EUROPEAN COSPLAY GATHERING UK PRELIMINARIES AT EGX - RULES 1. OVERVIEW The European Cosplay Gathering (ECG) is a contest to select one solo cosplayer and one cosplay group to represent the UK at the ECG Finals in 2016! The selection will take place at EGX, Birmingham NEC on Sunday 27th September 2015. Registration will be via the EGX website www.egx.net Entries will open on July 31st 2015 and will close on September 20th.

2. PRIZE The winning contestants will receive an expenses paid trip to Paris, including transport, hotel for up to 5 nights, some meal costs and a VIP pass to Japan Expo.

3. ELIGIBILITY The competition is open to contestants who are a British citizen, permanent UK resident OR holder of a British passport and who will be aged 18 or over by 1st June 2016. a)

Signed parental permission is required for cosplayers aged 17 at the time of application.

b) Cosplayers can enter the competition as individuals, or as a group of 2-3 people.

c)

Contestants must be available to travel to the ECG final, taking place at Japan Expo in Paris, France during the first weekend of July 2016. Dates may be subject to change.

d) Contestants may only enter once per year they cannot enter the same category twice, or enter both the group and individual categories within the same year, for example. e) If a contestant is a resident of the UK but a citizen of another country participating in ECG, by entering the UK selection they automatically forfeit their right to compete in their home country for that year. However, they may compete again the following year.

4. COSTUME THEMES Contestants can enter costumes based on animation, comics, video games, movies and TV series from any country. Costumes based on Japanese music acts are also allowed. a)

All costumes must be based on an official source. Original designs and fanart are not allowed in the contest.

b) Costumes must be at least 75% handmade by the contestants themselves. Any parts not made by the contestant (i.e. handmade by their friends and family) should be declared during judging.

c)

The winning contestants should each bring 2-3 costumes with them to France – one for the press conference and photo shoots, and one for the competition.

5. JUDGING The winners will be chosen based on 50% costume and 50% performance. a)

Costumes are judged on their detail, conception, technical ability and resemblance to the original source.

b) Performances will be judged on their entertainment value and execution. c)

Points will be deducted for teams who do not follow the rules or who arrive late without pre-warning the cosplay team.

b) Contestants can add extras such as costume construction notes, extra photos, pattern or fabric samples, if they wish. c)

Contestants who can’t submit progress photos (for example if they are entering a costume which has already been constructed) can still enter but they must contact us in advance [email protected]

8. PERFORMANCE Solo contestants have 1 minute to perform on stage. Groups will have 2 minutes 30 seconds to perform on stage. a)

6. PRE-JUDGING All contestants are asked to attend a pre-judging session at EGX on the day of the contest. This is so the judges can see your costume up close and appreciate your hard work. a)

Each entry will be given a separate timeslot for their judging session via email. Contestants must be ready in their costumes and arrive at the cosplay desk at least 10 minutes before the time given.

b) Each team will have a chance to show their costumes to the judges and explain how they made it.

7. PROGRESS PICTURES All contestants must provide at least 5 progress photos per costume, showing how the costume was made. This is so the judges can find out more about how your costume was constructed. a)

The photos can either be emailed to [email protected] in advance (PDF format only), or brought in hard copy (i.e. printed) on the day.

These will be used by the judges during the whole selection process. We can’t guarantee that progress books in hard copy will be returned to the contestants.

Contestants must be able to perform and operate their costumes by themselves, without the help of others.

b) Contestants may have 1 helper to accompany them during pre-judging but helpers are NOT allowed backstage during the contest (except in the case of contestants with a disability). c)

The Cosplay Team will be responsible for setting up cosplayers’ props on stage, and adjusting lighting and sound etc. Please list the details of your performance on the entry form, including any props or equipment used.

d) Any props or special effects used must comply with health and safety regulations. Banned effects include pyrotechnics, liquids, sharp/breakable objects, metal weaponry and laser pointers. e) Streamers, feathers are allowed in a small quantity. Confetti is allowed if it is over 2cm in diameter. You may NOT throw any materials which dirty or damage the stage – banned materials include glitter, sequins and powder.

f)

g)

The total maximum weight allowed for all props and sets used on stage is 40kg. Props and sets must be pre-assembled backstage by the contestants themselves. Each individual piece must be small and light enough to be carried on stage by 1-2 people. Performances must be suitable for a family audience. No swearing or sexual references please.

h) Please refrain from using derogatory comments or gestures during your performance which relate to real-life individuals or companies.

