These rules apply to all contestants. Please read the rules to the very end as some of your questions may be answered further down.

• Masquerade area head has final say!
• You must be pre-registered with the convention before you register online for the costume contest.
• All members of an entry must individually sign the NDK Cosplay declaration (legal liability, publicity waiver).
• Participants can only sign up for one slot in either the walk-on or a skit. You cannot do both.
• Contestants may sign up for the category they think they belong in. However, the masquerade area head and the craftsmanship judges reserve the right to move contestants into a different category based on the work presented. If you are found intentionally entering a category below your level you may be disqualified from the contest.
• Contestants may not enter a costume that has won at a previous NDK or has been worn and won at 2 or more costume contests/masquerades larger than 10 entries.
• NDK weapons policy will be strictly enforced. As per the weapons policy, if you wish to have a weapon allowed, please email the masquerade area head.
• No Shoes, No Shirt, No Service: This is the hotel’s policy. Please wear some form of shoes. Even barefoot characters must have shoes on for the contest. The lack of authenticity will be forgiven.
• All contestants must have a torso covering. Despite the double standard created by our society at large, in the interest of fairness to both sexes, we must insist that both genders wear appropriate torso coverings.
• Nudity, even the illusion of such, is strictly forbidden and will disqualify you. If you have questions, please ask!!!
• NDK’s masquerade is rated TVPG (Parental Guidance Suggested): This program contains material that parents may find unsuitable for younger children. Parents may want to watch it with their younger children. The theme itself may call for parental guidance and/or the program contains one or more of the following: moderate violence (V), some sexual situations (S), infrequent coarse language (L), or some suggestive dialogue (D).
• There will be no “bag run” service. Please make other arrangements for your valuables.
• There will be no set amount of slots for any walk on category except for children, which is limited to 5. There will be 60 slots total available to the beginner, intermediate, or masters category instead of the previous 30 slots for this category, 20 slots for that one. Slots are filled on a first come, first serve basis.
• All slots for the contest will be available online. Any slots not filled after the 2-week online registration will be available on site. This means that there is a possibility that there will be no slots except for the children’s category, which are only available on site, so please register early.
• All members of a group entry must sign up at the same time. There will be no late entries to any group.
• All online entrants must be at check-in on Friday night or Saturday morning. If you do not check in by the end of the check in period, your slot will be given away to someone on the waiting list and you will not be allowed to compete.
• At greenroom check-in, you will be given an entry badge. If you do not have the badge when you reach the stage, you will not be allowed to compete.
• Times and dates for pre-registration, check-in, craftsmanship judging, green room, and contest are given clearly. If you miss any of these deadlines you will not be allowed to participate in the contest. No exceptions.
• While we appreciate costumes from other genres, NDK’s masquerade will be limited to those of Japanese origin. Special exceptions may be made for costumes of other Asian media, but the masquerade area head must approve them. If you have a question regarding this, please email the masquerade area head.
• Any contestants who have music or audio must enter online and must submit any music or audio you want played for your walk-on or skit by midnight Friday, September 5, 2008. No music or audio submissions will be accepted late or on site. All audio submitted for walk-on entries will start when the first contestant steps onto the stage. All audio submitted for skit entries must note visual cue, otherwise audio will begin when first contestant steps onto the stage. Total maximum running time is 45 seconds for walk-ons, and 2 minutes for skits. This includes pre-audio set up on stage. Overlong audio will be rejected and entrants will be asked to resubmit. Deadline will not be extended for any reason.
• Singing is not a skit and dancing is not a skit. You may include either of these elements in your skit, but your skit cannot be comprised of just singing, dancing or a combination of the two.
• Contestants that sign up online and do not show up to check in, or notify the area head that they do not want the spot before Saturday will not be allowed to sign up for the contest the following year.
• You may not throw props. If you throw any props you will be immediately disqualified and if it causes any damage you will be held responsible for any and all damages and medical bills.
• You must walk down the exit stairs.
• Entry slots are non-transferable.
• There is no crying in cosplay.

