2023 JordanCon Costume Contest

2023 JordanCon Costume Contest registration is open! We will be taking sign ups for this year’s contest until 1 PM Saturday, April 22 or until all entry slots are full. I’ll post the rules below, but they are also included in our registration form. If you have any questions, please reach out to mainprogram@jordancon.org. We can’t wait to see what you have created this year!

The link to sign up can be found here.

General Guidelines

• Contestants may choose to compete for “Best of” awards (Juried Entries) or only for Judges Choice/Audience Choice (Exhibition Entries).

• Due to time constraints, we will be limiting the number of entries to the following:

  • We will accept the first 20 contestants to sign up who wish to be considered for juried awards. (Best in Show, Best in Class, or Best Workmanship)

  • Anyone else who wishes to participate may be eligible for Judges Choice or Audience Choice, but will not be pre-judged or considered for the Best of categories.

• Mandatory pre-judging for juried entrants will take place between 2:30 and 4:30 in Ashford. Please arrive on time or you may not be eligible for judging.

• Participants who are not being pre-judged should come to Ashford by 4:30 to check in.

• Each entry will have approximately 1-2 minutes to walk across the stage to present their costume while the emcee reads your pre-written description. Please write descriptions clearly and provide pronunciations, otherwise the Emcee will ad-lib at their own discretion.

Classes

• Entrants may enter one of the 3 classes (below).

  • Novice- Anyone who has never won a juried award before.

  • Journeyman- Anyone who has won 2 or fewer best in class awards or no more than 1 best in show.

  • Master- Anyone who has won best in show more than once or Best in Class 3 or more times.

• Classes are determined by placement in previous JordanCon Costume Contests only, however entrants may choose to enter in a higher class based on other factors.  Entrants may not enter a lower class. Group entries will be classified by the highest entrant in the group. Judges may choose to award a contestant an award from a higher class during judging should they deem entrance to be exceptional for their class.

Awards

The following awards will be given at the end of the contest:

• Best in Show- The highest scored entrance from all categories.
• Best Workmanship- The entrant with the highest score in workmanship who has not also won Best in Show.
• Best in Class- The best entrant from each class that is not also the Best in Show or Best Workmanship
• Judges Choice-  Each judge may choose to present an award to any contestant that does not also receive a Best of award.
• Audience Choice- This award will be chosen based on audience reaction.

Judging Criteria

• Entrants will be judged on the following weighted criteria.

  • Accuracy- (5points) How well the costume(s) match the source material. If you are not sure the judges will know the source material you may provide a brief description in your entry form.

  • Craftsmanship- (10points)Judges will examine the construction of your costume as well as any props and accessories that were made by you. They will also be looking at the overall assembly and design of your costume(s) that includes premade pieces.

  • Presentation- (5points) Presentation will be judge by how you present the costume(s) on stage, including your introduction, how you “embody” the character, and the overall “wow factor” of your costume(s).