Have you spent hours upon hours making the the perfect and most accurate costume possible? Do you possess an incredible attention to detail and apply that to each and every costume? Then the Craftsmanship Contest is for you; this is a chance for you to show off your amazing costume! Costumes will be judged on criteria such as accuracy, choice of materials used, and quality of construction. This is a contest specifically for costumes; you will have the option of doing a walk-on presentation of your costume in the Masquerade, but it is not required.
For any questions please contact cosplay@connecticon.org

REGISTRATION & CHECKING IN
Craftsmanship participants MUST check-in before their judging time to confirm that you are present at the convention and are still planning to participate. You will receive your special contest badge (note: this badge is NOT admission to the convention) with your judging time on it.

Friday participants must check-in on Friday, while Saturday participants may check in Friday or Saturday. If you cannot check in during these times, then you MUST contact the Craftsmanship Coordinator.

Friday Participants: Check in before 12:00 PM on Friday.
Saturday Participants: Check in before 10:00 AM on Saturday (Note: if you check in Friday, you are not required to check in again on Saturday).

If there are issues with arrival times, please notify the Craftsmanship Coordinator beforehand.

Cosplay Event Check-In (Cosplay HQ in the Marriott Hotel):

Friday: 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Saturday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

• You must show up to be judged at the judging time that you choose when you check in. Please do not be late. You may have to wait a short time, but we will try to keep judging durations within a set time period.
• Be aware that no-shows will be kept track of for subsequent years; please make sure you give notice if you are withdrawing from the contest.
• Judging is held over a 2 day period. You may only submit one entry. Even though judging is held on two different days, it is for the same contest.

DIVISIONS

Masters - has received 5 or more major cosplay awards at this or any other convention
Adult Advanced - has received 3 or more major cosplay awards at this or any other convention
Adult Novice - has received 2 or fewer major cosplay awards at this or any other convention

• Judges awards and honorable mentions do not qualify as major awards.
• This is based on an honor system. You may enter a division above what you qualify for, but not below. If it is discovered that you have entered a category below what you should be in, then you will be disqualified. For groups, you must enter the highest division that any of the group members belongs to.
• Participants may be moved to a higher category at the judge’s discretion. This may or may not happen, but be aware that we reserve the right to do so.
• Minors (those under 18 years of age) may not participate in the Craftsmanship Contest unless given written permission by a legal guardian. Forms will be available both at the convention and are online. If you are a minor, please bring the signed copy with you to the cosplay check-in.
• Masquerade Walk-On: If you are only entering a costume in the Cosplay Craftsmanship Competition, then have the OPTION of doing a walk-on during the Masquerade. This is a chance to show your costume off in front of the audience (walk-on times will be no more then 30-45 sec). Music will be provided. Walk-on participants are asked to arrive during the set-up time for the Masquerade so they may be seated.
• Times will be given in the confirmation email. All Masquerade rules also apply to walk-ons: please make sure you refer to the Masquerade rules if you plan on doing a walk-on.
• Parents are allowed (and encouraged) to be backstage with any participants under the age of 14, especially for participants under the age of 12.
• By registering, all Craftsmanship Contest participants agree to let ConnectiCon use their images for promotional purposes – Both photographs and video. All participants will be required to sign a waiver at their at-con check-in acknowledging this. If you do not sign a waiver, you will not be allowed to compete in the Craftsmanship Contest.

CRAFTSMANSHIP RULES & GUIDELINES

• Reference Pictures: In order to participate in the Cosplay Craftsmanship Competition you MUST bring a reference picture (or two) with you.
• Please have at least one full length shot of the character/costume.
• Color is preferred for comparison to the costume. This can be a screen shot, art book picture, manga cover, etc.
• A picture of each the front and back is preferred for reference.
• This is for your and the judges benefit as they may not know what every detail of every character of every series/game/comic/etc. looks like.
• If you do not provide a reference photo, it will affect your score. This is mandatory even for the most popular and recognizable of characters (Yes, even for popular characters like Batman or Harry Potter).
• Video is not an acceptable format. Please print out the images for the judges; pictures on your phone/computer are fine until the judges have to look back when awards are being determined!
  • If you have trouble finding a reference, e-mail the Craftsmanship Coordinator. We will try to help you in any way possible. If you would like your reference picture(s) returned, you may ask to pick them up at the close of Cosplay judging on Saturday.
• All characters must come from the following genres: Fantasy, sci-fi, webcomics, anime, cartoons, comics, movies and video games. If there are any questions regarding whether your costume falls into one of these categories please contact the Craftsmanship Coordinator.
• Original Characters: Fan created/original/generic characters are not allowed. That includes faeries, cat girls, generic angels and anything that does not have a set name/costume reference from an official source.
• Fanart does not count (this includes humanized versions of characters/gijinka) unless it has been discussed ahead of time with the Craftsmanship Coordinator.
• Any costumes that have won awards (excluding Judge’s Awards/Honorable Mention awards) at larger conventions are ineligible to compete in the Craftsmanship Contest. If they have won awards at smaller convention(s) they are still eligible. If you won an award and don’t know it is qualifies you to compete with it again, contact the Coordinator.
• No commissioned/purchased costumes.
• If your costume was created by a friend or family member (parent, aunt, grandparent, etc.), THEY MUST BE THERE to answer any questions the judges may have.
• If your costume is made up of purchased clothing, you may not enter it into the Craftsmanship Contest.
• If you have made some substantial changes or alterations to the clothing, it is eligible to enter into the Craftsmanship Contest. Altering just a pant leg or a collar does not constitute substantial.
• If you have any questions, please contact the Craftsmanship Coordinator.
• Be prepared to answer questions from the judges. They may range anywhere from what the most difficult part was to what materials you used. This is the reason it is important to have the costume creator present.
• Cosplay Repair Center: Cosplay Rest and Repair Center is located in Marriott Conference Room 4, formerly Cosplay HQ, which you are free to use to patch up/repair issues that arise with your costume. Should you make use of this, please make sure you keep it neat for those using it later.
• Helpful Suggestions: Please leave yourself enough time to check-in in a timely manner. Running at breakneck speed through the con center to get to your judging on time is dangerous to you, the con-goers around you and could potentially ruin your costume. It also gives you time to do a spot check and make sure everything is in place.
• Please do not wear any messy substance. Any body make-up or paint should not come off in casual contact.
• DAMAGES: If you break any equipment or cause any damage to the facility you are responsible for paying to replace it. Be aware of cords, curtains, screens, etc. to prevent any damage.
• The weapons policy and convention rules also apply here. This is for your and others’ safety.
• Any questions/issues can be sent to the Craftsmanship Coordinator.
• Last but not least – HAVE FUN!!