Cosplay Judge Instructions

Judges' Policies

• The judges do not have to give out all the awards. If there are not enough entries to warrant an award, then an award need not be given.
• That being said, providing there are enough entries, please try to give out the following awards (ordered by priority): Best in Show; Best in Division; Best Performance; Best Workmanship; Best in Theme.
• Be serious when granting an award. A serious award with a funny name is fine (Example: "Best Use of Duct Tape"), but please don't grant an award if you don't think the entry has any real merit.
• Every judge will have an award to give to whomever they feel deserves it, regardless of the other awards given out.
• A great joke is not automatically a great costume.
• Only judge a costume against what is in this particular masquerade.
• Judges are to be impartial in their judging. If a judge feels that they can not be objective in their judging please talk to the director and your fellow judges about the problem and we will come up with a reasonable course of action.
• Judges are NOT to judge their fellow judges. If you feel that another judge is not qualified to be a judge, keep it to yourself. If you cannot keep it to yourself, please only tell the director.
• Judges are to retain a professional demeanor while they are judging or doing anything related to the masquerade.

Awards

We have the following awards:

• Best in Show - best combined craftsmanship and performance
• Best in Division (Best Master, Journeyman, Novice, Youth) - best combined craftsmanship and performance that did not win Best in Show
• Best Performance - best performance that did not win Best in Show or Best in Class
• Best Workmanship - best craftsmanship that did not win Best in Show or Best in Class
• Best in Theme - A merit award given to the best overall "in theme" performance/costume.
• Merit awards given at the discretion of the judges possibly including but not limited to "Judge's Choice," "Best Use of Sheet Metal" or whatever you would like to name your award.

Judging

How to Judge the Masquerade

While there is a point system on the judging sheet, this is best used as a guideline for individual preference. Judges should still discuss awards, especially the "best in" awards and entries, and come to a general consensus as to what entry wins each award.

If the judges can not come to a consensus with a reasonable period of discussion, then the majority will decide. In the event that the judges are tied and can not come to any reasonable decision, the director will serve as a tie breaker (Please come to a reasonable and civil decision. The director does not want to be a tie breaker).

Violation of the rules disqualifies an entry from winning any awards. The rules include: This skit has been done in a SNAFU Con Masquerade before; This costume violates the safety or nudity rules of the con; the skit went over the 2-minute time limit and they were not given prior permission to do so (the sound tech will cut the sound at two minutes if they were not given prior approval). If the skit only went over by a second or so, judges are expected to use their best judgement.

Merit awards may be given by individual judges without any discussion or input with the other judges. There are a finite number of trophies for merit awards which are equal to or greater than the number of judges. Each judge will be allocated one trophy. Additional trophies may be given based on group consensus and trophy availability*.

*The director may also give out a director’s choice award at their discretion.

How to Judge Craftsmanship

Once again, there is a points system in place that is best used as a guideline for individual preference. Judges are expected to discuss the individual merits of each entry and come to a general consensus. As with the masquerade, the director will serve as a tiebreaker if the judges cannot come to a consensus, but this is a last resort.

After craftsmanship judging is complete, judges should take a reasonable amount of time to discuss craftsmanship awards, so that craftsmanship does not need to be decided during Masquerade judging. This should be done in a relatively secure space, so that the general public does not witness any arguments or discussion on the topic.

As with the masquerade, violation of any of the general cosplay rules disqualifies the entry from winning any craftsmanship awards. Additionally, if the cosplay was purchased from someone else or is entirely pre-made, like a Halloween costume, it does not qualify for craftsmanship awards.

Cosplay Dress Code

Cosplay Masquerade and Craftsmanship entries must not violate the following rules:

• Cosplayers are required to wear shoes. If the cosplay requires the illusion of being barefoot, "invisible" plastic shoes are acceptable, as long as there is foot coverage. During Craftsmanship judging, cosplayers may remove shoes for the duration of judging only, and must put the shoes back on immediately.
• No buttock or genitalia must be showing. Even the lower portion of the buttock must be covered.
• For women - no side-boob or under-boob may be showing. 70% of the breast must be covered. Dramatically plunging necklines that show under-boob or side-boob are not allowed (plunging necklines with cleavage are otherwise allowed). Pasties are not allowed.
• For men - Men may be topless or have more skin showing (above the waistline) as long as the cosplay requires it. A Google search may be employed to verify.
• No illusion of nudity is allowed. Flesh-colored clothing that has been painted or embroidered to dispose of the illusion of nudity is okay; flesh-colored underwear underneath a cosplay is allowed to prevent wardrobe malfunctions. This applies to any see-through clothing as well; you must not be able to see any area prohibited by policies.
• Underwear and bathing suits are allowed as long as they follow the above nudity policies. Men's underwear must have the fly sewn shut. However, if a cosplay is simply a bra and panties, it is not allowed.
• Extremely short skirts are allowed as long as the entire buttocks and genital area are covered.
• Slit dresses or skirts are allowed as long as the entire buttocks and genital area are not revealed with movement. The slit must be secured somehow to prevent this.
• If the costume is large, it must not be so large that it causes problems. If it cannot get through the door to the judging area, it is disqualified, although if the costume can be altered quickly to conform to rules, the judges and director may reconsider.