Masquerade

As one of the most enduring traditions of Anime Expo®, the Masquerade is one of the largest and brightest highlights of Anime Expo®. Costumers hailing from around the world have graced our stage with their wonderful costumes and performances. They come for the fame, the glory and that huge trophy, “Best of Show”, if you have the motivation, the skills and the bloodlust to compete in one of the most prestigious anime Masquerade, come join us! Meet new and interesting people! See wonderful and exotic costumes! Witness the glitz, the glamour and the glory of Masquerade!

For Masquerade Inquiries, please contact

General Rules

1. All Masquerade content must comply with the Anime Expo Code of Conduct.
2. Fully completed General Release & Waiver Form(s) from ALL contestants are required for Masquerade Check-In.
3. Any contestant under 18 years of age at the time of the Masquerade, must have their parent or legal guardians sign the appropriate section of the General Release & Waiver Form.
4. The Masquerade will have 50 primary entries and 30 standby entries.
5. Each person may only participate in one entry.
6. Each entry may only appear on stage one time.
7. Entries are limited to 10 members without additional approval. Up to 2 additional members can be added upon Cosplay Events Manager and Masquerade Coordinator approval.
8. All contestants or the contact person for the entry must check in at the Cosplay Events Info Desk for final updates, information, submission of late paperwork and audio files. Final Check In is Thursday, July 1, 2010 at 12 pm and ends at 4 pm.
9. One representative from each Primary and Standby entry MUST attend the Mandatory Masquerade Meeting.
10. At-Con Registration will be available at the Cosplay Events Info Desk as space permits.

Performance Rules

1. All Skit entries must be 2 minutes or less and all Walk-On entries must be 1 minute or less.
2. There will be no microphones on stage for contestant use.
3. All audio for the performance must be prerecorded.
4. All performance content must meet PG-13 guidelines. In addition to these basic guidelines, swearing and depiction of sexual acts is forbidden.
5. Any presentations with stunts or shocking performances must be cleared with the Coordinators before the event. Failure to do so will result in immediate disqualification up to expulsion from future Anime Expo Cosplay Events.
6. Crossovers are permissible upon Cosplay Events Manager and Masquerade Coordinator approval.
7. The use of flash powder, fireworks, lasers, electrical flashes or smoke machines is prohibited.
8. Do not leave anything on the stage that can not be quickly and easily picked up by stage hands.
9. Narration to be read by the MC must be 35 words or less. Any narratives will be read before performances and costumers’ information will be read afterwards.
10. Interaction with the MC is prohibited.

Audio and Music Guidelines

1. Anime Expo® will NOT provide music for entries. All dialogue/music must be submitted through the online system. Further instruction will be provided via email to all Primary and Standby entries from
2. All music must be received by Sunday, June 20, 2010.
3. Recordings that run over the 1 minute time limit for walk-ons or 2 minutes for group performances will be cut short.
4. At-Con Registration entry groups must submit their music in audio cd format, no later than 10 am on Friday, July 2, 2010. Any CDs not picked up by Sunday, July 4, 2010 will become the property of Anime Expo®.
5. The Cosplay Events Department no longer accepts CDs via snail mail.
6. Anime Expo® and its staff will not be held responsible if any CDs are lost or stolen.

Costume Rules

1. All characters in a group must be from an anime, manga, Asian origin video game or live action anime/manga/video game based franchise.
2. All costumes and props must be made by either the contestant wearing the costume, fellow members of the entry group, or non-professional family/friends without monetary compensation.
3. Purchased or Rental costumes are prohibited.
4. All Props must conform to Anime Expo®’s Weapons Policy & Code of Conduct.
5. Overly large costumes and props are strongly discouraged. If you cannot easily get a costume or prop through a normal size doorway, we cannot guarantee that you will be able to get it on stage. If a costume or prop is unable to appear on stage as part of your entry, it will not be considered as part of your entry for awards.
6. Costumes should not be constructed with messy substances or materials. Paint or make up should not come off during casual contact with others.
7. Costumes must be self-contained. Connections to electrical sockets will not be available.
8. Costumes entered into Masquerade that have been entered into any costume contest before 2010 are strongly discouraged. Please contact the coordinator at for approval.
9. Costumes that have previously won awards are strongly discouraged from entering. Please contact the coordinator at for approval.

