Cosplay Masquerade Rules
By taking part in the Cosplay Masquerade, you confirm that you have acknowledged and understood all of the below rules and agree to abide by them during your appearance in the Masquerade.
Registration for the Masquerade will open at 13:00 on May 4th, and close at 19:00 on July 31st. Participant(s) will be informed that their registration is successful/unsuccessful within 10 working days after registration closes.
General Rules
  • The Masquerade only allows solo entries and team entries up to a max of 5 individuals.
  • The Kitacon Cosplay Masquerade will not be awarding any prizes, nor is the Masquerade a judged event, therefore pre-judging of any kind will not take place.
  • Participant(s) must arrive at the Main Hall at least 30 minutes before the Masquerade begins for check in and set up. If you are not present during this time, your entry may be disqualified.
  • Each participant(s) must be wearing the costume they declared on their registration form, unless a change has been agreed to with explicit permission from the Kitacon organisers.
  • Costumes must provide enough body coverage to be worn in public and should be in good taste.
  • Costumes must not exceed two metres in any dimension. This excludes any parts that can be collapsed to a smaller size and kept collapsed when traversing through the convention building (e.g. wings and props).
  • The participant(s) must be able to move freely and safely onto the stage unassisted and potentially ascend a small flight of stairs to get onto the stage. If the stairs may be an issue, please email cosplay@kitacon.org so that we see what we can do to assist and accommodate the participant(s).
  • The participant(s) costume or props cannot be built on stage.
  • When the participant(s) are moving around on stage, all other Kitacon costume and prop rules apply.
  • Participant(s) must have a valid Kitacon ticket to enter the Masquerade.
  • Kitacon reserve the right to intervene in the case of attire or costumes with the following: insensitive or unnecessary use of makeup, profanities or sexual acts; inciting of hate or crime; and uniforms, emblems, or flags of organisations responsible for crimes against humanity.
  • The use of makeup and prosthetics to depict another realistic race is prohibited. If you have any concerns about a costume choice, please email cosplay@kitacon.org.
  • If stilts or platforms are a part of the costume, this must be declared in the application as this may potentially violate the health and safety policy. Please contact cosplay@kitacon.org for further information.
  • If you require any assistance getting both on and off stage, this must be noted in “Additional requirements” section of the sign up form. This is so we will be aware in advance and can provide the right help on the day.
  • Kitacon Organisers reserve the right of final decision on any matters pertaining to the Cosplay Masquerade that are not covered by the rules.
Costume Eligibility
  • Costumes for the Kitacon Cosplay Masquerade can be from any source.
  • The Kitacon Cosplay Masquerade welcomes all original concepts and designs of costuming, as long as they adhere to the costume and prop rules for Kitacon.
Stage Rules
  • Each entry should aim to be on stage for between 0 minutes 15 seconds and 1 minutes 00 seconds, incorporating a maximum or 3 poses during that time.
  • A short performance is optional for non-competitive entrants of the Masquerade, but if you choose to enter the Masquerade with a performance you must follow the below rules.
  • Audio submissions are not required for the Masquerade. A generic non-copyrighted track will be played whilst the participants are on stage.
  • No entry may consist of any offensive language, hate speech or behaviour deemed inappropriate/vulgar.
  • Confetti, glitter, projectiles, pyrotechnics and liquids are forbidden on stage.
  • Kitacon has the right to interrupt/cease any entry that could be a danger to the participant(s), Kitacon staff and audience members.
  • Stage helpers or assistants (sometimes known as stage ninjas) are not allowed on stage during the performance.
  • You may bring one stage assistant (so long as they are not entering with you) to help with your props or costume backstage only.
  • General convention health and safety rules apply.
Props
  • Props must be made to be carried on and off the stage by the participant(s).
    • For the Masquerade, "props" refers to: items carried by the cosplayer onto stage as part of your costume, such as a weapons or additional items to interact with while on stage.
  • All props must be less than 15 kg.
  • There is a maximum of 2 props in total per participant(s).
  • The largest a prop dimension may be is (W)0.5 metre x (L)1 metre x (H)0.5 metre. Weight limit still applies.
  • Stage helpers are not allowed on stage to assist with props.
  • There will be no set up time permitted for props between entries.
  • Any items/props for the Masquerade are the sole responsibility of the participant(s).
Disqualification
  • Failure to comply with these rules may result in disqualification of the participant(s).
  • Failure to comply with Kitacon organisers or venue staff during the event may result to the disqualification of the participant(s).
  • Kitacon have the right to disqualify any participant(s) at their own discretion.
  • Every participant(s) guilty of vandalism, theft, acts of aggression against either towards Kitacon organisers, staff, venue staff or attendees (physical or verbal), or any other behaviour deemed inappropriate before, during or after the event, will be instantly and permanently disqualified.
  • All illegal behaviour will be pursued and prosecuted to the full extent of the laws.
Limitations of Liability
  • Kitacon is not responsible for:
    • Technical faults or failures of any kind, including but not limited to malfunctions, interruptions or disconnections in network hardware or software.
    • Unauthorised human intervention in any part of the application process or the Kitacon Cosplay Masquerade event.

If there are any unique circumstances or questions not covered here, contact cosplay@kitacon.org and we’ll respond as soon as possible.