Attention! Date of publication: 21.02.2025

RULES AND REGULATION OF THE MASQUERADE COMPETITION AT THE PYRKON 2025 FAN CONVENTION

WITH QUALIFIERS FOR THE EXTREME COSPLAY GATHERING CHAMPIONSHIP CLASSIFICATION

I. General provisions

1. The Organizer of the Masquerade costume competition (along with the accompanying qualifiers for the Extreme Cosplay Gathering classification), hereinafter referred to as the “competition”, is the Klub Fantastyki “Druga Era” Association in Poznań (hereinafter referred to as “the organizer”).
2. The coordinator of the competition is Zofia “Zula” Skowrońska.
3. The competition takes place during the Pyrkon Fan Convention between 13-15.06.2025 (hereinafter referred to as “Pyrkon”).
4. The following rules and regulations include the following terms:
   a) Participant — a cosplayer participating in the competition, whose handmade costume and performance are evaluated and compared with the work of other Participants in order to award prizes,
   b) Stage Ninja — a stage assistant who can help Participants in various ways. They can operate various devices or props, be a puppeteer, help with changing costumes and perform many other tasks invented by the Participants, as long as they remain hidden from the public. Stage Ninjas are not allowed to wear any costumes.
5. The competition aims to popularize fantasy and the costume community in Poland, as well as to support Polish cosplayers on the international stage.
6. The task of the participants of the competition is to make their own costume on the basis of selected official graphics (e.g. screenshots, illustrations) and present it on stage during the competition and in front of the jurors during individual evaluation (the so-called jury round).

II Conditions for participation:

1. Only people who will be at least 18 years old during Pyrkon (i.e. by 15.06.2025) may participate in the competition. 
2. The Participants and Stage Ninjas’ nationality must be Polish. Participants of other nationalities who have a “permanent residence card” (or equivalent document) may participate in the Polish qualifiers, as long as they live in Poland. However, they may not participate in the qualifiers for Extreme Cosplay Gathering of the country of which they are citizens in the same competition season in which they participate in the Polish qualifiers.
3. Participants can compete individually or in groups of up to four people. (This includes a maximum of one Stage Ninja. This means the following combinations are possible: a soloist or a soloist + stage ninja, or a duo, or a duo + stage ninja, or a trio, or a trio + stage ninja, or a quartet).
4. In the case of Participants acting as a group, one of the members will be appointed as the leader and will be responsible for sending all required documents and materials to the competition coordinator on behalf of their group. In the case of the group winning an award, they will also be the person responsible for receiving the financial award.
5. By entering the competition, the Participants agree to the free presentation, reproduction and dissemination of photos and recordings containing their images, taken or made during Pyrkon for the purposes of archiving materials and promoting Pyrkon, the coordinator and the organizer.
6. By entering the competition, participants accept the provisions of these regulations.

III Reference illustrations and sources from which the presented outfits may be derived

1. Participants can appear costumes featuring characters from anime, manga, comics, video games, movies, TV series, Japanese music, and stage musicals. Costumes must have an official reference, therefore own designs and fanarts are not allowed in this competition. Each entry must be submitted by means of a form available on the pyrkon.pl website and approved by the competition coordinator.
2. Figurines and dolls, if suggested as the main source, must be manufactured by the original copyright owners and not by a third-party company buying or renting the license. Figurines and dolls can serve as additional references as long as they are identical to the original source. Approval by the main organizer of the ECG is mandatory in such a situation to ensure compliance with the guidelines. To check compliance with the regulations, a question can be sent to [email protected].
3. In the case of group performances, the costumes of all participants must come from the same series of titles. (For example: a group consisting of Ciri from The Witcher 3 and Thorgal from the Thorgal comics will not be accepted, a group consisting of Ciri and Geralt from The Witcher 3 will be accepted, a group consisting of Geralt from The Witcher: Heart of Stone and Dandelion from The Witcher 3 will be accepted). 
4. In the event of disputes or doubts related to the correctness of entries or licenses, the final decision on the admission of the costume is up to the competition coordinator. Questions can be sent to [email protected]
5. The shows are open to audiences of all ages and sensibilities, so the Participants’ costumes must be made with the widest possible audience in mind.

