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- 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 by the con. 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
and/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 Masters
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 ---", or "Second Place ---"]
Within the Divisions, the judges will be free to award as many or
as few prizes as they wish.
- 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 permissable 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.
- 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.
- 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 accomodate 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.
The Masquerade at BALTICON will begin at 8:30 PM on SATURDAY in the Valley Ballroom of the Hunt Valley Inn 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 send your information to masq at bsfs dot org
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Arachnophilia