11. PASSPORT AND VISA REQUIREMENTS a)

Contestants who are British citizens must have a valid passport by April 2016 at the latest. If you don’t have a passport at the time of the contest, please bring a copy of your birth certificate.

b) British passport holders living outside the UK may participate but any excess travel cost must be paid by the contestants themselves. c)

EU citizens must have lived in the UK for 5 years and you may be asked to provide proof that you live in the UK.

i)

EGX reserves the right to refuse or interrupt any performance which infringes on decency, safety or copyright regulations.

d) Non-EU citizens must have a permanent UK residency card and the necessary visa to travel to France, such as a Schengen visa or similar.

j)

If you have any questions about your performance, please contact [email protected]

e) If you have any questions about documents needed, please contact us as soon as possible.

9. AUDIO AND VIDEO Each entry should provide an audio OR video file for their performance, which should be emailed to [email protected] by September 20th 2015. a)

Only MP3 audio files or MP4 video files may be used. Other file types will not be accepted.

b) For speaking performances, it’s recommended to make a high quality recording of your dialogue. However, if microphones are needed on stage, up to two handheld microphones may be used.

10. WEAPONS AND PROPS Contestants can use large and small props as part of their performance. •

Gun and blade replicas can be used on stage but are not allowed on the show floor. They must be stored at the Cosplay Desk until the time of your performance.

12. ECG FINALS IN PARIS: DOCUMENTATION All documentation and audio CDs for the winning team must be submitted to the ECG organisers by June 1st 2016 at the latest. Items to be submitted are as follows: • • • •

Copy of passport (and other accompanying documents, if necessary) Performance script Picture of character(s) on which costume(s) are based Music file (MP3 format only) OR Video file (AVI, MPG, WMV format only)

Any other documentation requested by the organisers must be submitted in a timely fashion.

13. ADDITIONAL RULES FOR THE ECG FINAL IN PARIS a)

a)

The order of performances will be determined by a random draw once all contestants have arrived in France.

b) Contestants can change their costume and performance for the final if they wish, but it must be agreed by the ECG UK organisers. c)

14. CONDUCT

At the final in France, an assistant may accompany the participating cosplayers backstage. However, contestants cannot be assisted by the organiser or anyone else during their performance.

d) It is forbidden to rehearse in a public area.

b) Contestants are asked to be aware of their surroundings and behave with caution, especially while on stage and when carrying props. The organisers are not responsible for any injury or damage caused as a result of reckless behaviour or misconduct. c)

e) Equipment and accessories are limited in size and weight to the maximum load that can be carried by the contestants and one organiser in one go, from the backstage area to the stage. f)

Weapons (sword and blade replicas) are not permitted, unless they have been made by the contestants themselves and comply with health and safety regulations.

g)

All excess baggage at the airport due to the weight of the costumes will be paid for by the participant, and not by the organisers. One alternative would be to ship the costumes to France prior to the Finals, but the shipping fees will be entirely paid for by the participant. Contestants are asked to keep this in mind when making and registering their costumes.

h) Participating cosplayers must co-operate with the ECG organisers while in France. This includes attending all necessary press conferences, photo shoots and promotional activities. i)

Contestants who do not follow the rules or ECG organisers’ instructions, may be immediately and permanently disqualified.

All contestants are asked to act in a respectful manner to staff and other contestants. Any form of physical or verbal violence, vandalism or theft will result in immediate disqualification.

The winning cosplayers will be representing their country, as well as EGX, and are asked to cooperate with the organisers and other contestants. Unacceptable conduct such as harassment of other contestants, publicly posting derogatory comments about other contestants or organisers, or cyber bullying, may result in disqualification.

15. IMAGE COPYRIGHT a)

You may be filmed or photographed during the competition. EGX, Sefa Event, Gamer Network and their partners reserve the right to use your image for press, publicity and marketing materials. By entering the competition you agree to this.

b) Parental permission for filming and photography is required for entrants aged 17 at the time of the competition.

16. DISCLAIMER a)

ECG and EGX reserve the right to amend or update the rules at any time.

b) Personal information collected via the application form will be used for no purpose other than the selection of cosplayers. c)

Cosplayers selected on the basis of false information will be immediately disqualified.

d) EGX and ECG accept no liability for any loss, damage, costs, expenses or claims suffered or incurred by any person as a consequence of any use of or inability to use this application process, the EGX website, or any related media content. It is the sole responsibility of the applicant and/or parents/guardian to confirm with EGX any queries or questions they may have about application, selection and/or participation.

Entries will open on Friday, 31st July and will close at 11:59pm on Monday 20th September. The online entry form will be available on www.egx.net from July 31st 2015. Please email [email protected] if you have any questions. Good luck!