Further Confusion 2012 Masquerade

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The Further Confusion Masquerade serves to highlight exceptional achievement and advancement in the art of anthropomorphic "furry" costuming.

In recent years our masquerade, both in the number of entrants and the quality of their work, has approached and even surpassed many international conventions of any genre. Balancing our obligation to expand into a world-class event (following international competition guidelines, which often prohibit professional entries) with our past heritage of open participation, professional involvement continues to be welcome within certain bounds.

The Masquerade strives to be, first and foremost, about personal costume creation. Before entering, consider whether this is the best venue for your presentation. Other Further Confusion events have fewer participation constraints: FC:Unleashed offers a longer and more engaging variety act format, Critterlympics is renowned for physical antics, and the Fursuit Parade and hall costuming afford close-up personal interaction to a receptive audience. But if you're ready to be part of this judged spectacle, read on…

Participation

Masquerade participation is open to attending members of Further Confusion. All participants of an act, including the maker and performer of each suit, must be attending members of the convention.

Costumes must be applicable to the convention's genre; anthropomorphic animal, fantasy creature, et al., but do not have to be full "fur suits" in the strict and literal sense.

Costumes presented at prior Further Confusion Masquerades are not eligible for competition.

Division Placement

Exhibition: This is a noncompetitive, presentation-only division. Entries are not judged by any criteria nor are eligible for any award. Any participant (pursuant to other rules) may enter in the Exhibition division. Costumes that have already won major awards at other events and have not been significantly modified are encouraged to enter in this division.
Professional:

For this masquerade, a "professional" is defined as any person who has made more than 1/3 of his or her annual income from costuming in any of the last five years.

Any costume made by a professional, in whole or significant part, and whether a commissioned item or a personal creation, must enter in either the Professional or Exhibition divisions.

Professional entries are not eligible for division awards, but may still receive "open" awards from Further Confusion as detailed later.
Master: Any non-professional costumer may compete in the Master division.
Journeyman An interim skill level for costumers, participants may not enter this division if they have previously won a Journeyman-level award three times, or any award in a higher division.
Novice: This division is for beginning costumers and nonprofessional first-time masquerade participants. You may not enter this division if you have previously won a Novice-level award three times, or any award in a higher division.

Clarifications

Any participant is welcome to compete in a higher division than the above definitions would place them, but cannot compete in a lower division. Winning a more advanced division award does require participation at this level or higher in future Further Confusion Masquerades.

Novice, Journeyman and Master participants may opt out of workmanship judging, but are strongly encouraged to participate, as non-judged entries (and all Professional entries) are not eligible for division awards (though they may still qualify for open awards).

Group entries will be placed in the single division appropriate for their most experienced member. "Group" in this case can refer to multiple costumes, or to a single costume to which multiple people contributed. In the case of "partials" and team efforts, division semantics can become complex and subjective, and the decision ultimately falls to the Masquerade Director.

Division placement may be relaxed at the Director's discretion on an individual basis if you have prior costuming experience but are new to the furry genre.

Awards Structure

For the Novice, Journeyman and Master divisions, there will be a first place and a runner-up award in each division. Entries will be judged on quality of workmanship, overall appearance and aesthetic appeal, resemblance to source material (where appropriate), and relevant factors.

A number of additional awards are open to all non-Exhibition entrants (including Professionals and award winners within their own divisions). These awards are judged on different criteria and do not affect future division placement. Titles may be determined on-the-fly, but are likely to include:

  • Performance Achievement award for the characterization or act deemed most outstanding.
  • Artistic Achievement for original style in costume design.
  • Technical Achievement for innovation in materials or construction techniques. (This is not necessarily a high-tech award — even a novel use of duct tape could warrant a Technical Achievement award!)
  • Judge's Choice is ostensibly a best-in-show award, but may instead be presented to any exceptional situation.

Rules

The Masquerade Director has final say in all matters. The Director reserves the right to refuse an entry on the basis of inappropriate or unsafe content, failure to meet other requirements, or if the show is deemed at capacity. Special requests and exceptions will be considered but might not be granted — these should be discussed with the Director at the earliest opportunity, preferably submitted in writing along with the entry form.

All content must be suitable for a general audience. Overt violence, nudity or sexual display, strong language or other objectionable elements may be grounds for disqualification.

Solo contestants are limited to one minute of stage time, group entries receive up to 90 seconds. Prepared acts are encouraged but not required. Don't get in over your head — a simple but solid stage presence will likely fare better than bungling an overly-complex act!

Each presenter may only appear in a single Masquerade entry; there will be no costume changes. You may enter multiple costumes, but they must be worn by different people.

Simple stage props may be permitted if they allow for prompt setup and removal (please coordinate with the Masquerade Director and staff).

Any item or activity that presents the possibility of damage to the entrants, their costumes, the audience, or the facility is prohibited.

Contestants, their props and belongings must enter and exit the stage by the proscribed routes.

Weapons, even obvious fakes, must first be cleared with the Director, and beyond the Masquerade event must be handled per the convention's security policies. Failure to comply may result in ejection not only from the Masquerade, but the entire convention.

Preparation

All participants must attend a mandatory meeting/rehearsal prior to the Masquerade. Not only is crucial orientation information disseminated, but much of the judging takes place here! You will also have an opportunity to practice on the stage and talk with the Masquerade Director and staff.

You do not need to wear your costume to the rehearsal, but should be prepared to don all or part as required by the judges or to best showcase specific features. The rehearsal area will be closed to general attendees for judging, dressing and practice.

Contestants may bring their own music or audio, which must be provided as a single track on a standard-size CD-R as would play in a regular CD player. Other formats such as MP3 CDs, flash drives or audio cassettes cannot be used. If possible, please edit your audio selection to the length of your act. If you have no music prepared, selections can be provided at the event, or the Master of Ceremonies can narrate from a provided script. There will be no live audio or microphones for contestants.

In the case of re-creation costumes, please bring any reference material you feel will aid the judges in evaluating the merits of your work.

The deadline for entries is 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 14th.

Contacting the Masquerade Staff

If you have further questions about the masquerade, please contact the Masquerade Staff at