Judging Divisions and Information

The Anime North Masquerade uses a 4-class system. A competitor may compete in any division that s/he is eligible to enter. However, if the competitor receives an award in this higher division, they must compete in that division (or higher) in future competitions.

Anime North Masquerade has the honour of being officially recognized by the International Costumers' Guild (ICG) as an international-level competition. This means that those who win Best in Show at Anime North are of the same standing as a winner of Best in Show at Worldcon and Costume-Con.

Here are some terms to consider when determining which division to enter:

• Professional: Anyone who makes 50% or more of their income in a costume-related business.
• Major Award: Any award such as Best ___ or Most ___. It does not include awards for Workmanship, Judges' Choice, Honorable Mentions, Honored for Excellence, and awards won in the Junior Division.
• Purchased Costumes: Any costume that was purchased, commissioned, or rented.

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 competitor under 13 years of age at the time of competition may compete in the Junior Division. The Junior Division is divided into two subdivisions:
• 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 competitor who has won fewer than three (3) major awards in the Novice division of an international-level masquerade. Purchased costumes, professionals, and winners of Best in Show, Best in Class: Novice, or any award from a higher division from an international-level masquerade may not enter this division.

Journeyman Division

• A competitor who has won fewer than three (3) major awards in the Journeyman division of an international-level masquerade. Purchased costumes, professionals, and winners of Best in Show, Best in Class: Journeyman, or any award from the Artisan or Master divisions from an international-level masquerade may not enter this division.

Artisan Division

• A competitor who has won fewer than three (3) major awards in the Artisan division of an international-level masquerade. Purchased costumes, professionals, and winners of Best in Show, Best in Class: Artisan, or any award from the Master division from an international-level masquerade may not enter this division.

Master Division

• Any competitor, with the exception of those with purchased, commissioned, or rented costumes, may enter this division. If there are not sufficient Masters competing to fill this division, all entries for this division will be judged in the Artisan Division.

Out-Of-Competition Division

• The Masquerade is an amateur competition. Purchased, commissioned, or rented costumes may not be entered in competition for awards, but may be shown on stage in the Out-Of-Competition Division. Similarly, costumes made for business purposes, and theatrical and professional events are also ineligible for awards, but may be shown in this division. In addition, anyone who wants to show their costume in this division may do so.

Due to the entry cap, first priority is given to non-purchased and non-commissioned costumes. If space is available at the end of the registration time, we will accept purchased and commissioned costumes. Those wishing to enter a purchased or professional costume should consider the Skit Contest, which has different policies regarding purchased and professional costumes.

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. You can be judged on your entire costume, or only on a specific piece or prop. Workmanship judging is optional, so please indicate on your entry form if you wish to be included in this judging. Workmanship applies to entries in any of the Divisions, except the Out-of-Competition Division. Our Workmanship Judge(s) will look for technical skill, finishing, fit, handling of fabric and materials, etc.

Note: Workmanship Judging is optional, but all Artisan and Master costumes must undergo a workmanship inspection so that the judges know what parts of the costume were constructed and what parts (if any) were purchased. Similarly, to qualify for the Best in Show award, your entry must be inspected by our workmanship judges.

Documentation

Documentation can include any pictorial representation of your costume. Provide copies only. It is strongly recommended that you provide documentation for re-creation costume entries as the Judges may not be familiar with a particular costume source. If you are entering your costume for Workmanship Judging, bring two copies of your documentation. Do not submit documentation with your entry form, but bring your documentation with you when you arrive at the green room for the Masquerade.

Presentation Time Limits

ALL ENTRIES HAVE A TIME LIMIT OF ONE MINUTE (60 SECONDS). If your audio goes over this time limit, it will be turned off once this time has elapsed. Please note that entries that go over the time limit will be disqualified.

