MASQUERADE

Our biggest event of the weekend! The Masquerade is costume against costume madness. There will be single and group walk-ons as well as skits for all of you to enjoy. Want to see Asuka Soryu beat up on Cloud Strife? How about Horo beating Kurafuto with apples? You know you want to be there!

Masquerade registration is now officially closed! You will be receiving an email verifying your entry into the Masquerade, along with further instructions in the next few days.

Since there were problems with the Masquerade Registration system, if you DO NOT RECEIVE a confirmation email by January 20th please contact the Masquerade Coordinator at masquerade@animemilwaukee.com to confirm your entry manually.

ALSO, don't forget that you can STILL register at con for the Masquerade on Friday from 12:00-7:00 pm, and on Saturday morning from 8:00-10:00 am!

Masquerade Registration

It’s that time of year again – we are getting underway for our annual Masquerade! If you’ve never participated in a Masquerade before, or have no idea what it is, here is a little information for you. The Masquerade is Anime Milwaukee’s annual cosplay competition where beginners through advanced cosplayers pit their ultimate creations against each other. It is a satisfying thing when you can be recognized for all the hard work you have put in over the last several months or more! It is our largest competition and event by far for the entire weekend, and this year will be no exception!

• There are 4 overall categories in which all participants may enter
  • Chibi (participants ages 12 and younger)
  • Walk-On (one person being judged on their cosplay)
  • Group Walk-On (several people being judged on their cosplays)
  • Skit (solo/group being judged on their entertainment value)
  Along with 3 skill level categories (these are described further under Cosplay Judging Guidelines and Criteria)
  • Beginner
  • Advanced
  • Exhibition
• All Masquerade content must comply with the Anime Milwaukee Code of Conduct, especially the Weapons Policy.
• All participants must fill out the online registration form before December 15, 2012 and then check in the Friday afternoon (February 15th) and Saturday morning (February 16th) until 10:00 AM of Anime Milwaukee. Participants who do not register online may only register in person at Anime Milwaukee Friday afternoon (February 15th) and Saturday morning (February 16th) until 10:00 AM of Anime Milwaukee in person.
• Any contestant ages 12 and younger at the time of the Masquerade must have their parent or legal guardians with them at all times during the Masquerade process (signing in/up, pre-judging, the actual show Saturday night, etc.)
• Each attendee may participate in only ONE of the walk-on sections (Chibi, Walk-On, or Group Walk-On), but they may also participate in the Skit portion along with one of the above sections.
• Group Walk-On’s or Skits may only have up to 8 people in them without special permission.
• All contestants must check in at the Masquerade Registration area for final updates, information, submission of paperwork, and audio files for Skits NO LATER than Saturday, February 16th at 10:00 AM.
• ALL contestants must attend the mandatory Pre-Judging on Saturday from 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM and the Tech Rehearsal on Saturday from 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM.

• All Walk-On’s must be under 1 minute, Group Walk-On’s under 1 minute 30 seconds.
• Walk-On’s will go at the start of the Masquerade, followed by the Group Walk-On’s, before Skits are presented. Exhibitions will be presented during the Halftime Show.
• Walk-On’s and Group Walk-On’s may only submit music for audio, no dialogue.
• Walk-On’s and Group Walk-On’s will not be allowed to have any light cues; the stage lights will remain up the entire time.
• Walk-On’s and Group Walk-On’s will not receive special emcee introductions; the standard introduction will consist of the character, series, and the participant’s names.
• Performance rules still apply as general stage conduct (no swearing, nothing dangerous, don’t leave a mess, etc.)
• Any Chibi participants must have parents offstage waiting for them, or if they are young enough have a parent onstage with them.

• All Skits must be 4 minutes or less.
• There will only be 2 wireless microphones on stage for participant usage.
• All audio for the Skits must be prerecorded UNLESS you are only speaking. Anything musical MUST be prerecorded.
• All performance content must meet PG-13 guidelines. In addition to these basic guidelines, swearing and the depiction of sexual acts is forbidden.
• The use of flash powder, fireworks, lasers, electrical flashes, or smoke machines is prohibited.
• Do not leave anything on the stage that cannot be quickly and easily picked up by stage ninjas.
• The narration/description of the Skit to be read by the emcee must be 50 words or less. Any narratives will be read before the Skit, and the participants information will be read afterwards.
• Interaction with the emcee is limited; please ask the Masquerade Coordinator if it would be alright first, since they will have to ask the emcee.

• Anime Milwaukee does provide general music for all entries. All dialogue and music for Skits or just music for Walk-On’s and Group Walk-On’s must be emailed to the Masquerade Coordinator at masquerade@animemilwaukee.com.
• All music must be received by December 15, 2012.
• Recordings that run over the 1 minute time limit for Walk-On’s and 1 minute 30 seconds limit for Group Walk-On’s will be cut short.
• Participants who register At-Con must submit their music in an audio CD format WHEN they register. No music will be taken any later. All CD’s must be clearly labeled. If you want your CD back after the Masquerade, please see the Masquerade Coordinator after the show has ended; if you do not, the CD will be disposed of.
• Anime Milwaukee and its staff are not responsible if any CD’s are lost or stolen.