Costume Judging Guidelines

1. Any costume being presented for Craftsmanship Awards must attend the Preliminary Costume Judging. Any costume not presented at the Preliminary Costume Judging will not be eligible for Craftsmanship Awards.
2. Preliminary Costume Judging appointments will be held on Friday and Saturday, July 1-2, 2010 at the Cosplay Events Office.
3. Primary Entrants may sign up for appointments after checking in. Standbys may have appointments on Saturday, July 2, 2010, based on availability.
4. Appointments are made on a first come first served basis.
5. Deadline for setting up an appointment is 5 pm on Thursday, July 1, 2010 or until all appointments have been filled, which ever comes first.
6. Costumes, appliances and make up are NOT required to be worn.
7. There will be NO MAKE UP appointments.
8. Follow up reviews may be conducted just before Masquerade only for costumes presented at the appointment.
9. All costumes being presented for craftsmanship judging must be accompanied by a reference book or album with the following information for each costume:
   • Name of anime/manga/video game/live action production
   • Name of character(s)
   • Pictures of original character(s) (front, back, side and any important details)
   • Clear images showing construction progress (minimum of 6 pictures)
   • Place captions for all photos. Please make it as clear and neat as possible.
   • Character information should be followed by construction photos.
   • All images and photos are required to be placed in a binder or album.

Costume Judging Criteria

Costume Judging is based on following factors:

1. Adaptation:
   • Representation of your costume to the character design.
   • Skill in scale and body fit adaptation.
2. Overall Construction:
   • Use of materials, construction methods and durability.
   • Use of appropriate or innovative methods and applications.
3. Extra points may be awarded at the Judges discretion for construction done above and beyond the normal effort expected for a costume.

Skill Ranking System

The judging of costumes will focus on aspects of craftsmanship. Because of the broad range of skill levels among the field of contestants, a skill ranking system has been established. The skill levels are Novice, Intermediate, and Master. These rankings apply to the costume maker, not the wearer as they are for construction, not presentation.

This 3 tier system was developed to answer the growing diversity of ranging skill levels within our cosplay communities. This is to ensure that Novice costumers with limited costuming experiences will be able to compete with their peers, not with the more experienced costumers of higher skill levels.

Professional costumers must participate at the Master level. A professional is someone who has either been part of an active cosplay commission studio or has been employed as a seamstress, tailor, or pattern maker at any time. If you are unsure how this affects you, please email the coordinator at

Please note that any contestant can be reclassified by the Judges. If they feel you are under qualified or over qualified for your declared skill level, they can reclassify you into another skill level. Appeals can be presented to the Cosplay Events Manager but any arguments over the final decision could result in expulsion from this year’s event and possibly becoming ineligible for future events.

The 3 levels are defined as follows:

• Novice
• The novice category is intended for costumers with little to no prior experience making costumes and/or people with virtually no masquerade experience.
• May not have won “Best Novice” or a title of that same caliber or above at any other major costume competition.
• Intermediate
• The intermediate category is intended for people with some experience making costumes and/or masquerade experience or having a few awards for costumes.
• May not have won “Best Intermediate” or a title of that same caliber or above at any other major costume competition more than 3 times.
• Master
• The master category is intended for skilled costumers with lots of masquerade experience and several awards. Professionals are allowed to compete at this level as well.
• Anyone who wishes to join this level may do so.

Definitions of Major and Minor Awards

Examples of awards at or above Best Intermediate:

• Best of Show
• 1st Place
• 2nd Place
• 3rd Place
• Runner Up
• Best Journeyman

Examples of awards at or above Best Novice:

• All of the above awards
• Best Beginner

Anime Expo will not count any awards such as Judge’s Awards or Honorable Mentions when ranking individual cosplayers.

If you need assistance, the coordinator will help place you in the appropriate skill level.

Masquerade Awards and Prizes

Best of Show

This category of awards is presented to the entries that have shown the best combination of both Presentation and Craftsmanship. To be eligible for these awards, an entry must be presented at the Preliminary Costume Judging. Any entry that fails this requirement will not be eligible for Best of Show awards. The awards are:

• Best of Show
• Runner-up Best of Show
• Honorable Mention for Best of Show

Craftsmanship Awards

This category of awards is presented to the entries that have shown excellent costume craftsmanship and construction. Awards for the skill levels are given for individual achievement in costume construction. To be eligible for group awards, all costumes of an entry must be presented at the Preliminary Costume Judging. Any entry that fails this requirement will not be considered for the Group Craftsmanship Awards.

The Craftsmanship Awards are:

• Best Group Craftsmanship
• Runner Up Group Craftsmanship
• Best Master Craftsmanship
• Best Intermediate Craftsmanship
• Best Novice Craftsmanship
• Honorable Mention for Craftsmanship

Presentation Awards

These awards are presented to the entries that have shown excellent stage presentation. This can be either by a performance or a simple exhibition of a costume. The awards are separated by Group and Individual achievement. Skill levels are not factored into these awards.

The Presentation Awards are:

• Best Group Presentation
• Runner Up Group Presentation
• Best Individual Presentation
• Honorable Mention for Presentation

Judges Awards

These awards are selected by the Judges for entries they deem worthy of award but did not fit any of the previous categories. Each Judge may present one award based on their personal selection.

Industry Prizes

This category is composed of prizes from sponsors, retailers and other industry related organizations and may require an entry meet special criteria to be eligible.