• Come to Geek-Kon.
• Sign up for the masquerade at the information table and fill out the form by 10:00 AM on Saturday.
• Attend the Masquerade Orientation panel and sign up for a judging meeting time.
• Attend your costume judging meeting between 1 PM and 5:00 PM on Saturday.
• Report to the Masquerade Green Room between 5 PM and 5:45 PM and check in.
• Present your costume to the audience at the Masquerade
• Have fun!

• No costume will be allowed that exposes the wearer in an inappropriate fashion. Madison rules and laws governing indecent exposure will be followed and any violators will be ejected from the convention and subject to arrest, penalties, and fines as per city, state, and federal law. No clothing is NOT a costume.
• No mock fighting or sparring on the convention premises.
• No real weapons may be carried during the convention. Any real weapons will have to be checked in and left with the convention and costuming staff. All other weapon props must be checked by convention security and tagged as checked, but may be carried for the rest of the convention.
• No props larger than 5 feet long may be carried in the halls. Your prop can temporarily expand to larger than five feet for photography purposes, but must collapse down to five feet or less.
• Convention staff and security reserve the right to peace-bind or make safe any spikes or sharp edges they deem dangerous.
• While the Masquerade costume contest disallows commissioned costumes, costumers may enter costumes that are being modeled by others as long as the creator of the costume is present to accept credit for their work and they are properly credited. If over half of the costume has been purchased commercially or commissioned, it is ineligible for the Masquerade costume contest. This will be strictly enforced. If you have questions as to what constitutes 50% of the costume, please e-mail the masquerade director or ask at the convention.

• Entrants shall not expose themselves in violation of city, state, and federal law or be ejected from the convention and subject to arrest, fines, and penalties.
• There shall be no mock combat or sparring on stage or in the aisles, regardless of whether or not an entrant is qualified to do so at other venues or events.
• Entrants shall not swear. Language shall be approximately PG-13 rated.
• Entrants shall not throw things into the audience. All parts of the presentation must remain on the stage at all times. Special dispensation may be given for use of the aisles in the Main Programming room, but must be approved by contest staff.
• Props larger than 5 feet in length are subject to approval by contest staff.
• No stage presentation shall be longer than 1 minute and 30 seconds in length.
• There is no required minimum presentation time, but the contestant must be willing to appear on stage.
• Entrants must complete the contest registration form in full by 10 AM on Saturday.
• Entrants must attend their assigned costume judging meeting or be disqualified. Contest staff will allow a five-minute grace period for late arrivals before moving on to the next group.
• Any A/V elements needed for a presentation must be submitted at time of sign-up and are subject to approval by contest staff. No A/V elements will be allowed after contest registration has closed. This will be strictly enforced.
• Entrants will report to the contest green room no later than 5:45 PM on Saturday and will check in with the Masquerade contest staff. Entrants who fail to check in by 5:45 will be disqualified. THIS DEADLINE IS FINAL! THERE IS NO GRACE PERIOD!
• Entrants may not leave the Green Room after 5:45 PM. If you are not there to hear your name called, you will not be allowed on stage.

• Though a contest entrant may express interest in the contest on their convention registration form, they will not be considered entered until signing up in person at the convention.
• Contest staff will reserve the right to cap the number of entrants if they deem it necessary. If this happens, entrance into the masquerade will be on a first come, first served basis. There will be no waiting list.
• Costume judging time slots will be handed out on a first come, first served basis.
• Following the Masquerade on Saturday night, there will be a Masquerade Post-Mortem. All are invited and encouraged to attend in order to ask questions of and give suggestions to the Masquerade staff.
• All times will be based on the time piece of the Masquerade Director.

Contestants will be judged based on both craftsmanship and presentation. Awards will be handed out for the following:

1. Best in Show – for the entrant with the most overall points.
2. Best Expert - for the Expert-level entrant with the most points not receiving Best in Show.
3. Best Novice - for the Novice-level entrant with the most points not receiving Best in Show.
4. Best Youth – for the youth (under 14) entrant with the most overall points.
5. Craftsmanship – for the entrant with the most craftsmanship points not receiving Best in Show, Best Expert, or Best Novice.
6. Presentation – for the entrant with the most presentation points not receiving Best in Show, Best Expert, or Best Novice.
7. Judges' Picks – to be presented by the judges at their discretion.