MisCon 24 Costume Pageant

The Costume Pageant will be on Saturday night at approximately 8:00 p.m. Everyone is urged to come and participate and to cheer their favorite costume entries.

Follow the Entry Form link under Related Documents at right. As an alternative entry forms are available at the Registration table until 5:00 p.m. Saturday. Please have them turned in by 6:00 p.m. Saturday. Poetic license will be freely taken if they aren't legible; in self-defense, make sure the announcer can read what you want said.

Presentations should be limited to 90 seconds.

Winners will be announced following the Pageant. Awards and Prizes will be available in the Hospitality Suite by Sunday morning.

Rules (you know, stuff you have to do):

• Please be on time. If there is a change from the entry form it will be posted at the Registration table.
• No name tags on your costume (unless you are dressed as a rabid SF fan)
• This is a family event in a public place. Keep it PG-13 (no nudity).
• Absolutely NO fire, explosives or other hazardous effects, period. If you have a question about an effect or prop, check it out with Security.
• No flash photos during the contest. The ConCom asks that all contestants remain in the contest area after the Pageant for pictures.
• Live weapons MUST be peace-bonded and may not be drawn without prior permission from the ConCom.

Suggestions (stuff you don't have to do that makes a difference)

• Stay in character. How you present yourself is as important as the hours spent developing your costume. Practice before the contest, especially if you use music or other props. If you wear glasses, and aren't Harry Potter, spotters at the stage will be happy to hold them for you, and help you on and off. Be prepared to describe your character and anything special about your costume to the judges.
• Don't forget your shoes. Elves do not generally wear Reeboks, and Galadriel didn’t even own cowboy boots. A great costume can be ruined by lack of attention to details.
• A repair kit is handy. You might have to wait longer than anticipated, and bits and pieces have a tendency to go south. Again, the spotters will be glad to hold it for you during your presentation.
• Just because it's black, doesn't make it a costume.
• Keep telling yourself, "This is FUN"--it is.

MisCon's Hall Costume Contest

Got stage fright? Like to dress for the Con but don't like to enter the Costume Pageant? Look just like your favorite media or game character, at least in the right light? Want to win stuff? Then this is the contest for you!

Come costumed for the con, and as you wander the conference your photo will be taken by our photographer and if you choose, entered into the Hall Contest. Hall Costume Contestants have the opportunity to win cash and other prizes.

Hall Costume judging will be at a place and time yet to be determined, so keep an eye out for when we get the schedule published. Please try to make it to the Panel room at those times. Also, judging will be first come first served, so get to the panel room early.

Awards will be presented at the Art Auction in the following categories:

• Best of Weekend
• People's Choice
• Best in Youth (13 and under)
• Judges Awards will be at the discretion of the individual judges depending on the number of entrants and available prizes.

The People's Choice Award is a 50/50 cash award. To enter this one, your picture will be displayed on or near a collection jar. Convention goers shamelessly buy votes for their favorite costume by donating cash. The costume that generates the most votes, i.e. the most cash wins half of the proceeds and the other half goes into MisCon coffers to help promote fun happenings like this.

The rules are few and simple:

1. You must wear your Con badge with your character's name on it.
2. One photo will be taken for each costume entry and the judges will see your costume in person.
3. No nudity allowed - no costume is no costume
4. No dangerous or potentially dangerous props or special effects will be allowed.
5. Any live steel weapons MUST be peace bonded and weapons shall not be drawn or brandished in the halls. If your costume demands a demonstration of your skills, please make arrangements with security and the ConCom to schedule a time and place where you can show your stuff safely.
6. You may not enter the same costume in both the Hall costume contest and the Costume Pageant.
7. This is a Hall Costume contest. That means it should be one you can wear while moving around the Con without losing bits and pieces or putting someone's eye out. Bulky or cumbersome costumes should be reserved for the Costume Pageant.

Costumes will be judged on workmanship and presentation. There are no requirements as to what hours costume must be worn or displayed. For maximum exposure, it is recommended that costumes be shown as often as possible. Remember the People's Choice 50/50 award depends on as many people as possible seeing you and voting for you. You may bring reference material for your character, especially if your costume is a character in a game, movie, TV show, etc. The judges have been around, but they haven't seen everything and having a physical image of the original character is helpful. Staying in character is not necessary, but it helps.