International Costumers' Guild
Guidelines for International-Level Masquerades or Competitions
(Adopted May 24, 1992, amended February 21, 1994)
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1. The intent of these guidelines is to encourage equitable competition in a diverse group of people. The division system is designed to promote fairness and recognize differing experience levels. The goal of awards at a masquerade is to recognize excellence. Please remember that these are not rules but guidelines developed to help costumers, judges, and masquerade directors alike.
Costumers are reminded that it is the masquerade director's prerogative to choose his own rules, which may be under the constraints of the sponsoring organization. Masquerade directors are reminded that these guidelines were evolved through experience and are approved by a majority of costumers. Everyone is reminded that these guidelines should be interpreted both compassionately and sensibly.
2. An international competition shall be defined as one that has been voted such status by the ICG and whose competitors are regularly drawn from a wide international base. Costume-Con and worldcon masquerades are currently accepted as international level.
F&SF COMPETITION DEFINITIONS
3. The Fantasy and Science Fiction masquerade is a masquerade for costumes that reflect speculative, fantasy, science fiction and/or mythological ideas.
Junior/Youth
4. Anyone younger who has made their own costume. There is no guideline for the age of such persons. There is no guideline for the name of this division. It is suggested that a child model an adult-made costume either out of competition or at the adult's level. Directors are encouraged to place entries containing younger participants near the beginning of the masquerade regardless of what division they're entered in. A "Junior/Youth" is encouraged to seek counsel when deciding what adult division they should enter in.
Novice
5. The Novice division is to encourage beginners. You may not enter if you are a professional, or are above Journeyman 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 Novice division a number of awards to be determined by the masquerade director. There is no guideline on the number of Novice division awards a person may win and continue to compete in this division.
Journeyman
6. Journeyman is an interim division to allow further development of costuming skills. You may not enter if you are a professional or have accomplished any of the following in international competition: have won three times in the Journeyman division, have won in Master, or have won "Best in Show."
Master
7. The master division is an open class. Anyone may enter.
Supplements Applicable to All International Competitions
8. Award names or quotas must not be mandated. Excellence deserves award.
9. Any major award given in international competition counts towards moving up. Minor awards include Honorable Mention. Minor awards do not include such other awards as "Honored for Excellence," numbered places such as "second," etc., and awards such as "workmanship" that are not given by an entire panel of judges.
10. Counting minor awards is left to the individual costumer's discretion. Seeking advice is encouraged.
11. A costume that has won a major award at the international level is no longer eligible to compete at any level. A win at international level should be taken into account when determining your regional status.
12. Costumers are encouraged to, and may always, enter at a higher level if they so wish, including "Junior/Youth"s. A person who chooses to compete up a level and wins must then compete at that level. However, if a person competes up and does not win, in the future they are free to compete at their original level.
13. The level of the people playing a major part in the design and making of the costumes determines the level at which a group competes. The group should decide ahead of time how credit for a win is to be awarded. If you are eligible to compete at a lower level than the group is competing at, and the group wins, you may apply it as a win at your normal level or as a win at the higher level, at your discretion.
14. The creator of a costume gets the credit for a win, regardless of the age of the model. If a child modeling an adult's costume wins, it counts on the adult's record.
15. REPEALED, February 21, 1994.
16. Multiple wins for the same costume at the same competition count as one.
17. A costume taken from at least one visual source is generally termed a recreation. A costume that extrapolates from a recreation is encouraged to seek advice on where to enter.
18. A professional is someone whom the masquerade director judges to be a professional. There is no guideline for determining "professional" status.
19. A member of the immediate family (or moral equivalent) of a competing costumer shall not be eligible to judge [a competition in which the member appears]. A major contributor to a costume entry shall not be eligible to judge [a competition in which it is entered]. A person should allow a year cooling off before judging an ex.
20. A masquerade director of an international competition may choose to use other than these guidelines, either by his own preference or because of outside constraints. Though, of course, a costumer always has the right not to participate in any competition, costumers are reminded that attempts at any large scale boycotts hurt both ourselves and the art of costuming.
21. Individual costumers are encouraged to refer to these guidelines when trying to establish where they stand after a win in an international competition that does not follow these guidelines.
22. The masquerade director is the human on location who provides the sensibilities, compassion, and special judgement that a list of rules or guidelines cannot have. The masquerade director, whose decision is final, resolves questions on these guidelines.
HISTORICAL MASQUERADE DEFINITIONS
23. The historical masquerade is for costumes based and inspired by history. In addition to the skill levels, the historical masquerade has two main categories. There is no guideline concerning the name of either category. Both categories are eligible for "Best in Class" and "Best in Show." It is also possible for the same titled awards to be used separately in both categories. Which one you should enter should be based on the costume's overall appearance and on your intent on making the costume rather than its execution. If you have any questions at all, please consult the masquerade director.
First Category
24. A costume intended to look like it came from a particular period of history. This includes both costumes copied from a specific artwork or surviving garment, original costumes meant to look as if they were designed and made in a particular period, and costumes in between.
Second Category
25. A costume that intentionally and visibly departs from the period it is base on. It should be obvious to the casual viewer that this costume was not intended to be totally authentic.
Novice
26. The Novice division is to encourage beginners. You may not enter if you: are a professional, or have a costume Laurel, or are above journeyman in F&SF international competition, or have won in a higher division, or have one "Best in Show" in international competition, or have won in the Novice division a number of awards to be determined by the masquerade director. There is no guideline on the number of Novice division awards a person may win and continue to compete in this division.
Journeyman
27. Journeyman is an interim division to allow further development of costuming skills. You may not enter if you are a historic costume professional, have a costume Laurel, or have accomplished any of the following in international competition: have won three times in the Journeyman division, have won in Master, or have won "Best in Show."
Master
28. The master division is an open class. Any one may enter.
29. A costume that is an authentic recreation of another's interpretive design should be entered in the second category ["Historical Interpretation/Historical Costume"] because of the intent of the original designer, or in the first category ["Historical Dress/Historical Interpretation"] because it is faithful to a garment of a previous era. There is no guideline on which category an entrant should select.
30. The only documentation required is evidence of historical basis.
31. Pre-judging is an optional viewing of your costume by the judges prior to the masquerade. Judges and costumers are encouraged to be extra careful of each other's feelings as this is a tense time for all.
32. As of June 1, 1992, the preceding guidelines shall supersede and replace any and all previous guidelines.
