by Programming | Apr 13, 2023 | Activities, Programming
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
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Contestants may choose to compete for “Best of” awards (Juried Entries) or only for Judges Choice/Audience Choice (Exhibition Entries).
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Due to time constraints, we will be limiting the number of entries to the following:
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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)
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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.
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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.
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Participants who are not being pre-judged should come to Ashford by 4:30 to check in.
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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
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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
by Programming | Apr 8, 2023 | Programming, Uncategorized
This year we’re doing something a bit different for Friday night at JordanCon. We know many of you love karaoke, and we do too! But this year is our 15th anniversary, and we wanted to do something special. In the Wheel of Time series our very own JordanCon founders, Jennifer & Jimmy Liang, were written into the books as innkeepers at “The Yearly Brawl.” In honor of that we are hosting a pub/tavern night on Friday. Marc Gunn is joining us again and will kick us off playing music. If you’re not yet familiar with Marc, he is a traditional Celtic musician with a science fiction and fantasy twist. You can check out his website here.
In addition to music from Marc, we’re going to open up the mic! Some of you may have a song you were practicing all year in anticipation of karaoke, some of you like to play and sing with your friends or are part of the filking community, maybe you’re a poet and want to showcase some new work. We’re making time for this too. You can sign up for an open mic slot at this link. We’ll have a keyboard on the stage if you play or you can bring your own instrument. Back up tracks will need to be provided by you! Time allowing, we’ll also have some traditional pub sing-alongs throughout the night.
What’s a pub night without games? We’ll be providing cards, dice, “coins,” and a variety of printed game rules for each table. Rumor has it, there will be some dominoes sets as well if you want to kick back and “throw some bones” with your table.
Our JordanCon family has always enjoyed spending time together and making connections. We’re hoping that our pub night this year will continue to foster those opportunities. We’re very excited to host you for this night and hope you enjoy it.
See you in a few weeks!
Welcome Home to JordanCon. <3
The JordanCon Programming team
by JordanCon Marketing | Mar 10, 2023 | Activities, Announcements, Programming
As you look through this year’s schedule, I’m sure you’ll notice it looks different from previous years. That’s because this year we’re using a nifty piece of scheduling software called Sched.
Sched has a lot of cool features, but we know it’s something many of you have never used, and you might like some help getting started. No worries, we’ve got your back!
In this blog, you will find instructions on how to register for Sched, how to use it to add events to your own personal schedule, and how to view your schedule. We’ll also include some links at the very end to some helpful resources from Sched on the rest of their nifty features, including in-depth video walkthroughs on both the web application and the mobile app. (That’s right, they have an awesome mobile app!)
One thing I’ll call out is that you can view the schedule without registering or taking any other action. It’s available right here.
That said, if you’re interested in creating your own schedule of only the events you want to attend, you’ll need to start by registering for an account.
Registering
There are a couple ways to register. You can do it by viewing the schedule either in your browser or within the mobile app. Registering on the web is straightforward: just find and click the green ‘Sign Up’ button on the schedule.
From there, follow the prompts to register using either your email address or your Facebook account.
If you want to register using the mobile app, there are a couple more steps involved. First, you’ll need to download the app. You can either search for it on the Apple or Android App Store or you can view the schedule on our website and click on the Apple App Store or Android App Store link.
Once you’ve downloaded the app, the first thing you’ll need to do is search for ‘JordanCon 2023’ in the search bar and tap on our event when the search results come up.
This will load the JordanCon schedule, and you’ll now be able to see an icon in the bottom right corner of your screen that says ‘My Account.’ Tap on it. It will give you the option to log in to an existing account or sign up for a new one. Tap on ‘Sign Up’ and follow the prompts to create an account using your email address.
Adding Events
Once you’re all registered and signed in to Sched, you can now start adding events to your personal schedule!
On the web, all you need to do is click the white circle to the left of the name of the event you want to add:
And that’s it! You’ll see a checkmark instead of an empty circle, and that’s how you’ll know the event was added to your schedule.
On the mobile app, you’ll need to tap on the event you’re interested in adding.
This will bring up the event’s details in addition to an ‘Add to Sched’ button in the bottom left corner of the screen. Just tap on it to add the event to your schedule!
Viewing Your Schedule
Now that you’ve added a few events, you’ll probably want to view your schedule.
To view it on the web, hover over your profile picture and click on the ‘My Schedule’ option on the dropdown menu that appears while hovering:
To view it via the mobile app, go to the JordanCon 2023 schedule in the app and tap on the ‘My Sched’ tab on the top center of the screen:
Wrap-up
Now that you know the basics, you can go ahead and use Sched to create a personalized schedule for JordanCon 2023! Sched also has a lot of other features (too many for us to go over them all), so if you want to know more about what it can do, Sched had a number of support guides that can help.
They also have video walkthroughs that cover all of what we’ve covered and more.