• All cosplays and props must be made by either the contestant wearing the cosplay, fellow members of the entry group, or non-professional family/friends without monetary compensation. In other words, YOU DIDN’T BUY IT! Participants who have not made more than 50% of their cosplay will be disqualified.
• Purchased or rented cosplays or prohibited. Found item cosplays are alright.
• All props must conform to Anime Milwaukee’s Weapons Policy and Code of Conduct.
• If your cosplay or your props are fairly large, be warned – the stairs for the stage are not that wide, nor is there a lot of clearance over the head. If you can’t get onstage to be judged, then you will be disqualified from the Masquerade.
• Cosplays should not be constructed out of messy substances or materials. Paint and makeup should not be coming off during casual contact with other attendees or staff.
• Cosplays must be self-contained. Connections to electrical sockets or extension cords will not be available.
• Cosplays that have previously won any awards at Anime Milwaukee are strongly discouraged from entering again. If you have any questions concerning this, please contact the Masquerade Coordinator at masquerade@animemilwaukee.com for approval.

• Pre-juding for all Walk-On’s and Group Walk-On’s will be held Saturday morning, February 16th, in the same area as the Masquerade Registration. This will be from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. Each appointment will last approximately 5-10 minutes, and are on a first come first served basis. You will choose your appointment time when you check in, so plan accordingly! This is new for this year, to make sure that EVERY participant shows up to be pre-judged and that our paperwork can stay in order! Also, so we are not waiting all morning for you all to show up! NOTE: Registration for the Masquerade will only be until 10:00 AM on February 16th, to allow for late participants to be pre-judged. Anyone trying to register after that point will not be able to.
• All participants MUST BE IN FULL COSPLAY when you are getting pre-judged; this means the full cosplay, makeup, appliances, etc. This also includes your persona, or how you portray your character.
• All cosplays that are pre-judged should have several reference pictures of their character(s) to give to the Judges.
• All participants must attend the Masquerade Tech Rehearsal on the afternoon of Saturday, February 16th, of the convention weekend. Anyone who is not present at this rehearsal will be disqualified from participating.
• Cosplay judging is based on the following factors (up to 5 points are awarded in each category)
• Workmanship
• Quality
• Creativity
• Presentation
• Resemblance to Character
• Participation Levels: for Walk-On’s and Group Walk-On’s, the judging of cosplays will focus on aspects of craftsmanship. Due to the broad range of skill levels in our participants each year, a skill ranking system will be used. The skills levels are Beginner, Advanced, and Exhibition. These rankings apply to the cosplay maker, not the cosplay wearer. This three tiered system was developed because of the growing diversity of skill levels within our cosplay communities. This is to ensure that Beginner cosplayers with a limited amount of cosplaying experience compete with their peers equally, and not with the more experienced cosplayers that have higher skill levels than they do. Please note that any participant can be reclassified by our Judges. If our Judges feel that you are under or over qualified for your skill level, they can reclassify you into another skill level. Appeals can be presented to the Masquerade Coordinator, but our Judges really know their stuff; if they say that you are better than you think you are or that you are too highly qualified for an area, they will change your skill level and your placement in the Masquerade. The three skill levels are defined as follows
  • Beginner: This category is intended for cosplayers with no prior experience or very little experience in making cosplays, as well as those with no or very little Masquerade experience. For this category, you can have won up to four awards previously at any convention.
  • Advanced: This category is intended for cosplayers with definitive experience in making cosplays as well as participating in Masquerades. For this category, you can have won over five awards previously at any convention.
  • Exhibition: This last category is for those cosplayers who have won awards at Anime Milwaukee previously for the same cosplay, or were considered by the Judges to have a professional cosplay or it was not handmade enough. These participants will be shown during the Halftime Show to give credit to their amazing cosplays, but no awards will be given.

• There are a certain amount of awards that are given out for each category and skill level, along with major awards to a select few winners. All 1st and 2nd place winners will receive certificates, while the special awards will be given trophies.
• Chibi (Participants 12 years old and under)
• 1st Place
• 2nd Place
• Walk-On’s
  • Beginner – 1st Place
  • Beginner – 2nd Place
  • Advanced – 1st Place
  • Advanced – 2nd Place
• Group Walk-On’s
  • Beginner – 1st Place
  • Beginner – 2nd Place
  • Advanced – 1st Place
  • Advanced – 2nd Place
• Skits
  • 1st Place
  • 2nd Place
• Special Awards
• Walk-On Judges Choice
• Group Walk-On Judges Choice
• Skit Judges Choice
• Anime Milwaukee Theme Award
• Best In Show

Now – Saturday, December 15, 2012

Online registration is open on the Anime Milwaukee website for all attendees who wish to participate.

Saturday, December 15, 2012 - MIDNIGHT

Online registration is closed. All further registration must be made in person the weekend of Anime Milwaukee.

Friday, February 15, 2013 – 12:00 to 7:00 PM

All participants for the Masquerade who have registered online must check in at the Masquerade Registration area in the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Attendees who still wish to participate may sign up at this time. When checking in or signing up, attendees must also choose their time slot on Saturday morning for when they will be pre-judged if they are competing as a Walk-On or Group Walk-On.

Saturday, February 16, 2013 – 8:00-10:00 AM

All attendees may still check in or be registered for the Masquerade. HOWEVER, be ready in your cosplays to be pre-judged; since you did not get a chance to sign up for a slot, there may not be any later ones left, so be ready to get pre-judged on the spot.

Saturday, February 16, 2013 – 8:00 AM-1:00 PM

All Walk-On and Group Walk-On participants will be pre-judged according to the appointment times that were scheduled. Any latecomers to be registered or checked in will have to make do with which time slots are left. NO ONE WILL BE PRE-JUDGED AFTER 1:00 PM, SO GET THERE EARLY!

Saturday, February 16, 2013 – 5:00-6:00 PM

The Masquerade Tech Rehearsal will take place in Main Programming. All participants MUST BE THERE or you will be disqualified!

Saturday, February 16, 2013 – 7:00-10:00 PM

It’s Masquerade time! Make sure you are there early so you can be seated by the ushers. Anyone who is late will be disqualified!