Official Cosplay Contest Rules and Regulations, TusCon 42
Rule Number One:
The Cosplay Directors have the final say in everything cosplay!
Contest Theme (Not Required to Compete):
1. The suggested theme will be Post-Apocalyptic Societies. In the future, when the governments
have collapsed, chaos reigns on planet Earth…you are there, but who are you?
2. This is not a required theme but rather a suggestion.
a. Any genre costume can be adapted to fit any post-apocalyptic future.
b. You can be a good guy (defender or leader), a bad guy (invader or trouble maker), or a
bystander just trying to survive.
c. The apocalypse might be caused by alien invasion, virus, zombies or other mutants, or
by some unknown factor.
d. Original characters are encouraged
e. Any media is an acceptable inspiration for a costume or character:
i. Books, movies, television shows, anime, graphic novels, or games are examples
of media you can use as inspiration, but these are only suggestions.
ii. You can also create an original story for your character.
iii. You may choose to portray an existing character from fictional work, OR
iv. You may create a new character using an fictional work, OR
v. You may take an existing character and adapt it to fit in a post-apocalyptic
society, OR
vi. You may create an original character based on any other inspiration you may
have.
3. Above all BE CREATIVE and have fun!
General Information:
1. Participants are expected to have their TusCon badges with them to participate. Everyone must
provide their real name, badge number, and a completed cosplay registration form or they
cannot walk the stage. No exceptions. This applies to Pet Handlers also.
2. By registering for the Cosplay contests, all participants agree to allow TusCon to use their images
for promotional purposes, both photographs and video. Photographs of winning entries may be
shown on the TusCon web site and may be used for promotional materials by the contest
sponsors.
3. TusCon may film or photograph contest entries at its discretion. Entry into this contest
constitutes an agreement by the entrants to allow TusCon to use their likeness/image, etc. in
any current or future advertisement or promotion.
Prizes:
1. Major prizes will be announced on the web site as soon as the information is available.
2. Judges may award as many or as few prizes as they deem appropriate.
v.1.0
Page |1
Official Cosplay Contest Rules and Regulations, TusCon 42
Eligibility:
1. Everyone attending the Con is eligible to participate.
2. All participants must have a valid TusCon 42 badge to participate.
3. All participants must read and agree to follow all rules of the Cosplay Contest & Masquerade
Show.
4. Costumes previously entered in a TusCon Cosplay Contest are ineligible for prizes, but may be
worn in the Masquerade Show.
5. TusCon regular staff may enter Cosplay contest as long as staff-related responsibilities are
fulfilled.
6. TusCon ConCom members may participate in the Masquerade Show however they are not
eligible to compete for prizes. ConCom members must submit an entry form to the cosplay
director if they want to walk the stage in costume.
7. The total number of presentations that will be allowed this year will be limited. The number will
be determined once the convention schedule has been set. Make your reservations now if you
plan to compete. The Pet Cosplay Contest and the Regular Cosplay Contest will each have their
own entry limits. They are two separate contests.
8. All entries will be prioritized based on a first come, first served basis. If all entry slots are full,
there will be a waiting list for additional entrants who may be called in if anyone drops out or is
disqualified. Entrants may scan and submit an application via email to the Cosplay Director in
order to save a space in line. Costuming specifics may be updated at any time prior to the start
of pre-judging by submitting a revised set of forms.
9. Entrants are required to attend the Pre-Judging, and to show up at the requested time for the
contest staging. Pre-judging for pets will take place after human pre-judging has been
completed.
10. Costume and character pre-judging is required if and only if an entrant has chosen to compete
for prizes; however, all participants must check-in at pre-judging to receive instructions for the
Saturday night Masquerade Show. Entrants who miss any of these events may be disqualified.
Please see the official TusCon Cosplay schedule posted on site at the convention for times and
locations of REQUIRED Cosplay Meetings and activities.
11. A cosplay group must consist of at least two (2) and a maximum of ten (10) members per group.
While pets may be included in groups, we do not encourage the use of more than one pet in any
group.
12. Members of a group will not be judged as a group but rather they will be judged individually. A
member of a cosplay group cannot also participate on stage individually in the Masquerade
Show. Individual Cosplay participants may not join a Group Cosplay even as a minor role or as a
prop. Everyone gets one shot on stage. The ONLY exceptions to this rule shall be for pet
handlers who have already appeared with pets, and parents or guardians walking on with a
minor child. Use of a pet in a group skit is considered use of a prop. The pet is not judged as
part of the group. Pets will only be judged in the Pet Cosplay Contest.
v.1.0
Page |2
Official Cosplay Contest Rules and Regulations, TusCon 42
How to Enter:
1. Registration for the TusCon 42 Cosplay competition begins as soon as the rules have been
posted to the TusCon website. To sign up, fill out the Cosplay Contest Entry Form once it has
been made available on the web page.
