CC15-SF-03: Sorceress' Apprentice
CC15-SF-03: Sorceress' Apprentice | Division: Young Fan/Junior | Category: Media Interpretation | Designer(s): M. J. Houghton | Maker(s): M. J. Houghton | Presenter(s): Heather Houghton and Daniel Houghton | Presentation Award(s): Most Fantastic (Photo ID: Ken Warren #3-5 | Event Date: 1997)
Competition Staff & Rules
Staff:
- Director: Susan de Guardiola
- Master of Ceremonies: Marty Gear‡
- Workmanship Judge: Jennifer Ketcham
- Presentation Judges: Peggy Kennedy‡, Byron Connell & Angelique Trouvere
- Judge’s Clerk: Pam Osborne‡
Rules:
These general rules applied to both the Science Fiction & Fantasy and the Historical Masquerades:
- Costumes which have been purchased or rented are not eligible to compete.
- Costumes previously worn in the halls at CCXV also are ineligible to compete.
- Each person may appear only once on stage per masquerade. If you have more than one costume to enter, please find more than one person to wear them.
- No non-human creatures will be allowed backstage or on-stage with the exception of guide/aid dogs needed by a contestant.
- No messes! Do not leave glitter, powder, liquid, debris, or anything else on the stage that cannot be scooped up in the dark in a few seconds by the stage ninjas. Please be careful with stage makeup, stage blood, etc. to make sure it does not rub off on casual contact and endanger other people’s costumes.
- No fire! This includes flash paper/cotton/powder, explosions, and open flame of any kind.
- No electricity! There will be no electrical outlets for contestants; costumes should be self-powering.
- No audio! Likewise, there will be no microphone on stage for contestants — any script should be taped or typed out for the MC to read.
- No flagrant nudity — please keep displays of skin to a PG rating or less.
- Surprise the audience. Surprise the judges. But do not surprise the Masquerade Director. Please warn the Director if you are planning any surprise effects.
The Masquerade Directors reserve the right to remove anyone from competition for any of the following: violation of the above rules; concern for the safety of the audience, crew, and other contestants; or for any other reason deemed sufficient.
The Science Fiction & Fantasy Masquerade is the masquerade for costumes from science fiction, fantasy, mythology, theater, or other realms of the imagination. It was held Saturday night.
Skill Divisions
The SF&F Masquerade uses the following skill divisions in order to permit costumers of similar experience to compete with their peers:
- Junior: Anyone under 13 may enter in this division. Costumes made by the entrant and those made by adults will be judged separately.
- Novice: Anyone who has won less than three awards in the Novice division and no awards in a higher division at previous Costume-Cons or World Science Fiction Conventions may compete in this division.
- Journeyman: Anyone who has won less than three awards in the Journeyman division and no awards in the Master division at previous Costume-Cons or World Science Fiction Conventions may compete in this division.
- Master: Anyone may compete in this division. Costumers ineligible for the other divisions, or who make a significant part of their living as a professional costumer, must compete at this level.
Costumers who compete at Master level in the Historical Masquerade are encouraged to compete at Journeyman level or higher in the SF&F if they feel their skills make it reasonable to do so.
Original and Re-creation Costumes:
Entries are designated as either original or re-creation costumes. A re-creation costume is one based on a visual source or sources such as television, movies, a painting, a book cover, a comic book, etc. An original costume has no visual source other than the costumer’s imagination. For example, a costume taken directly from a Star Trek movie would be a re-creation costume. A costume designed to be worn by someone in the Trek universe, but never shown on screen, would be an original. A description in text is not a visual source – costumes designed as described in a novel are not re-creation costumes.
Contestants entering as re-creations generally provide some documentation for their costume — a still photo, color xerox, or whatever.
Time Limits
The standard time limit is 60 seconds. Additional time may be requested from the Masquerade Director for special circumstances.
Awards:
Awards are given by two separate sets of judges: For Workmanship and for Presentation.
- Workmanship awards are judged “up close and personal” backstage by a judge who examines all or part of a costume. Workmanship judging is optional.
- Presentation awards are judged by a panel solely on what they see on-stage. This includes both the costume and the manner in which it is presented.
Awards are given within the skill divisions; all divisions are eligible for Best in Show.
Miscellaneous Notes:
Prizes donated by: Lark Books (Fiberarts Books and Magazine), Costume & Dressmaker Magazine, Freedom Arts & Manufacturing, and Castle Blood
Statistics:
45 total entries; 6 Juniors, 11 Novices, 10 Journeymen, 18 Masters
“Other Awards”;”# Pun Award: First Prize for Worst Pun
* Also won the book Off the Wall by Spider Robinson and a subscription to Costume and Dressmaker Magazine
# Also Won: The Sick Pups Spazzy Award (for “the costume displaying the sickest humor”)
