For all accessibility needs and considerations, please notify our costuming team with this information on your registration form.

Masquerade Costume Contest contestants must attend a pre-judging session with the contest judges. Pre-judging sessions will be held on Saturday, June 25th, and each contestant will be assigned a time slot prior to the beginning of the convention and be sent this information by email. It is the responsibility of the contestant to be present fifteen (15) minutes prior to their appointed pre-judging session. Participants found in violation of this rule may be disqualified from the contest.

All contestants must be in full costume at the pre-judging session and may present a printed portfolio of the costume’s fabrication process. Reference image material for contest entries is encouraged, but not required. Judges are not always able to look-up reference images on their own, so it is best to show up prepared for the contest. Contestants will be given approximately 3 minutes for their pre-judging session.

All weapons and props must be inspected by a member of the costume staff at the pre-judging session. All local laws, codes, and regulations will be enforced, along with Convention Policies. If the weapon or prop is to be part of the contestant’s stage presentation, it must be inspected at the pre-judging session. Props or weapons not inspected will not be permitted on stage. Participants found in violation of this rule will be immediately disqualified from the contest. While staged fighting within a presentation is allowed, at no time will any weapon be used to threaten anyone outside their presentation, even in jest. Participants found in violation of this rule will be immediately disqualified from the contest.

Contestants should prepare 3 to 5 poses they can do onstage as part of the exhibition of their costume. Contestants will have the opportunity to walk onstage, present the costume to the audience and judges by way of posing in the costume a few times, then will exit the stage. The costumed stage walk and posing are considered the exhibition portion of the competition. Plan for one (1) minute or less of stage presentation time.

It is the responsibility of the contestant to be present fifteen (15) minutes prior to their appointed pre-judging session. Participants found in violation of this rule may be disqualified from the contest.

During pre-judging, each entrant will be allowed approximately three (3) minutes to present their costume. Be prepared to tell the judges what you want to make sure they know about your costume, and be courteous to the judges and your fellow competitors by keeping your presentation brief.

Pre-judging is not open to the public. Only contestants and their handlers are allowed in pre-judging areas.

The judges reserve the right to bump you up or down a craftsmanship level if they feel it is necessary after they have seen all entries during prejudging.

Costumes must be finished before you get to pre-judging, and no additional components should be added or modified before the onstage portion of the competition. No sewing, gluing, soldering, or other construction work will be accepted, with exception for unexpected repairs. Unexpected repairs are to be brought to the attention of the Costuming Manager so they can be deemed as necessary and not last-minute modifications.

Costumes with electric power requirements need to be self-contained, as there will be no access to power outlets.

All weapons and props will be inspected and approved by the costuming staff prior to conducting pre-judging.

Contest participants must arrive in costume at the Costume Contest Lineup room at its scheduled time and designated location Saturday evening. Contestants may arrive no later than 30 minutes prior to the scheduled start time of the Masquerade Costume Contest event.

This pre-contest time is used to establish the participant lineup and provide stage directions and other information to contestants prior to the costume contest. Handlers may escort and assist the contestant in this room (as well as to the stage, with permission of the Costuming Manager given at Pre-Judging/lineup), but by and large, SoonerCon staff and volunteers will assist the contestant during the lineup, getting onstage, and with exiting the stage.

Onstage time for Beginner, Intermediate, and Master categories will be determined by the capacity and number of participants. Plan for one (1) minute or less of stage presentation time.

SoonerCon is not responsible for any damage to costumes caused by tripping, falling, or costume malfunction. If necessary, a handler may accompany you, for assistance.

Do not leave anything on the stage that a staff member cannot quickly remove. If you plan to leave anything on stage, please let us know so we can clear the stage before the next contestant enters. If using large props, please request handler assistance for getting on and off stage in your application form. We will need this information during registration.

You may not use a microphone on stage.

No fire, loose glitter, confetti, explosives, projectiles, or objects emitting smoke, vapors, excessive noise, or light are permitted. Participants found in violation of this rule may be disqualified from the contest and may be responsible for fire and safety code violations imposed by the city of Norman and/or Cleveland County, in the state of Oklahoma.

Loud noises, dangerous weapons, and devices must have full, proper, and prior clearance by the Costuming Manager before entering the contest.

We strongly encourage contestants to create exciting and energetic stage presentations of their costumes. Contestants may surprise the audience, but all elements of the stage presentation must be identified in the pre-judging meeting. Do not surprise the staff or judges at the competition. Participants found in violation of this rule may be immediately disqualified from the contest.

Upon completing one’s stage exhibition, contestants are not permitted to enter the stage area unless specifically invited to do so by staff or judges. Participants found in violation of this rule may be immediately disqualified from the contest.

Costumers must select the category in which they wish to compete on their contest registration form. Categories are adapted from the International Costumers Guild guidelines and are defined as:

Beginner

The Beginner division is to encourage those new to the hobby. It is expected that 50% of the contestant’s costume has been made or modified by the contestant.

You may not enter if you have ever received professional compensation for costuming (inclusive of, but not limited to subscription revenue-generating services like Patreon, paid professional modeling of cosplay, or other compensated appearances).

