Costume-Con 26 (CC26): Mad Science Fair and Prop Exhibition

Competition Staff & Rules

Staff:

• Director: Chris Bertani and Christie Bertani
• Judge(s): Unknown

Rules:

Mad Science Fair Entries and Rules

Posted: May 8, 2008

The following pieces (in no particular order) were entered in the Costume-Con 26 Mad Science Fair and Prop Exhibition. Many thanks to the Evil Geniuses and their Minions who labored long and hard to make the MSF possible!

• Karen Tully
  Psychic Amplifier and Pinhole Camera (from two cigar boxes)
• JoAnn Abbot
  Syringe of the Root Canal Fairy
• Anne Davenport
  Lightsabers
• Kate Morgenstern
  Disco Maenad
• Thomas Benson
  Smoke Effect Backpack
  Awarded: Excellence in Hydraulic Design
  
• Arabella Benson
  Sisters of Battle Reliquary
• Bridget Landry
  Symphonetta in Pink
  Awarded: Honorable Mention for Textile Arts
  
• Mette Hedin, Bryan Little
  Lady Cassandra
  Awarded: Best in Show
• Trystan Bass
  Time Lady Accessories
• Master Payne
  BFG & Babbage Thumb Drive
  Awarded: Honorable Mention for Retro-Futurism
  
• Jennifer Tifft
  Solar Sailor
  Awarded: Excellence in Mechanics
  
• Andy Trembley
  Pickled Punks
• Judith Hollenberger
  Conflagration Emitters
• Phil Gust
  Boussh
  Awarded: Excellence in Electronics
  
• Kevin Roche
  From the Torchwood Vaults: (1) Cruisemaster V: Portable Gaydar and (2) Borg Codpiece
  Awarded: Honorable Mention for Concept and Presentation
  
• Leah Jakusovszky
  Kimber’s Keytar
• Shelley Monson
  Elven Fan
• Ken Patterson
  History and Evolution of Inflatable Razzberry Cushion Devices
  Awarded: Honorable Mention for Original Scholarship
  
• Jerry Majors
  Make it Yourself! A Pirate’s Treasure Chest from a Copier Paper Box!

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Mad Science Fair: Props Competition Rules

Posted: April 8, 2008

Chris Bertani and Christy Bertani, Directors

The Costume-Con 26 Mad Science Fair is a props competition. For this competition, a prop is an item that may coordinate with a costume and is either held in the hand or carried alongside OR a costume item with mechanical and/or electronic function beyond clothing. Though the theme of the competition is “Mad Science”, the only limit to acceptable props is your imagination. If you have any questions about these rules, please email madscience@cc26.org for clarification.

The Mad Science Fair will open Saturday, April 26th, 2008 with formal Judging. The exhibit will remain open from 10am to 6pm both Saturday, April 26th and Sunday, April 27th.

To enter a prop into the CC26 Mad Science Fair you must be a member of CC26. The prop must be made by you, but need not be your exclusive work, as long as other contributors are credited in some fashion.

You may enter only once per membership, but your entry may contain several props linked by theme.

Registration:
All entries are encouraged to pre-register via the CC26 web site. There will be at-the-con registration on Friday, but exhibit space will be parceled out on a first-come, first-serve basis. Deadline for on-site registration is at the Mad Science Fair location, ten minutes before the Judges start their walk.

Rules:
1 No fire, flame, flashes, firecrackers, or explosions will be permitted inside the hotel. If you have an incendiary component that you wish to demonstrate, please contact the Mad Science Fair directors well ahead of time to arrange safety precautions.
2 If your prop has an electric power requirement, contact the Mad Science Fair directors well ahead of time to arrange exhibit space with access to plug in power.
3 If your prop has a working combustion engine, you will not be allowed to run it inside the hotel. If you wish to demonstrate this element of your prop, contact the Mad Science Fair directors well ahead of time to arrange special exhibit space.
4 Your prop’s action may not generate a mess that cannot easily be swept up. (The “no peanut butter” rule.) The venue for the Mad Science Fair is a standard carpeted hotel conference room, and WILL continue to be so after the event is over. If you have a “messy” action you must exercise, contact the Mad Science Fair directors well ahead of time to arrange special exhibit space.
5 There must be some display of skill in creating and executing a design. No purchased, bespoke, rented or inherited props may be exhibited in the Mad Science Fair. Props previously entered as elements in other competitions (Masquerades, etc…) ARE acceptable.
6 The Mad Science Fair Directors have the full authority to eliminate anyone from the competition on the grounds of bad taste, danger to self and/or others, violation of the above rules, or any other reason deemed sufficient. Our will is arbitrary and whimsical.

Skill Levels:
As there has never been a Mad Science Fair before, entries will be judged in only two skill levels: Skilled Professional and Talented Amateur. If you make more than 30% of your yearly income using those skills that created your entry, you are a Professional, for the purposes of this contest.

Awards:
Entries will be judged whimsically and arbitrarily, with weight given to presentation of entry, skill of manufacture and other, less measurable criteria.
Award categories will be arbitrary and decided by the judges, whose whims will be final.

Documentation:
We highly encourage documentation. Please display your documentation with your entry.

Basic Documentation:

• Name of prop(s)
• Name(s) of all designer(s) and maker(s)
• What makes your prop worthy of our attention?

Advanced Documentation — In going beyond the minimal requirements, your documentation might include the following:

• Pictures of visual sources, such as artworks, drawings, and sketches that you used
• Rationale for design and for choices of materials and techniques
• Test samples for materials and techniques used or discarded
• Brief descriptions of any special skills or tools you used
• Pictures of the work in progress

Outstanding documentation is amusing, informative and enhances the exhibit space.

If you have any questions, please contact the Directors of the Costume-Con 26 Mad Science Fair Props Competition : Chris Bertani and Christy Bertani
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The Mad Science Fair Directors would like to thank the Historical Masquerade Directors from whom we cribbed this format and many of these rules.