Web video walkthrough
Mobile app video walkthrough
Have fun choosing your panels and activities! We can’t wait to see you all in April!
by Programming | Jan 20, 2023 | Activities, Programming
Do you want to create using the colors of Nalthis to command the light of Roshar? While we can’t transport you to the Cosmere, we can introduce you to Master Stained Glass Artisan Leia Powell. She has been creating glass
masterpieces, breaking down barriers, and rejuvenating the old world craft for over 25 years. The first stained glass artist to be nominated for the coveted Chesley Award, Leia is also the first glass artist in history to be the sole maker of an author’s trademarked characters: Edgar Rice Burroughs. Additionally, Leia has been licensed to make official JordanCon stained glass! Her three-dimensional dragons can be seen flying around the convention along with a host of other glass creations. Her intricate stained glass windows and fantastical builds have won her multiple art show awards at LibertyCon, Chattacon, and JordanCon. Her fused glass jewelry is a testament to how glorious melting glass at 1200 degrees can be. Leia keeps apprentices and interns on staff at her studio, Wildcat Mountain Artistry, in Florence, Alabama, and is determined to teach everyone she can to ensure the flame of stained glass creativity keeps burning.
At JordanCon 2023, Leia is offering a stained glass demonstration and a Learn to Cut Glass by a Master workshop in the Makers Track:
- The demonstration does not require registration or a fee.
- Glass cutting students will leave the class with a completed 9 ½” x 8 ½” piece to take home.
- There is a $200 fee that will be prepaid directly to Leia. It includes a student kit full of tools and
glass to keep.
- Sign up is first come, first serve. Mark your calendars for: 11 am Eastern on Saturday Jan 21st. That is when Leia will open registration for the class on Facebook.
If you are a returning student, you have the option to bring your tools and make a more difficult pattern that Leia will design especially for you. You will also receive more of a variety of glass, so stipulate if you plan to bring your tools. Should you forget them, some will be on-hand to purchase, sorry no loaners.
The class will be held Saturday, April 22, 2023, 2:30 pm – 5 pm.
Leia will post on the JordanCon Facebook group Saturday January 21st at 11 am Eastern. Engage with the post to reserve one of the 12 open seats. You will select your pattern and be given directions to prepay for the class. Once the class is full, there will be two alternates chosen in case someone has to cancel. If an alternate is able to participate, they will have to make whatever the canceled student chose. Because this class requires a significant amount of preparation, no refunds will be available.
This is a high demand class that typically fills up in less than a day so mark your calendars!
by ebbierowe | Apr 4, 2022 | Engagement, Programming
Well, JordanConers, the schedule is out and it is time to start making plans! But, if you are new to Conventions, the schedule can be a lot!! So, here are some quick terms and notes about all the information that you can find on the schedule.
Terms
- TRACKS – Track is the name given to a specific room or rooms generally being used for similarly themed panels.
- PANELS – A panel is a staff or guest-led discussion about a particular topic.
- MODERATOR – This is a volunteer who helps guide the conversation on panels, makes sure the panelists don’t get too off-topic, and keeps an eye on the time. The moderator often has some additional knowledge of the panel topic.
- PANELIST – The panelists are who you came to see! They will be the ones discussing the topic of the panel.
JordanCon 2022 Tracks
Main Programming – From Opening Ceremonies to Closing Ceremonies, JordanCon’s Main Programming is the centerpiece of the convention. It is home to such activities as the Costume Contest, Karaoke, JordanCon Dance Party, Author Signings, and Q&As
Art Track – Our goal for our track is to expand appreciation of art and artists among the general JordanCon membership and also to provide a great mentoring and networking environment for artists, whether they are just starting out or are seasoned professionals.
Fantasy Track – JordanCon’s Fantasy Track offers programming spanning a wide range of stories and worlds. From traditional fantasy like Lord of the Rings to more modern fantasy like Harry Potter to Young Adult stories and even Urban Fantasy like The Dresden Files. And they cover TV and movies too.
Gaming Track – The Gaming Track Room is constantly bustling with gamers of all sorts. You can always find something to do here! It houses many demo games available to be played on one of the many banquet size tables available for open gaming. Want to bring your own game to play? No problem! If there’s an open table, you are more than welcome to come on in and play.
Science Fiction Track – JordanCon’s Science Fiction track is dedicated to opening new worlds to you, our members, and letting you get lost in the multiverse. Our guests lead the conversations in a myriad of panel discussions on everything from the earliest days of SciFi, to the modern masters and everyone in between. We have a passion for SciFi and we always seek to spread that passion around!
Writer’s Track – The JordanCon Writers track is a place to come learn about the art, craft, and business of writing. We have topics that range from traditional to self-publishing, editing and other aspects of writing, and workshops
Wheel of Time Track – The World of Wheel of Time Track covers all the things Wheel of Time from the books to the Amazon Prime TV show
Brandon Sanderson Track – In this track all things Sanderson are discussed.
