dabbing”, drug references, etc are not allowed.
-
All costumes must be self contained, including no fire, flame, smoke, fog, dry ice, wind machines, lasers, pressurized gases or liquids, messy substances - wet, dry, or oily, including glitter, flower petals, etc in the staging room or the stage. Anything brought onto the stage must leave with the competitor.
-
No jumping on or off stage - please use the officially designated stage entrances and exits.
-
No stage fighting (one foot must remain on the stage at all times and any mock fighting must be done at a distance and at half speed - no physical contact).
-
Contestants may not use stage time to make political, religious, insulting, or other demonstrations not related to their entry.
-
Sportsmanship is important. Any bullying will not be tolerated and will cause the contestant to be disqualified and/or escorted from the convention.
-
All props used in the costume contest must be checked in/inspected at the appropriate location the day of the event.
What are the rules and regulations regarding the tier system in place for the ACCC Costume Contest?
Please refer to the Costume Contest Rules and Regulations link provided on the ACCC Costume Contest main page.
What if I don’t know which tier I should place myself in for the costume contest?
An individual may choose to compete in whichever category they feel best fits their individual skill level; however, the judging panel has the ability to move the contestant up tiers if they see fit. Please refer to the Costume Contest Rules and Regulations link provided on the ACCC Costume Contest main page.
Judging Panel & Host MC Bios
Judging Panel
Nana Cosplay
Fresh off her DreamHack Austin win in the Master Costume Category, Nana Cosplay has over 30 years experience in creating historical costumes. She began her foray into cosplay at age 50 when she competed at Wizard World Austin and took 1st place Overall Female as Darth Talon. She has been participating in competitive cosplay for the past 10 years achieving enough first place wins in Craftsmanship and Performance to achieve Master Costumer status. She enjoys presenting group cosplays with her family, especially those with pop culture/historical mash-ups, like their recent JLA Renaissance. One of her personal cosplay goals was achieved when her Jocasta Nu, Jedi Librarian, was approved by the Rebel Legion. Lara recently achieved screen credit as the costume designer for the historical documentary “Gonzales: Come and Take It!”
Khamomeal Tea
Khamomeal Tea is a native of Las Vegas who moved to Austin back in 2015. As a professional artist working on mobile games, costuming has been a growing hobby over the past 5 years. She only started competing in 2016, but earned Best Group at Katsucon 2016, Best Novice Craftsmanship at San Japan 2016, Best in Show Anime Austin 2017 and 2018, and Best in Show San Japan 2017. “I love small details like easing your horsehair or a good strong mitered corner. The fastest way to my heart is with rhinestones. The more razzle dazzle the better.”
Robert Rios
Robert D. Rios, owner of Custom Creation Costumes, a self-taught costumer has been sewing since the age of 15. He counts among his past and current clients, The Biergarten on San Antonio’s Riverwalk , NISD high school theatre departments and various local and international individuals. His pieces have been seen on Saturday Night Live and in The Muppets Take The Bowl at the Hollywood Bowl. He has constructed pieces ranging from period garments to Star Trek uniforms to Tales Of Symphonia costumes, to name a few.
Host MC
MC CyaNide
A self admitted slave to the spotlight, Travis has been performing since the age of 2. Being a quadruple threat (yes; that's a thing), Travis does find himself commanding center stage with finesse and flair. He learned at an early age that when you compete, you compete to win. With his family, now branded as Nana Cosplay & Company, Travis has always done Halloween right. From picking out items at thrift stores and throwing them together, to making a costume in less than an hour, to learning how to sew and acquiring different textiles, to fabrication of his own plaster head, he strives to bring his cosplay to life under the guild standard of 95%. Travis is delighted and honored to take so many pictures at various Comic Cons throughout his lifetime “because a flash is just a tiny spotlight.”