Masquerade & Cosplay Competition

Thanks for your interest in the DemiCon 25 "formal" masquerade and cosplay! Unlike the Friday night "Hall Costume" contest, the Saturday evening event gives you a chance to strut your clever and cunningly- crafted attire in front of a captive (although voluntarily so)audience. Prizes will be awarded for the costumes deemed by our judges to be the best of the best.

If you've participated in masquerades before, then you're already familiar with the thrill of hearing the "oooohs" and "aaaahs" of an audience eager to appreciate your handiwork and presentation skills. If you've NOT tried your hand as a contestant in the past, then get ready for one of the biggest endorphin rushes one can experience at an SF con. Once you've walked across that stage in your jaw-dropping Renaissance garb, or as your favorite anime character, or wherever your creative muse has taken you, you'll be hooked -- we promise!

We're making a few changes this year to accommodate a wider variety of needs and styles. Take a look at what the DemiCon masquerade is doing to make your stage experience even more awesome:

WHAT'S NEW:

- First: Please note that we've slightly redubbed this event to the "Masquerade AND COSPLAY". In the past, it apparently hasn't been clear that cosplay entries are considered masquerade-worthy, and are most welcome! So, if have a character with a costume, and an idea about how to show it off, please -- do join us!

- Second: This year, we are lifting the rule barring pieces entered into the hall costume contest on Friday night from competing in the formal masquerade on Saturday. So, even if you strutted it from basement programming to top-floor consuite on Friday, we're happy to have you parade it across the stage the next evening as well.

- Third: We are relaxing the requirement that participants must be signed up, with paperwork turned in, for the masquerade/cosplay by noon on Saturday. The Saturday noon deadline is now ONLY for those participants who want to avail themselves of a technical rehearsal. So, if you have a skit or choreographed entry, have special music or  audio requirements, or want to make sure that the emcee knows your  presentation well enough to introduce it just the way you want it  handled, then yes -- you need to get your paperwork in by 12:00 p.m.  Saturday, and schedule a tech rehearsal slot for Saturday afternoon.  BUT...

...If you're primarily interested in simply having your costume introduced for a walk (or twirl) across the stage, and do not require special music or advanced rehearsal, you may submit your entry paperwork as late as 6 p.m. on Saturday. And, better yet, you can select an appropriate, mood-setting musical backing for your presentation from our tech crew's list of ready-to-go songs. How easy -- and cool -- is that?

- Fourth: For the enthusiastic, forward-thinking, and well-prepared costume crowd, you'll want to note that we will be instituting online registration in advance of the convention this year. While not required, online registration helps us to more thoroughly and efficiently prepare for helping you to make the most of your moment in the spotlight. Ready to register now? Great! Click here to access the online registration form.

OTHER STUFF TO KNOW:

- The masquerade will be held at 8 p.m. Saturday evening. Adult participants should report to the green room (Ballroom D) by 7:15; junior participants (ages 13 and under) should report to the green room by no later than 7:30.

- There is no private dressing facility in the green room -- so if modesty is an issue, you'll need to don at least your lowest layer either in your hotel room, or in the nearby hotel restroom facility, before reporting in. Both the men's and women's restrooms have a large "handicapped" stall suitable for clothing changes.

- DemiCon recognizes three entry categories: Apprentice (a.k.a. Junior -- for contestants aged 13 years and younger), Artisan (ages 14 and up), and Exhibition (for show only; not entered for judging consideration). There will be "Best of Apprentice" and "Best of  

Artisan" awards presented, as well as a "Best of Show" that can be selected from either category. In addition, the judges will be given leeway to present a few "honorable mention" awards, which may include things such as: Best Presentation, Best Media Recreation, Best Use of Materials -- or whatever else they deem fit in order to recognize our contestants' outstanding work.

- For those opting to avail themselves of a tech rehearsal, you will be granted a 10-minute slot to practice with the emcee and tech crew on Saturday afternoon. You can sign up for your tech rehearsal time when you submit your entry paperwork -- but in order to be granted tech rehearsal time, we will need your paperwork by noon on Saturday. It is not necessary to come to your rehearsal in your full costume -- but for best results, we do recommend bringing along any special props, headgear, and/or footwear that are part of your ensemble, as those are the items most likely to cause unexpected challenges during a presentation.