2. Each participant must submit a completed entry form to the Cosplay staff no later than the start
of the pre-judging on Saturday afternoon, October 31, 2015. This includes all persons and pets
not competing for prizes who want to walk the stage at the Masquerade Show.
3. Entrants are encouraged to submit an application via email as soon as possible in order to hold a
place in line. Applications may be revised for costume content as needed, up to the start of prejudging. Your place in line belongs to one person and one person only. Only the costume
related information can be changed.
4. You must provide your real name and badge number in order to participate. You may also
provide a character name for the Master of Ceremonies to use when announcing you. You must
verify the accuracy of the application forms before pre-judging and update any changes at that
time.
5. An entry is expected to be a single individual, human or pet. Separate entry forms much be
completed for pets and people.
6. Groups are welcome to perform/present together, but all costumes will be evaluated on an
individual basis. Each member of the group must fill out a separate entry form.
7. Each participant is strongly urged to submit a printed copy of a picture of the character that
they’ll be cosplaying, unless they are portraying an original character. Do not assume that the
judges are familiar with every character in every genre. Help them out with reference photos
where available. This does not mean a photo of you in the costume but rather a photo from the
game, book cover, movie, etc. where the character originated. If the character is from a book,
we will understand if there are no reference photos available. A description of that character
from the book may also be submitted as a reference. Similarly, a written description of the
character traits for an original character may be submitted.
8. Entry forms should be filled out with as much detail as possible. A revised form can be
submitted by email or at the convention at any time if changes need to be made.
9. Emailed entries are due by Friday, October 30, 2015 at Noon. After that time, all entries must be
submitted to the cosplay staff at the convention.
10. Blank entry forms will be available from the cosplay staff on Friday and Saturday at the
convention along with copies of these rules and regulations. Keep in mind that entries may be
limited so get the applications in as soon as possible. They can be revised later.
11. The convention website has a form to submit email entries starting in July of 2015. Entries
should be emailed to Cosplay@RocketDogPets.com. In addition, forms can be handed in to the
cosplay staff at the convention.
12. If you are old school you can mail the form to:
Rocket Dog Pets
Attn TusCon42 Cosplay Director
2017 W Calle Pacifica
Tucson, Az 85745
v.1.0
Page |3
Official Cosplay Contest Rules and Regulations, TusCon 42
Contest Categories:
1. The contest will have only three categories.
a. JUNIORS: Children 12 years old and under on the day of the competition can participate
in this children’s only category.
i. Any child under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult. The adult does
not have to be onstage, but must be present with the child prior to their turn on
the stage.
ii. Parents are required to accompany their children to pre-judging.
iii. Parents are more than welcome to accompany their children onstage, however,
only 1 parent or guardian may accompany them. For Performance, parents used
as "props" for small children do not bump children into an adult class.
iv. A separate prize will be awarded to the best Junior, however, juniors are still
eligible for other prizes.
b. PETS: Includes dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, and basically anything you can put in a
costume and safely get on the stage, as long as it complies with the rules of the contest
and the con. Sorry, no llamas or pigs.
i. All pets must be on a leash or otherwise confined. Please note where there are
special rules applicable to pets.
ii. All pets must remain leashed or otherwise confined at all times. Pets which are
trained to perform off-leash will be permitted ONLY after a brief pretest to be
performed by the Pet Cosplay Director. If you plan to go off leash please contact
us in advance so we can schedule that pre-testing earlier on Saturday. Animals
that have not been pre-tested PRIOR to the start of pre-judging will not be
permitted to perform off-leash.
iii. No pets in heat will be permitted to compete or perform on stage.
iv. No aggressive animals will be permitted to compete or perform on stage. Any
animal exhibiting aggressive behavior may be eliminated from the competition.
v. Costumes must be safe, cool and comfortable for pets. Pet costumes MUST NOT
impede normal mobility or cause discomfort to animals.
vi. No motorized carts will be permitted.
c. INDIVIDUAL: Any person over the age of 12 will compete as an individual. You may
perform as a group but you will be judged as individuals.
