Masquerade

Welcome to the Norwescon Masquerade!

We have two competitive masquerade events this year! If you are interested in participating in the in-person event at Norwescon, please read on. If you would like to learn about the parallel online costume contest—being offered for the benefit of costumers who can’t attend in-person in 2022—please see the Virtual Masquerade page.

The Norwescon masquerade is open to all convention members of all costuming skill levels and is held on Saturday night of the con. It will be following the International Costumers’ Guild guidelines for rules and skill levels.

Halftime Sci-Fi Fantasy Variety Show

Sparkle and Doom Productions presents an evening of science fiction and fantasy-themed acts for your masquerade half time entertainment, emceed by the one and only David Demers. This show is for all ages! We look forward to seeing your lovely faces!

Registration

To register for the Norwescon 44 masquerade, please review the information below and then complete this registration form. Applications must be submitted by 9 a.m. Thursday, April 14.

Masquerade contestants must be registered members of Norwescon 44 in order to participate in the event.

Applicants must attend one of the three pre-Masquerade meetings on the schedule. During these meetings, the show director will answer questions, review the event timeline (including check-in times), verify entry paperwork with contestants, and provide any last-minute updates to the show’s setup. The show MC will also be present to meet the contestants and discuss their presentations.

Presentation Guidelines and Time Limits

No live sound will be allowed on stage. All sound accompanying contest entries must be pre-recorded per the guidelines below. Instructions on how to submit sound files are included on the entry form.

Solo entries are limited to 30 seconds on stage.

Entries featuring groups of two or more participants are limited to 90 seconds on stage.

Participants who want to exceed these time limits must obtain permission from the show director by emailing masquerade@norwescon.org.

Masquerade Judging

Presentation judging is mandatory. It evaluates how well a costume is shown to maximum effect on the stage. The originality of the presentation and technical quality of pre-recorded sound are also considered by the presentation judge(s).

Workmanship judging is optional. It takes place in the masquerade backstage area before the show begins. It allows the workmanship judges to consider exceptional accomplishment in crafting costumes, props, and accessories.

If a participant is re-creating a costume from media, they must provide a color picture of the original for the workmanship judges’ reference. Additional documentation (aka “workbooks”) of the construction process is strongly recommended, but should not exceed more than three letter-sized pages when printed out. Contestants may drop off documentation during a pre-meeting or bring it with them when checking in backstage. The style/format of the workbook is not one of the criteria in workmanship judging, so there is no need to wrap documentation up in a fancy binder with fancier paper—unless you really want to!

Masquerade Judges

Norwescon Masquerade Skill Divisions

Contestants must pick a skill division for their entry. The skill division for a group presentation should be determined by aligning it with the highest skill division present among the individual members. If a group has four novices and one master, it must compete in the Master division.

The Rising Star division is for any contestant 13 years of age or younger who is not part of an adult group. Rising Star costumes must be made by the entrant with no more than a minimum amount of supervisory help. An adult-made costume may not be entered in this category and should instead be entered in the appropriate skill division of the adult.

The other competitive classes are Novice, Journeyman, and Master. Please consult this flowchart (235 KB .pdf) to determine your division. Anyone may choose to compete in a higher division than that which is recommended by this chart if they wish, but a contestant cannot compete in a lower division. If you have any questions, email masquerade@norwescon.org or ask the director at a pre-meeting.

The masquerade director has the right to change your skill division if they think it apt.

Awards

Awards are made at the judges’ discretion. The traditional awards are Best In Class (Workmanship), Best in Class (Presentation) for the skill divisions outside of Rising Star, and Best in Show. Other awards are determined as the judges see fit.

Norwescon Masquerade Rules

Please review these rules carefully. Violation of any rule will disqualify an entry. Please help us make the masquerade safe and enjoyable.

Costume

1. We expect your entry to be compliant to Norwescon’s Policies and Guidelines, including our Costuming Policy.
   • No cultural appropriation. Cultures are not costumes.
   • No black face, brown face, yellow face, or red face is permitted.
   • No Nazi or Nazi-esque imagery is permitted.
   • The masquerade is PG-13. Lack of costume is not a costume.
   • No messy substances (wet, dry, or oily) that might ruin another contestant’s costume or make the stage dangerous are permitted. This includes loose glitter.
2. All weapons must be peace bonded except as needed for stage presentation.
3. Purchased or rented costumes may not be entered in competition. Credit must be given for all makeup and costume construction.
4. Costumes can be no longer than twelve feet, no taller than ten feet, and no wider than six feet.

Presentation

1. Never surprise the masquerade director.
2. No jumping off of or throwing things off of the stage.
3. Sound accompaniment should be included with your application. Please provide high quality audio files that are ready to be played as-is, without additional editing. Files from iTunes or Amazon MP3 are acceptable and will meet our technical requirements. If you rip your own music from CD or other sources, please these general guidelines below:
   • MP3: 256k bitrate minimum, 16-bit sampling minimum
   • WAV: 44.1 Khz or 48 Khz, 16-bit per sample, stereo preferred
   • FLAC: Same as WAV
   • Other formats: Use the highest quality settings possible. We can convert most formats if needed. If for some reason we cannot, we will contact you.
4. Graphic accompaniment (still image or motion video) should be included with your application. Video should be full HD video. Still images should be sized for HD (1920×1080 pixels).
   • Still Images: JPEG, PNG.
   • Video Files: MP4 preferred.

General

No flash photography is permitted while contestants are on stage or in the backstage area. A designated photo area will be provided for contestant photos after the masquerade.

If you have questions please contact us 14 days in advance.

Last but not least, the Masquerade Director has the final say.

Mask Policy

Contestants are strongly encouraged to incorporate a mask with their costume to be worn on stage. However, if a contestant is adamant that a bare face is essential to their presentation, masks may be removed immediately before going on stage, but must be put back on immediately upon going off-stage. No exceptions.

The show director asks that potential contestants consider how difficult it will be to remove a mask in the darkness just offstage without getting tangled up in their costume or missing their entry cue.

Volunteers

A show like this isn’t carried on one person’s back. We need “Stage Ninjas” (must be 16+ yrs.), backstage gofers, judges’ clerks, etc. If you would like to help, please contact Volunteers through our contact page and they will pass your information along to the Masquerade.

Questions or comments? Please contact Special Events through our contact page.