- Persons scheduling a tech rehearsal should bring any special music or audio files with them if the presentation requires it. Preferred format is .mp3 or .aif files on a flash drive or CD. Our sound crew may or may not be able to accommodate other formats, so deviate from these guidelines at your own risk.

- We will have a photographer available to take studio-quality pictures of you in your masquerade garb. You should plan to be prepared for your photo shoot during the pre-event green room time, although our photographer MAY be available for a brief period after the conclusion of the masquerade if you don't get around to having your portrait snapped earlier.

- After your time on stage, we recommend that you remain in costume until all entries have been presented (although you can certainly temporarily remove pieces if some "breathing time" is required), so that you may participate in the post-masquerade "photo run" across the stage for the photographers in our audience. This is optional -- but after having gone to all that hard work to make the costume, don't you want to give everyone else as much opportunity as possible to enjoy it?

- After the photo run (or sooner, for those who opt not to do the "catwalk" thing), participants may remove any or all portions of their costume, and are invited to sit in the audience to enjoy the halftime show, and to be present when the judges return from deliberation to announce the awards.

Questions? The sooner you ask, the better. Direct inquiries to Jeannette Roth -- your humble DC25 masquerade/cosplay director -- at masqueradecosplay@demicon.org.

IMPORTANT NOTE: I will be attending a business conference in New York the weekend prior to DemiCon, with a schedule return date of approximately two days before the convention. Therefore, I will not be around to answer questions for approximately a week-and-a-half prior to the con. I'll be around at the con itself, of course, and you can grab me there. But if you have a logistical or other complex question, 'tis best to try to reach me well before the last minute, so that I can be prepared, and give your inquiry the attention it deserves.

Contests

DemiCon hosts a wide range of contests to suit many interests, from costumes to storytelling, in which all are welcome to participate. This year, we will have a few contests to match our steampunk theme. Stay tuned for more information!

Please click the links below to learn about some of DemiCon's competitions.

• Artist Contest Winners
  
• Hall Costume Contest, Hat Contest
• Masquerade & Cosplay Contest 
• DemiCon Fhannish Film Festival (Deadline is April 10, 2014)
• Prose and Poetry Contests (Deadline past)
  
  
• Contests for Creating Buildings for the Monster Mash
  
  
• Dramatic Reading Contest
  
  
• Room Party Contests
  
  
• Scavenger Hunt

There are more contests being planned, so check this site again from time to time.

Hall Costume Contest

Greetings to all! In the proud tradition of Demicons past we will once again be having a Friday night Hall Costume contest. As always, simply don your finery and strut the halls, and you may be our next lucky “Best in Hall” winner! We will be following the same rules and procedures as last year, so you don’t need to stand before a judge to be considered an entrant. And again, as with last year, our wandering judges will be scouting the halls to hand out special hall awards!

Here’s the scoop: To be considered a Hall Costume entrant and eligible for the major awards, you must have your photo take by our photographer between 9 PM and 10:30 PM Friday night. There, you will receive your Ribbon of Participation from his assistant. Only those with Ribbons of Participation are eligible for the special hall awards, which include ribbons for those who best remain in character, or which anime we like best, or super workmanship (among others). The major awards, presented during Masquerade on Saturday, include prizes for the following categories: BEST SCI-FI/FANTASY, BEST ORIGINAL, BEST STEAMPUNK, BEST CHILD, and of course BEST in HALL. Something special (unearthed from our silver mine) will be awarded to each Hall Costume winner. Photos of these special items are posted below! (If you'd like, you can go to our website www.demicon.org, and check the Demicon archives to see what the lucky winners won previously.)

SPECIAL HAT CONTEST

“HI-HAT, SILVER!  AWAY!”

Greetings to all!  As with the last several years, the Demicon Hall Costume Contest will once more host a separate competition for the most creative hat (within given guidelines.)

In keeping with the fact that this year marks our 25^th anniversary, this year's Hat Contest Theme is “all things pertaining to silver!”  ANYTHING pertaining to silver – placed on a hat!