2. GROUPS: Members of a group will not be judged as a group but rather they will be judged
individually. A member of a cosplay group cannot also participate on stage individually in the
Masquerade Show. All groups are required to have a skit or dance presentation.
3. Individual cosplay stage show participants may not also join a group cosplay even as a minor
role or as a prop. Everyone gets one shot on stage. The ONLY exceptions to this rule shall be for
pet handlers, and parents or guardians walking on with a minor child.
v.1.0
Page |4
Official Cosplay Contest Rules and Regulations, TusCon 42
Code of Conduct:
1. No nudity allowed. No costume is no costume. This applies to humans only. Pets are exempt.
This is an all-ages show. We reserve the right to insist on modifications to costumes. The
Cosplay Directors are always right!
2. All convention policies must be upheld during the entirety of the Cosplay competition. Anyone
violating the TusCon Convention Rules may be disqualified from the contest, and may be
expelled from the convention. In the event there is a conflict between the Cosplay Competition
Rules and the TusCon Convention Rules, the Convention rules will apply. A rules conflict will
only exist if the Convention Director says it does. If she says there is no conflict, then the
Contest Rules apply.
3. TusCon is a family friendly event. Content should not go beyond PG-13.
4. Offensive language of any kind is not allowed—no racial or sexual epithets; no profanity, etc.
5. No excessive violence.
6. No sexual activity or contact—real or implied.
7. All sexual jokes must have a non-sexual interpretation that is at least as obvious as the sexual
one.
8. Be clever, not crass! If you think your costume or presentation might be too risqué or offensive,
it probably is.
9. If you have a question about your content, please feel free to ask a Cosplay Director if it is
allowable.
10. You may surprise the audience, but never surprise the crew.
11. No fire, flame, smoke, fog, dry ice, wind machines, lasers, pressurized gases or liquids.
12. No messy substances—wet, dry, or oily on stage.
13. No jumping on or off stage—please use the officially designated stage entrances and exits.
14. Entrants must abide by the Convention weapons policy. All weapons must be pre-approved in
accordance with convention policies. Pointing weapons at anyone not in your Cosplay group will
not be tolerated. The Cosplay director must approve any actions involving weapons.
15. Contestants may not use stage time to make political, religious, or insulting presentations, or
other demonstrations not related to their entry.
16. If for whatever reason one contestant is removed from competition for any violation the entire
group may be disqualified as well depending on the situation.
17. All decisions made by the Cosplay Director or Convention Director are final. There are no
appeals.
18. TusCon will not be held responsible for damage or injury resulting from mishandling and/or
negligence of a cosplayer in his/her use of props/materials/pets throughout the duration of the
event
19. If any contestant becomes unruly and disrupts or interferes with the Costume Contest at any
time, they will be disqualified and may be subject to further penalties.
v.1.0
Page |5
Official Cosplay Contest Rules and Regulations, TusCon 42
Stage Performances:
1. All entrants will have a short performance period for a walk-on, a traditional skit, or a dance skit.
Skits or dance performances are not required for competition (but they are fun).
2. Each contestant will appear in only one stage performance. Pet handlers are allowed to appear
in both the pet cosplay contest and the human cosplay contest without violating this rule.
3. A pet handler does not need a human costume to enter a pet in the pet cosplay contest.
4. The pet parade portion of the contest will take place at the start of the Masquerade Show. Pet
handlers who also plan to participate as humans should be prepared to hand off the pet to
someone else when they leave the stage so they may take their place in line for the human
portion of the contest. If you are a pet handler and a human competitor, please let the cosplay
staff know, in advance, so we can schedule your appearances appropriately.
5. If you have an audio track, please contact the Cosplay Director for equipment arrangements.
Send an email to Cosplay@RocketDogPets.com for formatting information. Audio tracks must
contain only what needs to be played, no more, no less.
6. Props will have to be carried on and off the performance/display area by the contestant(s) or
with the help of one or two assistants. You must provide your own assistant.
7. Presentations and skits are limited to a maximum of 2 minutes, for both individual and group
entries.
8. Each entry will have their skit introduced by the Master of Ceremonies. Please have a short
description of your skit ready before you arrive for pre-judging.
9. You may not participate in more than one skit.
10. Performance will be judged based on the performance of each individual, and not the group.
11. There are 3 types of Performances:
a. Regular skit: Traditional skits in which the main activities include characters talking to
each other and acting out a scene.
b. Dance skit: Skits in which most of the performance is dancing.
c. Walk-on: Quick presentation consisting of a few poses intended to show off a costume.