MC and Judges 

Every year, we have amazing costumers come through our halls, performing on stage, and wowing the audience and the judges with their creations. They convention wouldn’t be the same without the Masquerade, and it’s not possible to run an event of this calibre without many talented people, both behind the scenes and highly visible. Some of those highly visible people are the judges: costumers and cosplayers themselves from the Toronto area, with special Cosplay Guests of Honour added to the mix. Many of these people you may pass in the halls and not recognize them.

In 2011, the Anime North Masquerade was granted International Costumer’s Guild status, meaning our Masquerade would be considered on par with the Masquerades at Costume Con or World Con. We have talent in the Canadian Cosplay community, and it should be showcased. To help promote our home-grown costuming talent, the Cosplay Department at Anime North would like to start by showcasing our Masquerade judges. They come from a variety of costuming backgrounds to create one heck of a team.

Staging Order

Junior Division entries will present first. Entries that include children may request to go on next if they do so at the time of registration. Remaining divisions will generally present in order of rank. If there are any special circumstances that would affect your place in line (such catching a ride home that night) please indicate this on your registration form and tell the Masquerade staff this when you turn in your form. While every effort will be made to comply with your requests, we cannot guarantee placement.

Introductions, Music and Sound

If you have any 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 your entry number, division, and title at the beginning of your presentation. When your 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 you.

If you have an introduction, music, or sound effects to accompany your presentation, please bring it as an MP3 or WAV file on a standard USB device or through the online data collection form. We strongly discourage CDs as this will increase your registration time delaying both yourself and others in line.

If the sound must be cut on cue, please be very specific as to when to cut. It is best, when you want the sound to end at a specific point, to record the material you want to a custom track.

Lighting

The default lighting for each entry will be dim (half-lit), rising to full lighting when the entry is announced, fading to dim (half-lit) on exit. Entries are able to request additional lighting changes during the presentation, such as slow fade up or down or sudden cuts on cue. We unfortunately cannot do changes in colour at this time — only changes in brightness.

It is highly recommended that your lighting cues be tied to a time on your audio track — for example, "At 35 seconds, dim the lights for 4 seconds, then bring them back up".

It is also important to note that excessive changes in lighting during your presentation may distract the audience and the judges from fully appreciating and evaluating your costume. Please take this into consideration when preparing your presentation.

If you have any questions regarding about what is possible, please contact  [email protected].

Note: The stage lights will not be turned off completely for the safety of our competitors and staff.

Rules

• No open flame, fire, flash powder or flash paper is allowed. Sealed electronic flashes are permitted. If you are using a strobe effect, please note it on your form so the MC may warn the audience. No pointing of laser pens at the audience or tech crew.
• No messy substances on stage. If in doubt, ask the Masquerade Directors. If you are leaving something on stage, it must be able to be easily picked up by the stage crew, or bring your own ninja to clear the stage.
• No flagrant nudity will be permitted. The Masquerade is rated PG-13. There will be children in the audience.
• The weapons policy of the convention must be followed at all times. Any weapons that do not conform to the convention weapons policy but are approved for use on stage must be transported to and from the Masquerade in a bag or closed container. All weapons must be sheathed before leaving the stage. If your costume requires a bow, it must be unstrung when you are not on stage.
• Each person may present only once during the Masquerade. While any individual may enter as many costumes as they like, they can only wear one of them. The other costumes must be on other bodies.
• Competitors must report to the Masquerade Green Room on time. Failure to appear or to be ready to go on stage may result in disqualification. While competitors may be subject to circumstances beyond their control, the Masquerade Directors have final arbitration.
• The Masquerade Directors reserve the right to eliminate anyone from competition on the basis of taste, danger to the audience or other contestants, or for any other reason deemed sufficient. Repeated violations of the rules may result in the contestant being barred from future Masquerades.
• The Judges may choose not to give out any awards in any category or division, including the Best-in-Show Award, if they do not feel any costumes entered in that division are deserving of an award. The decisions of the Judges are final.
• No marriage proposals.