Costume Contest

• Street Clothes: Street clothes are defined as any item that has been purchased off the rack. All requirements regarding this are given below in respective categories. Any costume containing street clothes that has not been approved by the masquerade area heads may be disqualified.
• Commissioned/Modeled Costumes: Modeled costumes are permitted only with prior consent given directly from the costume maker to the masquerade area heads. Costumes must be one of a kind costume created for the model, in other words no mass-produced costumes, Ebay or otherwise, will be allowed. Wigs and props are exceptions; however, credit must be given where credit is due. Any prizes won will go to the creator of the costume, not the model. If you fail to give proper credit, you will be permanently banned from the contest.
• Professional Costumer: NDK defines a professional costumer as any person who has ever received payment for making a costume.
• Walk-on entries are limited to walk-on performances forty-five (45) seconds or less.
• There will be a total of 60 slots available to contestants entering in the beginner, intermediate, and masters categories during online registration. If the Cosplay slots do not fill up by the end of online registration, they will be converted to walk-on slots available on site. (Don’t count on it.)
• Categories are based loosely on International Costumer’s Guild guidelines. Please note your category and enter appropriately! If you do not know what category you should enter, please talk to the masquerade area head or the craftsmanship judges. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask!
• Specialty awards are awards such as the George Robbert’s Traditional Costume Award, BakuDan’s Video Game Award, Best J-rock Award, DCCS Award. It is possible however unlikely that these awards may change from year to year.
• Judge’s Awards are awards given out by NDK’s guest judges to their favorite costume or cosplay contestants.

How to Enter

Please read the rules carefully! Any questions can be directed to the masquerade area head.

1. Online via email— All of the entry slots will be available online with the exception of children’s entries. There is room for 60 walk-on entries and 10 skit entries.
2. Please fill out the appropriate form, which will be available in August, and email it to the masquerade area head. Please check below for dates and times to send in your registration form.
3. On site at the hotel— Any walk-on entry slots not filled by the time online registration ends will be offered on site. Any skit entry slot not filled by the end of the registration period will be turned into a walk-on entry and offered on site. (Audio will not be accepted onsite.) There will be 5 children’s slots available only on site.

Please note that there will be no skit slots available on site and plan accordingly.

Important Times and Dates

Online signup begins Saturday, August 16, 2008 at noon Denver time (Mountain time) and ends Saturday, August 30, 2008 at noon Denver time (Mountain time). Any emails sent prior to the beginning of signup will be returned and the entrant will need to re-apply. To pre-register for the contest you need to be pre-registered for the convention. Email confirmation of walk-on entries will be sent within 2 days. Skit entries will be sent after the script and sound recordings have been previewed. If you do not receive an email, please inquire!

Online registrants must check-in on site. There will be check-in on Friday evening from 6:30pm to 8:00pm in the autograph area and Saturday morning from 9:00am to 10:00am in the autograph area. All members of an entry must check-in by end of check-in on Saturday morning, September 13, 2008; any entry failing to do so will not compete.

For those who did not get a slot in the contest, a waiting list will be kept with contestant names. If any pre-registered entry fails to make the 10:00am Saturday deadline, their slot will be offered to those on the waiting list in order. You must check in by 10:00am in the autograph area, unclaimed spots will be filled between 10:00am and 10:30am at which time the list will be closed.

Onsite sign up for left over spots from online sign up will be Friday evening, September 12, 2008 from 6:30pm to 8:00pm in the autograph area.

Craftsmanship judging will take place on Saturday, September 13, 2008 from 9:00am to 4:00pm. Any entry wishing to be judged on craftsmanship must fill out a craftsmanship questionnaire and sign up for a judging time upon check-in. Masters must have craftsmanship judging.

Green room is mandatory. Any entry not present for final check-in will not compete. All contestants from an entry must be present; any person not at final check-in will not go on stage. The green room check-in will be held in Conifer and will open at 5:30pm and close at 6:15pm on Saturday September 13, 2008.