IV Costumes

1. The presented costume must be made by the participant wearing it, mostly by themselves. We encourage you to take photos documenting how the costume was created. All costumes presented by the Participants must be handmade in at least 80%. In the case of duos, trios and quartets, it is allowed for one or more Participants to be the creator of costumes for other members of the group and for these members not to participate in the creation process. The assistance of friends or relatives is tolerated as long as most of the work is done by the Participants. A stage ninja cannot be the creator of the participant’s costume. Any costumes purchased or ordered, or parts thereof, will be rejected.
2. Any parts of the costume that have not been made by the Participants must be declared in the application. They will be acceptable as long as they are within the tolerated range. Failure to do so will result in a penalty or disqualification. This includes 3D models, embroidery patterns, electronic kits, and other types of designs. Any items not made by the participant themselves (purchased, ordered from third parties, etc.) should be communicated when filling in the application form AND during the jury round. 
3. Purchased elements (e.g. wigs, shoe base) are allowed, but they should only be an addition to your own work. 
4. Participants are not allowed to change their skin tone with the intention of portraying or matching a character from an ethnic group, existing or similar to an existing one, other than their own. This aspect of character portrayal has no impact on the fidelity score in the context of the reference illustration. This applies to both existing races and fantasy characters with ethnic characteristics similar to real ones. (Example: using an airbrush to paint yourself pink to resemble Persephone from “Lore Olympus” is fine, but applying dark makeup to resemble Prince T’Challa in Black Panther is not acceptable in the competition.)
5. We only allow replicas of weapons created by participants, while recommending paying attention to safety in their use and compliance with the convention regulations. 

V Stage performances

1. The stage performance must be the property of the participant and must not be a copy of existing performances by third parties. Plagiarism of performances may result in disqualification and reclaiming prizes for the benefit of other Participants.
2. Each participant configuration has a different maximum performance time:
   • Solo participants have a maximum of 1 minute 30 seconds.• Participants in duos have a maximum of 2 minutes 30 seconds.
   • Trios have a maximum of 3 minutes.• Quartets have a maximum of 3 minutes 30 seconds. A Stage Ninja does not count towards the number of Participants on stage.
   • A solo participant using Stage Ninjas will still have a maximum of 1 minute 30 seconds to perform.
3. The extension of the performance time by may be associated with the decision of the jury to reduce the rating or disqualify the participant.
4. Each performance will be supported by up to four people from the stage staff, who will help bring and place the necessary scenery and props on stage. Due to the need to repeat this process in the event of winning the finals in Paris, it is not possible for your own helper, other than Stage Ninja, to bring in scenography. 
5. Stage props are divided into 3 sizes:
   • Large props must not exceed 20 kg and require 2 stage attendants (provided by the organizer) to move them on and off stage within a maximum of 15 seconds.
   • Medium-sized props must not exceed 11 kilograms and require 1 stage attendant (provided by the organizer) to move them to and from the stage within a maximum of 15 seconds.
   • Small props must not exceed 3 kilograms and must be moved by the cosplayer to AND from the stage within a maximum of 15 seconds if no stage attendants are available.
   • Weapons and accessories held in hand do not count towards this limit.
6. Participants are responsible for the construction and strength of their props on stage. These accessories must be sturdy and stable enough to be transported without special care.
7. Participants must ensure that this equipment is not too heavy, harmful or dangerous for them, the public, the competition staff.
8. The competition coordinator is the only person who decides whether the prop complies with the rules and guidelines.
9. The use of fire and pyrotechnics on stage is prohibited. This applies, among others, to elements such as fireworks, firecrackers, sparklers, lighters, candles, flash paper, glowing objects.
10. Dropping or spreading confetti, feathers, glitter, etc. on the stage is prohibited.
11. The organizer reserves the right to interrupt any stage performance if there is a suspicion that the performance may pose a threat to the participant or the closest audience.
12. At the disposal of the participants during the rehearsal and during the competition there is a rectangular scene combined with a catwalk (a rectangular scene of at least 7×12 meters with an added catwalk of 8×2 meters, together they form the shape of the letter T), color lighting, led screen behind the performers, side screens with video close-up for the performance and sound system with technical service (without microphones).
13. The participant should keep a distance from the edges of the stage for their own safety.
14. The only accepted backing track and video formats for participants are mp3 for audio files and mp4 for video files. For video recordings, it is necessary to use Full HD quality.
15. Participants will NOT have access to microphones during performances. All dialogues, sound effects and monologues should be included in the previously recorded soundtrack. It is allowed to use fragments of official recordings and soundtracks from games, films, etc. 
16. Dialogues and recordings should be prepared in languages understandable to the audience. In the case of the Pyrkon competition, it is Polish and English, with some of the jurors being exclusively English-speaking. (The winners of the Masquerade will be asked to present a backing track in English or French at the finals in Paris.) 
17. It is unacceptable to use vulgar language and to behave in an obscene manner or violate the interests of third parties. Failure to comply with this point may result in disqualification.
18. The organizer is not responsible for the conduct of the competition participant.