Workshops – Do you like to learn new skills or how to make items? Visit the JordanCon Workshops Track to unleash your crafty side or your unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Here, participants acquire different skills. Sign-ups are located at registration at the beginning of the convention.
Many workshops focus on learning a craft, such as: costuming, dancing, metalworking, painting, woodworking, or even 3-D printing. Some workshops focus on learning more intangible skills, such as calligraphy, copyright rules, running a fan store, or even laying out an eBook. Workshops are announced in advance of JordanCon so anyone can join in the Workshop Track fun!
Speaking of Workshops…
Jordancon is more than just panels; it is also a chance for some hands-on activities. Every year the Workshop staff looks far and wide to come up with amazing workshops for con-goers to attend. The best part about the workshops is that you don’t have to be familiar with The Wheel of Time to enjoy them. It is perfect for those of you that are attending with a fan but haven’t read the books.
While some of the workshops require preregistration before the con, you can register for most at the Con. The signup sheets for workshops can be found near the registration desk. Be sure to ask when you check in where to go to register for workshops. If there is a cost to a workshops, the fee should be paid directly to the workshop instructor. Exact change is appreciated.
Workshops for Jordancon 2022
- Alcohol Ink Pour Painting with Alexandra Klimek ($15) – Create a painting on wood with alcohol ink using pouring and blending techniques. Class limit 15.
- Braid Tugging with Melisa Grooms – Learn some great hair up-do styles perfect for the JordanCon Dance. Limit: 12, over 12+
- Crocheting Doomslug with Karen Ahlstrom ($5) – Learn to crochet Doomslug from the Skyward series. Class limit 15.
- Braiding on a Loom: Kumihimo with Deana Whitney ($6) – Learn the basics of 4 & 8 strand braiding. Can create hundreds of cord styles. Class Limit: 8
- Tarot Reading with Katharine Reid – An introduction to the basics of tarot reading.
- Make your own Hero of the Horn with Karen Ahlstrom ($5) – As seen on TV! Make a ragdoll Birgitte. Class limit 15
- Cross Stitching with Maureen Carr ($5) – Cross-stitch Wheel of Time Characters. Fee $5.00 Class limit: 15.
Any questions can be sent to workshops Director Amelie Downing at workshops@jordancon.org.
Now that you know a little more about the technical aspects of the schedule, here are your next steps:
- Take a look at the JordanCon 2022 Schedule
- Decide what Panels and/or Activities you want to participate in
- Check out the Volunteer Sign-Up Page to see where you can help.
- Get ready to meet the family you didn’t know you needed!
#WelcomeHome #itsfinallyapril
by Anthology | Feb 26, 2022 | Activities, Announcements, Programming
My fellow belters of songs! It has been a long time since we’ve been able to take the stage, but after conferring with the Programming Team and Convention Operations, we are tentatively optimistic that the great JordanCon tradition of Karaoke will be back for 2022! Of course, that also means we will be coming back for a third year of JordanCon Karaoke All-Stars! Who will win the talent pipes this year? It could be you!
NOTE: This is a tentative and optimistic plan. Should Covid-19 conditions change to where JordanCon deems that we cannot do Karaoke safely, we will postpone to a future year. At a minimum, we expect that all singers will be required to wear masks, and you will need to remain on the stage (no going out into the audience)
You can put your name in the hat here.
Rules:
- Alternate lyrics are allowed, but please keep language and the performance to PG-13.
- Groups are allowed, but no repeat performers. There is only 1 prize (a set of “talent pipes” from Badali Jewelry) awarded to the winner, so a group will need to decide who it would be awarded to should they win.
- Your time-slot is 5 minutes long. This includes set up, anything you want to say prior to singing, the song, any outro, and leaving the stage. Points will be deducted for exceeding time.
- You will be provided 2 wired microphones, 1 wireless microphone, and a stage.
- Backing music and lyrics-on-screen will be provided to the best of the host’s ability. He will work with you over email to get the best arrangement possible. (more info below)
- There will be a sound/mic check at 7:30pm Friday night. Doors open and the contest begins at 8:30pm. Do not be late, or you will be bumped.
- Singing order will be determined on site via random draw.
- A panel of three judges will rate your performance. Judging criteria are:
- Singing Accuracy/Skill 50%
- Showmanship/Performance 40%
- Costume/Props 10%
- The email address you supply will be the point of contact used for this contact.
When you submit your song, Richard will reach out to the you (or your Group’s point of contact) to coordinate getting the karaoke track to the group to practice with before hand, or to request the track should he not have it. Simply “play this YouTube” will not work, though. Richard needs at least an mp3 file as he will not have reliable internet access.
Lookin’ Forward to hearing what the All-Stars can bring!
