Rules for the 2022 Geek’d Con Cosplay Contest

General Cosplay Contest Rules:

• You must be a ticket holding Geek'd Con attendee in order to compete. Each member of your group must have a badge, pass, or other forms of attendee membership.
• Contestants under the age of 18 need a parent or legal guardian present at the cosplay competition in order for that contestant compete in the contest.
• All costumes must cover "swimsuit areas" – no nudity. Body-paint costumes are not eligible for craftsmanship.
• This contest is taking place on the 2nd floor of the Convention Center in the US Army Panel Room. So, you will have to take an escalator. Keep that in mind and plan accordingly.
• The contest is open to characters from published works; movies, TV shows, comic books, cartoons, video games, and card games.It is also open to original characters of your creation.
• Anyone who is wearing a costume purchased from a retail store with no clear modifications (specifically in the Solo Adult & Group Categories) will be disqualified from the contest.
• Geek'd Con adheres to the "PG‐13 rule" when it comes to language and hand gestures on stage. Violation of this rule may cause you to be disqualified from the competition.
• During the contest enter and exit the stage at the designated points only. Costumes must be handled by the contestant or by handler(s) the contestant brings to help. Handlers are required to be registered attendees of the convention, and Geek'd Con can not provide on-stage assistants.
• Contestants are not allowed to throw anything off the stage, nor use projectiles or use anything on stage that will leave a mess. This includes (but is not limited to) liquids, glitter, and confetti. If you have a question about something you want to do, feel free to send an email with “Costume Contestant Question” as the subject. All participants are encouraged to keep at least one foot on the stage at all times.
• No pyrotechnics, fire, explosive devices, live animals, or similar special effects can be used during the competition; this includes smoke/smog machines and flash paper/powder. Anyone who violates this rule may be disqualified from the competition and be asked to leave the convention depending on the severity of the incursion. All prop weapons must conform to the Geek'd Con prop policies, including being checked.
• Each contestant may only enter one costume into the competition and can be in only one category (Adult, Group or Kids) You can have up to six people in a group.
• All contestants who want to participate must be in the staging area near outside the panel room to check in no later than 12:30 pm. Geek'd Con or its representatives reserve the right to turn away any contest entry it deems inappropriate or not in compliance with the rules.The contest will start promptly at 1 pm on Sunday August 21st.
• Everyone has a maximum stage allotment of 90 seconds. Entrants will have a maximum of 30 seconds from the time their entry is announced to set up props and 30 seconds after you finish to pack up props; this minute of setup and dismantle time does not count as part of your 90 seconds of stage time. No more than six people at a time are allowed on the stage (this includes non-competing assistants). Please keep that in mind when planning out your cosplay.
• Geek'd Con is unable to do lighting cues or effects.
• Keep in mind that the cosplay contest is a family-friendly event. Overt adult humor will not be allowed. All material must be PG-13.
• If you have a choreographed fight scene in your act, entries must use stage fighting techniques choreographed at 3/4 speed. Entries must not attempt stage fighting at full speed.

Pre-Contest Check-In/Pre-Judging:

• There will be a pre‐meet before the cosplay competition in the Cosplay Staging Area at 12:00  pm on Sunday. This pre‐meet is where we will do a check-in before briefly going over where you will enter and exit the stage as well as explain etiquette for Walk-Ons. Pre-judging will also occur in this area (checking for appropriateness of cosplay, etc.). During check-in, you will be lined up and we will leave after the pre‐meet is over to start the cosplay contest. It is mandatory to attend the pre‐meet to take part in the contest.
• Some questions you may be asked during the pre-judging portion include but not limited to: Is this completely store bought (as one item), completely assembled (multiple parts bought from different places), completely crafted by the contestant, commissioned for the contestant, or any combination thereof. This could hold different weight with the judges.
• Only participants (and handlers if necessary) will be allowed in the pre-meet area. Entries should leave all personal belongings behind in their car/hotel room or with a friend. Will not have a safe space for storage The pre‐meet is mandatory for all contestants. Entries should show up to the pre‐meet in costume, ready for the contest.

Divisions, Prize Breakdowns, Miscellaneous:

• There will be 3 separate contests & contestants will only be able to enter into ONE category: Solo Adult, Group and Children
• There will be a 1st Place (Best in Show) & a Runner Up awarded in the Solo Adult Contest. The 1st place winner will receive $1000. The Runner Up will receive $500.
• In the Group & Children's contest, there will be only ONE winner. The winning group will receive $750 to split among the members. The Kids Cosplay winner will receive $250.
• There will be no additional prizes awarded.
• Judges are independent from Geek'd Con & will remain anonymous to the contestants until the time of the contest so there is no chance of prejudice, bias, or other behavior that may damage the integrity of the contest.
• By appearing in the Geek'd Con Cosplay contest, you are giving permission to Geek'd Con to use your image & likeness (photos, videos, etc) in the future.