Contestants may not routinely compete at the intermediate / Journeyman level in regional competition, or have accomplished any of the following in international competition: have won in a higher division, have won “Best-in-Show” or have won in the beginner division a number of awards to be determined by the Costuming Manager.

The Masquerade Costume Contest will permit a maximum of twenty (20) entrants into the Beginner category, due to time constraints. This may change based on registration responses.

Intermediate

This is an interim division to allow further development of costuming skills. It is expected that 75% of the contestant’s costume has been made or modified by the contestant.

Contestants may not enter if they have accomplished any of the following in international competition: have won three times in an intermediate division, have won any award in a master category, or have won “Best in Show.”

Contestants in this category are encouraged to develop and bring a portfolio of their costume, showing design reference images and color images of the costume during construction to present to the contest judges during pre-judging.

The Masquerade Costume Contest will permit a maximum of twenty (20) entrants into the Intermediate category, due to time constraints. This may change based on registration responses.

Master

The master division is an open class. Anyone may enter. It is expected that 90% of the contestant’s costume has been made or modified by the contestant.

For the costume being entered in the contest, contestants in the Master category must pre-submit both their design reference images and at least 10 full-color process and construction images no later than two weeks prior to the convention (by Friday, June 10, 2022). It is highly recommended that contestants in this category of competition bring a copy of this workbook to present to the contest judges during pre-judging as well.

Master division participants may not enter a costume that they have previously won “Best in Show” with at another contest, including a previous SoonerCon. A person may enter the SoonerCon Masquerade Costume Contest who has previously won “Best in Show” or other contest awards at a past SoonerCon, however, they may not enter that same costume for the current year’s competition event.

The Masquerade Costume Contest will permit a maximum of ten (10) entrants into the Master category, due to time constraints. This may change based on registration responses.

For each category, individual contestant entries will be awarded one of the following awards:

Best in Class

This award is given to a contestant exhibiting exceptional skill in all areas of costuming within the expectations of the aforementioned class. Awards will be issued to one contestant in each of the Beginner, Intermediate and Master divisions for first and runners up (six total prizes).

Across the entire competition, individual contestant entries will be awarded one of the following awards:

Best Runway

Awarded to a contestant whose stage presentation exceptionally enhances the interpretation or appreciation of the contestant’s costume (one prize).

Judge’s Choice

Each competition judge selects one (1) contestant whose costume warrants special recognition. The criteria for this award is solely at the discretion of the judge granting the award (up to four prizes total).

Best in Show

This award is given to the contestant who exhibits unparalleled excellence in all areas of costuming, across all competitor classes in the competition. The winner of the Best in Show award is the recipient of the contest grand prize (one prize).

All Masquerade Costume Contest awards will be presented at the close of the competition on Saturday, June 25th.

Each day of the convention, a Hallway Costume Contest will take place adjacent to the Costuming Contest Registration desk. This contest is for creators to exhibit their costumes and those who are not interested in competing in the staged costume contest with that costume, as well as for contestants who have assembled their costume from commercially produced or otherwise primarily found assemblies. Show us your awesome cosplays!

Contestants must sign up at the registration desk and allow their pictures to be taken by a staff member.

Hall Costumes must conform to all Convention Policies and must be worn in accordance with the Costuming Policy. An escort is recommended if the costume impedes vision and mobility. If carrying a weapon, please be sure to carefully read all Weapons Policies.

Contestants will be judged solely on their costume’s appearance in their photographs. Group entries are permitted. Judges will recognize four contestants for each day of competition and award them as follows:

First Place, Runner-Up, Honorable Mention and Best Hero.

Awards will be announced at the closing ceremonies of the convention on Sunday, June 26th, 2022. Participants do not need to be present to win and will be contacted based on the contact information provided when registering for the Hallway Costume contests.

Participants should conceptualize and make the majority of their own costumes. Adults, parents, and siblings may help, but they should not construct the entire costume for the child to wear. Allow young contestants to be creative! The purpose of this contest division is for youth to discover the joy of costuming and to be able to compete against similarly-skilled participants. Costumes that appear to be made solely by an adult will be negatively judged.

There is a cap of 30 participants for this contest, and registration is based on a first come, first served basis. Participants can pre-register online or onsite Friday and Saturday during registration hours.

Judges will recognize three contestants during the competition and award them as follows:

Best in Show

Runner-Up

Honorable Mention

Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult at all times. This is strictly enforced.

SoonerCon has the authority to eliminate anyone from the competitions on the grounds of obscenity, harassing behavior, danger, contest rules violations, and Convention Policy violation.

Signature Requirement: Each entrant in the contest will be required to give their signature on the day of the competition to verify that they have read the rules and will adhere to them. Minors must have a parent or guardian’s accompanying signature. Participants found in violation of this procedure will be immediately disqualified from the contest.

Contact costuming@soonercon.com with any questions regarding the aforementioned rules of competition and category assignments.

Appeals against disqualification must be made directly to the Costuming Manager. If the contestant is dissatisfied with the outcome of the first appeal, they may appeal to the SoonerCon Board of Directors, whose decision is final and cannot be superseded.

Any SoonerCon member may contact the convention committee staff at any time during the con at Convention Registration/HQ desk or via our Contact Form.