12. Pre-recorded music and dialogue are encouraged, but not required.
13. Leave the stage as clean as it was when you set foot on it. Arrange to remove all items you
brought on stage at the end of your presentation. If you have a particularly intricate
presentation, we recommend you recruit your own stage ninjas.
14. No entry may be a repeat of an entry from any previous competition at TusCon.
15. Don't plan for complex lighting.
v.1.0
Page |6
Official Cosplay Contest Rules and Regulations, TusCon 42
Props and Weapons:
1. NO flames, liquids, live ammunition, explosive devices, corrosive materials, or flash
paper/pots/powder. You may not take on stage or use any sort of spray paint, silly string,
fireworks, water or any other items that could mar the stage or leave a mess.
2. All props must be inspected prior to pre-judging. If it is deemed unsafe, you will not be allowed
to use it. In addition, if you use it on stage for something that you didn’t tell us about in
advance, you may be disqualified and/or expelled from the convention!
3. Pre-approved weapons may be carried on-stage, however, they may not be brandished at the
audience, judges, or staff. You may not throw or whip props around.
4. Doing any of these things may disqualify you and you will be held responsible for any and all
damages and/or medical bills that may occur as a result.
Costume Construction Requirements (to compete for prizes):
1. Costumes worn for any previous competition at TusCon are ineligible for awards.
2. A portion of the costume (such as a leotard, tights and shoes) may be from purchased finished
goods, but at least 50% of the costume should have been constructed by the creator of the
costume.
3. Commissioned, purchased, rented, or commercially made costumes will not be eligible to
compete for prizes.
4. If you have made heavy alterations to a store-bought garment and wish to enter it into the
contest, you must be able to explain how you have altered it and the processes that such an
endeavor entailed. Unaltered store-bought assemblies of clothing to represent a "costume"
are not eligible for prizes.
5. Costumes not entered in the judging for prizes do not have to be self-made.
6. If you did not make your costume, you are only allowed to compete for prizes if the person who
made the costume is present at pre-judging and at the cosplay contest. If the costume wins, the
creator will be the one who receives the credit and awards (see item 8 below for exception for
Juniors).
7. We recommend some kind of foot covering. Shoes or boots are required in the pre-staging area.
Please be aware of safety concerns.
8. Special Costuming Rules for Junior Cosplayers: While junior costumes must also be handmade,
we do not require a certain percentage of the cosplay to be handmade by the junior participant
themselves. We would prefer children to take an active part in the construction of their cosplay.
Awarding of prizes may take this into account.
v.1.0
Page |7
Official Cosplay Contest Rules and Regulations, TusCon 42
Pre-Judging
1. All participants are required to attend pre-judging in order to compete for prizes.
2. All props must be presented for inspection when you check-in for prejudging.
3. Pre-Judging is not open to the public, only entrants and handlers are permitted
4. If you have not submitted your entry form in advance, or if your entry has been revised, you
must have your printed form with you and completely filled out before registering for prejudging.
5. Contestants can register for pre-judging ahead of time. Check the cosplay message board for
more information when you check-in at registration.
6. All participants in the cosplay masquerade stage show Saturday MUST register before prejudging. We must have your information in order to determine the order of appearance for the
stage show.
Judging and Awards:
1. The judge’s decisions are final. Any arguing or harassing them will result in immediate
disqualification
2. All entrants must participate in the Masquerade Show (performance portion) either in a skit or a
walk-on in order to qualify for prizes.
3. "Performance" and "Costume" judging are not separate components of the competition. Both
elements will be considered in determining the award winners.
4. There is one judging panel that will select and grant all awards. Prizes and certificates will be
awarded by the Judges and the Cosplay Director.
5. Costume construction judging is not required to participate but is required for all awards.
6. Judging will be based off of a point system as determined by the judges and Cosplay Director.
The following will be taken into consideration along with any other criteria that the judges deem
appropriate:
a. Cosplay accuracy
b. Originality in adaptation and interpretation
c. Showmanship
d. Craftsmanship in construction
e. Durability of construction
f. Extra points may be awarded at the Judges' discretion for performance or construction
done above and beyond the normal effort expected for a costume.
7. The judges are free to give as many or as few awards as they choose.
8. Judges’ decisions are final and cannot be appealed.
Any questions may be addressed to the Cosplay Directors at Cosplay@RocketDogPets.com
v.1.0
Page |8