To enter, simply find our photographer, Jason White (his location will be posted) and get your picture taken.  Your hat DOES NOT need to be part of an entire costume, but can stand alone.

The winner will be announced at Masquerade Half-Time, and the lucky winner will receive the large, round goblet shown in the first image below! 

Thanks for entering, and have fun!

“Hi-Hat, Silver!  Away!”

 HALL COSTUME and BEST HAT AWARDS:

BEST IN HALL:  "Heigh-ho Silver, Celebrate Away!"

(Best in Hall not necessarily to be steampunk, by the way!)

Guidelines and Registration for Dealer Room

• Tables are $35 each for DemiCon 25. There is a limit of three tables (or table spaces) per dealer.
• A membership must be purchased separately for each person working your table.
• You can reserve your tables by checking the appropriate box on your registration form and including the table cost with your membership payment.  Or, you can use PayPal from the Registration page.
• If you have already purchased your membership and wish to add a table (or three), you can e-mail us at dealers@demicon.org.
• Let us know if you have any special requirements: wall space, electricity, table space but no tables, specific number of chairs, etc.
• Tables are not "reserved" until we receive payment. If you do not know if you have sent a payment or are registered, please look on the Dealer Room Page to see the list of reserved dealers, or contact dealers@demicon.org.
• If you send your website information to dealers@demicon.org, we'll create a link on the main dealer page for you!

DEALER ROOM LOGISTICS

The Dealer Room will be open for set-up at 9:00 am Friday morning. Dealers may unload at the front door of the Holiday Inn Northwest. You will find the Dealer Room located nearby, in the first section of the ballroom.

View the Dealer Room Layout to see a diagram of the room.

DEALER ROOM RULES/GUIDELINES

1. Permit and Sales Tax:  The state of Iowa requires that all dealers collect and remit sales tax on dealer table purchases. If you do not have a sales tax permit you may get a temporary permit by contacting the Iowa Department of Revenue. Please have your tax permit with you during the convention as you will be asked to provide this information.
2. Weapons:  All edged weapons and other sharp, breakable or potentially hazardous merchandise must be displayed in a safe and appropriate manner. Do not sell swords, knives, etc., to minors without the permission of the minor's parent.
3. Display:  Please display any adult-themed merchandise in a tasteful manner.
4. Safety:  No open flames allowed (e.g. no burning of candles, incense, illudim 348, lit canons, etc.). Do not "flow" your merchandise and displays into the aisles or other dealer spaces.
5. Sound:  Music and Video are permitted in your dealer area. However, please keep the sound to a volume that does not annoy your neighbors. If it is too loud, you will be asked to turn it down.
6. Food Vending:  Dealers can not sell food items because of hotel regulations on corkage and food vending.  
7. Membership:  All people working your table(s) must have a DemiCon membership. Badges must be worn at all times.
8. Set-Up and Tear-Down:  You must vend all three days of DemiCon. You  must be set up and ready for business on Friday at 2 p.m., and continue to conduct business during all of the Dealer Room hours until 2 pm Sunday.  You cannot dismantle your tables until Sunday after 2 p.m.

Contact/Registration Information

• You can e-mail us at dealers@demicon.org.

• PayPal is operational on the Registration page.

• If you wish to register via US Mail, please use this registration form.  Fill out a form for each individual attending.  Send your forms and payment to:

DemiCon 25
P. O. Box 7572
Des Moines, IA 50323-7572

Free Advertising on the DemiCon Channel for Dealers

The DemiCon Channel is an in-house channel run on the hotel system.  You are allowed to advertise on the DemiCon Channel with a slide that will be added to the channel in a slideshow layout. 

You are allowed one slide if we are creating it for you. If you wish to create your own, you are allowed two slides that will be exchanged throughout the weekend. You need a 3:5 ratio, 96 dpi. 

On the slide, you are permitted:

• Name of Business
• Logo
• One to three JPEG pictures of your wears, keep pictures PG
• One line/tagline describing your business

Due date for slides is April 1, 2014. All self-made slides are reviewed for use and may be changed if need be. Send them to channelmaster@demicon.org.