MASQUERADE RULES FOR BALTICON 31

The Balticon Masquerade will be run according to the Costumers Guild "Division System". The Division Qualifications for Balticon are not identical to those used for Worldcons. The purpose of having this system is that a beginning costumer need not compete with an experienced winner unless he or she wants to do so. We can all compete on our own level against our costuming peers.

Contestants will be registered according to the following Divisions:

YOUNG FAN

Any contestant under 13 years of age. There will be two classes of award: Adult Made and Contestant Made.

NOVICE

An individual who has won fewer than three major prizes* in costume competitions (other than as a "Young Fan") at any convention. (General S/F or Specific Theme _i.e._ Trek, Darkover _etc._)

JOURNEYMAN

Has won at a con Masquerade previously, but does not qualify as: Young Fan, Novice, Craftsman, or Re-Creation as defined here-in. In other words, a Journeyman has won at least three major prizes* as a Novice but less than three additional prizes in the Journeyman Division.

CRAFTSMAN

An individual who has won three or more major prizes* above the Novice level at previous cons with 20 or more costume entries.

MASTER

An individual who has won Master Status at the Worldcon or Costume Con level. Master is a division reserved for Worldclass Winners, and only if two or more Worldclass Masters are entered in a Balticon Masquerade will a Masters Division be used. A Worldclass Master has either won three times at Worldcons and/or Costume Cons, or has won a major prize* in the Master Division at these conventions.

Within the Divisions, costumes will be further judged as to whether they are Original or Re-Creation costumes. Original costumes are what the name implies, original in design with the maker while Re-Creation costumes are defined as follows:

RE-CREATION

A costume copied directly or with minor modifications from a live action or animated motion picture, a television production, a stage presentation, a comic book or strip, or a book cover. In short, from any source other than an original design, in which one or more views of the particular costume are shown, and the designer is not the maker.

NOTES: A NOVICE may compete in the Novice, Journeyman, or Craftsman Divisions at his/her option; a JOURNEYMAN may compete in the Journeyman or Craftsman Divisions at his/her option; a Craftsman must compete as a Craftsman. A Master must compete in the Master Division if other Masters are entered, otherwise he must compete in the Craftsman Division.

* Major prize is defined as:

• "Best ---"
• "Most ---"
• "Judges Choice"
• "First Place ---"
• "Second Place ---"

• We will have some reserved seating for the contestants within the hall used for the Masquerade and we will have a video feed into the green room. We will assemble contestants in small groups outside the hall and bring them on stage from there. Contestants will go off stage into the audience and back to their seating area, the photo area, or the Green Room. We hope that in this way, waiting time can be kept to a minimum, and the maximum number of people will thus be able to see the costumes. We will be showing the video tape(s) of the Masquerade in several locations later that evening.
• The Young Fans, as a group will appear first.
  
• If necessary, the staff reserves the right to change the order of appearance of any contestant.
• If you are a part of a group costume, only one member of the group should register for the entire group, and the group will be given a single entrant number. We will, however, require the names and signatures of all members of the group. Remember, a group costume will compete at the division level of the highest member and will be judged as a group. (A group costume is only as good as its worst costume.) All members of the group must be members of the convention and will be required to show their badges in the Green Room.
• If you wish a special introduction, please have it typed, double spaced or printed clearly, and turn it in when you register. Alternatively, you may tape record your introduction on standard cassette tape, with standard biasing, and no Dolby please. It will also help if you can have it cued to the beginning of the tape. We will have facilities to play this back. Please turn it in at the time that you register.

  There will be NO LIVE MICROPHONES for the contestants use.
  

• The weapons policy of the con will be strictly adhered to. Weapons that are a part of the costume may be displayed only on stage and only in a safe manner. All weapons must be sheathed at the time that you exit the stage. Due to hotel fire regulations, no fire, open flame, flash paper/powder may be used. Electronic sealed flashes are permissible for use by the contestants.
• Nudity. Since you asked, our general feeling is that if you are comfortable with your skin, so are we...with certain reservations:
  
  • No costume is no costume and won't win any prizes.
  • Our Judges are of both sexes, and are artists, authors, or costumers. They will be judging costumes not bodies.
  • There will be children present. (Also mundanes)
  • If you feel that nudity is essential to your costume, please limit it to the Masquerade, and keep it covered in the public areas of the hotel.
• Each contestant may appear only once in the competition.
• Please try to be on time for your call. If you have a good reason for wanting to go on early or late, please tell us when you register, and we will try to accommodate you. If you arrive after you have been called, you may not go on.
• The backstage staff will have full authority to eliminate anyone from the competition on the basis of taste, danger to the audience or other contestants or for any other reason deemed sufficient. You must be able to enter and leave the stage without help in order to appear. Our steps are six (6') feet wide, one (1') foot deep and eight (8") inches high. We will have people available to steady you but not to lift or completely support you.
• We plan to award the prize certificates with the winners names lettered on them at the con, on Sunday. If you must leave before the certificates are ready, they will be mailed to you.
• TIME LIMITS: Groups of from one (1) to four (4) contestants will be permitted a maximum of one minute (60 seconds) on stage. Groups of five or more will be permitted a maximum of two minutes. Short is better than long. Let your costume speak for itself.
• SPECIAL NOTE: Contestants in costume must remain in the Green Room until they go on stage. Any contact with the Presentation Judges prior to the masquerade while a contestant is in costume may be grounds for disqualification of the entrant.
• NO FLASH PICTURES WILL BE PERMITTED DURING THE MASQUERADE COMPETITION!
  We will have a photo area set aside where you can take flash pictures to your heart's content. You will make the photographers very happy if you arrive early and stay late enough for them to get pictures of you in your costume.

The Masquerade at BALTICON 31 will begin at 9:00 PM on FRIDAY March 28th, 1997 in the International Ballroom of the OMNI Hotel. Contestants will be asked to meet at 7:00 PM for last minute instructions and "Official Photographs" in the contestants "Green Room" (probably the Carroll Room).

If you will not be able to arrive at the con and register for the Masquerade before 3:00 PM Saturday night, we will try advance registration by mail. You can send a Self Addressed Stamped Business sized envelope to:

and he will send you a Masquerade Registration form, which must be filled out by you, and received by us not later than April 11th.

Alternatively, you may download the entry form, fill it out and Email it to vampyr@digex.net

You will have to sign the release form at the con before you go on stage, but you can register for the masquerade by Email.

Last modified - 1997 by Jeff Poretsky