The Standard Division System, in accordance with the International Costumers' Guild Guidelines, will be used as follows:

Junior Division:  Also known as the Young Fan Division. Any contestant under 13 years of age at the time of this competition may compete in the Junior Division. The Junior Division is divided into two sub-divisions. 

Junior Self-Made — A Junior contestant who has largely or wholly constructed his/her own costume.

Junior Adult-Made — A Junior contestant whose costume has been largely or wholly constructed by an adult.

Novice Division:  A contestant who has not won a major award at a Masquerade other than as a Junior costumer. Workmanship Awards, an Honourable Mention or an Honoured for Excellence Awards need not apply to this count.

Journeyman Division: A contestant who has won fewer than three awards at Masquerades while competing in the Journeyman Division.

Artisan Division:  Any costumer who has won three or more awards; or who wishes to enter this division, provided that they do not belong in a higher division in use in the competition.

Master Division:  A contestant who has won more than three times in the Artisan Division, or has won a Master award at a Worldcon, CostumeCon, or a major award at a nationally recognized regional Anime Convention. Also, anyone who is a professional in a Costume-related business must compete as a Master. For the purpose of this competition, a professional is defined as making 50% or more of their income in the costuming-related business. If there are not sufficient Masters competing to fulfill this division, those entries will be judged in the Artisan Division.

Out-of-Competition Division:  The Masquerade is an amateur competition. Purchased or rented costumes may not be entered in competition for awards, but may be shown on stage in the Out-of-Competition Division.

Workmanship Judging:  Judging for Workmanship Awards will take place backstage prior to the start of the Masquerade. These awards, for excellence in construction, will be given out in addition to the Masquerade awards. Contestants can be judged on costume or only on a specific piece or prop. Workmanship judging is optional, so contestants need to indicate on the entry form their wish to be included in this judging. Workmanship judging can apply to entries in any of the Divisions, except the Out-Of-Competition Division. Quality is quality, no matter the Division, and a beautiful job deserves recognition. Our Workmanship Judge(s) will look for technical skill, finishing, fit, handling of fabric and materials, etc.

Documentation:  Documentation can include any pictorial representation of the costume. Provide copies only; do not bring originals. It is strongly recommended that contestants provide documentation for re-creation costume entries if they feel the Judges may not be familiar with a particular topic (e.g. anime/manga, fantasy, etc.). Contestants who are entering a costume for workmanship judging need to bring two copies of documentation.

Note: A contestant may compete in a Division higher than the one they are eligible to enter. Keep in mind that if the contestant wins in this higher Division, they must compete in that Division in future competitions.

One to Three persons: 60 Seconds;  Four or more persons: 90 Seconds

Note: Contestants may request additional time, if they check with the Masquerade director upon submitting the entry registration form prior to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday.

INTRODUCTIONS, MUSIC AND SOUND

If contestants have a special introduction for the MC to read, please have it typed or printed clearly so it can be easily read. Without an introduction, the MC will announce only the entry number, division and title at the beginning of the contestant's presentation. After the presentation is complete, general credits will be announced.

There will not be any microphones provided for the contestants. Directly addressing the audience is strongly discouraged as most of the audience will not hear contestants from the stage, and may distract from the presentation. If narration or dialogue is to be included with the presentation, it should be pre-recorded on the cassette/CD.

If contestants have an introduction, music, or sound effects to accompany the presentation, record it on a standard cassette/CD. It is also advised that the contestant bring two copies of the cassette/CD in case of any problems playing the original. Make sure to label the cassette with the contestant's name, costume title, and the correct side to be played. In the case of a CD, write the track number to be played legibly on the CD.

If the sound runs longer than the presentation (e.g. a commercial CD) or must be cut on cue, please be very specific as to when to cut. The usual cue is to fade the sound as the contestant leaves the stage. When the contestant wants the sound to end at a specific point on a CD, it is best to record the material onto a recordable medium such as a standard cassette or self-burned CD.

Do not submit valuable or rare original cassettes/CDs. Copy onto a standard cassette or self-burned CD. Submit one copy of the cassette/CD to Masquerade Registration upon completion of the registration entry forms. If the contestant has a second copy, they are encouraged to bring it backstage with them to the Masquerade.

Cassettes/CDs used in the Masquerade can be picked up at the Masquerade Desk on Sunday.

1. No messy, wet or icky substances that will make life difficult for the other contestants.

2. No flagrant nudity. "No Costume is No Costume". This masquerade is rated PG-13 and there will be children in the audience.

3. Presentations are limited to 60 seconds for 1-3 , 90 seconds for 4 or more people in an entry  unless otherwise arranged before Saturday at 3:00 p.m. with the Masquerade Director.

4. No dangerous or potentially dangerous props will be allowed. No Swordfighting, projectile weapons, real firearms, pyrotechnics or live flame of any kind. If your costume requires a bow, it must be unstrung when you are not on stage. No pointing of laser pens at the audience, MC or tech crew. If you are unsure about your props or presentation please ask the Masquerade Director.

5. The weapons policy of the convention must be followed. Please transport your weapons to and from the masquerade in a bag or closed container if they do not conform to the convention weapons policy. While weapons will be allowed on stage, they must be sheathed before leaving the stage.

6. No purchased or rented costumes. These may be shown out-of-competition.

7. Costumes with electric power requirements must be self-contained. Connections to electrical outlets will not be available.

8. No live creatures, other than human, will be allowed backstage or on stage. If your costume requires fauna such as snakes, ferrets etc, they must be stuffed or simulated. An exception to this rule will be made for seeing eye dogs, if the contestant requires this type of assistance.

9. Surprise the audience, but not the Masquerade Director. If you are planning something particularly "unique" please let us know in advance.

10. There will not be any microphones for the contestants. If you wish something special to be read by the MC please fill out the appropriate area on the masquerade registration form. Alternately, it may be recorded on a standard cassette tape. This tape maybe used for background music or a voice-over. Please turn in your pre-cued tape or CD with your masquerade registration form. Make sure you label the tape with your name, costume title, and the correct side to be played.

11. When exiting the stage please do not approach the judges.

12. The judges may choose not to give out a Best of Division Award, or may not give out any awards in a division if they do not feel any costumes entered in that division are deserving of an award. The decisions of the judges are final.

13. The Masquerade Directors reserve the option to eliminate anyone from competition on the basis of taste, danger to the audience or other contestants or for any other reason deemed sufficient.

14. Each contestant may appear on stage only once in the competition.  A Contestant may have more than one costume entered, but they have to be on different bodies.

15. WHEN IN DOUBT PLEASE ASK THE MASQUERADE STAFF, WE ARE HERE TO HELP!