VI Stage Ninja Regulations

1. A Stage Ninja is a person selected by the Participants. The Organizers do not provide Stage Ninjas. 
2. A Stage Ninja is a stage assistant that can assist Participants in a variety of ways. They can operate various devices or props, be puppeteers, help with changing costumes and perform many other tasks invented by the Participants, as long as they remain hidden from the public. Stage Ninjas are not allowed to wear any costumes.
3. Only one Stage Ninja is allowed per application.
4. If the Stage Ninja is visible on the stage to the audience, it will affect the result obtained for the show.

VII Submissions

1. Participants apply for the competition via the application form available at www.pyrkon.pl. The form is: https://bitly.cx/MaskaradaFormularz
2. Applications are accepted until 23:59 on Sunday 01.06.2025.
3. Participants should be prepared for the fact that the application form has such elements as space for:
   • reference illustrations of the costume and all props (good quality graphics-sources which were used as reference when creating the costume; based on the similarity of the costume to the reference illustrations, the jury awards part of the score),
   • photos presenting the participant’s work on the outfit, proving the work they put into it, max. 30 photos per costume,
   • photos of the finished or almost finished costume and all props,
   • a list of elements made and not made by hand,
   • a description of the presentation,
   • a description of the lighting (or a suggestion of the atmosphere of the performance for the technicians to choose),
   • a file with ONE audio backing track or ONE audio-video backing track (mp3 for audio or mp4 for audio-video). The backing track must be previously edited for the needs of the participant, it will not be ‘cut’ to the appropriate length by the organizers. By submitting the audio backing track, the participant declares that they own the copyright to it or use the works available under a free license.

VIII The course of the Competition

1. Due to the need to reduce the number of stage performances and ensure high quality of the show, the competition consists of several stages.
2. By 01.06.2025 until 23:59, applications are accepted through the forms available on the website www.pyrkon.pl. You can read about what should be included in the application in point VII of these rules and regulations. Incomplete submissions will not be taken into account.
3. By 05.06.2025 until 23:59, the Organizers select the participants who will take part in the further competition. The main selection criterion is the quality of the costume and the presented idea for the stage presentation. The results of this step will be communicated to the participants via emails.
4. During Pyrkon, the participants referred to in section 2, take part in:
   • Stage rehearsal – mandatory, indicated due to the specific shape of the stage (T-shaped). The participant will be assigned to the rehearsal, which will take place in the evening on Friday or in the morning on Saturday. The participants will be informed about the individual time of the stage rehearsal by e-mail before the convention
   • .Jury round – an individual meeting with the jury, lasting no more than 3 minutes per participant, 6 minutes per duo, 9 minutes for 3 people or 10 for four people, used to see the presented costume up close by the judges and ask additional questions about its execution. Participants performing together on stage enter the jury round together, having 3 minutes per participant (but no more than 10 minutes for the whole group). During this part, the judges (implicitly) award points related to the assessment of the costume. The order of presentation during the jury round depends on the size and time of putting on the costume by the participant. All rounds will take place on Saturday. The participants will be informed about the individual time of the jury round by e-mail before the convention.
   • Stage presentation – a performance on the large stage of the Earth Hall (late afternoon on Saturday), presenting the costume/character in front of the audience. During this part, the judges (implicitly) award points for the presentation. You can read about what should be included in the stage performance in point V of these rules and regulations.
5. The individual time of the performance and round, given to the participants in emails before Pyrkon, is approximate and may change depending on the course of the competition. Participants will be kept informed about changes.
6. The absence of the participant during one of the parts being assessed results in disqualification. Restrictions will be applied to the participant, described in point “XI Disqualifications and warnings” of these rules and regulations.
7. The awards ceremony takes place on stage about half an hour after the stage performances. The selection of winners is based on the sum of the points awarded and the jury’s discussion.

IX Evaluation criteria

1. Each juror in the finals may award 60 points for the costume and 60 points for the performance.
2. When evaluating the costumes , the points are distributed as follows:
   • Accuracy (0-20 points): This criterion relates to how faithful the participants’ cosplay is compared to the official source; whether all details, patterns, colors, shapes, etc. are accurately reproduced. This includes makeup, wigs, accessories, and props held in your hands if they are relevant to your character. This criterion also includes how well the participants matched the different parts of the costume to their body. Please note that the participants’ body size, complexion, or other physical characteristics do not matter when it comes to the accuracy score. As regards embellishments and additions to the outfit that do not appear in the reference illustration, more information can be found in paragraph 3 of this section.
   • Finishing details (0-20 points): This criterion relates to the quality and precision of each aspect of the Participants’ craftsmanship and how well each part of the cosplay is finished, including makeup, wigs, accessories and props held in their hands. The finishing of details such as potential embellishments will have an impact on this assessment, more information can be found in paragraph 3 of this section.
   • Complexity and techniques (0-20 points): This criterion is related to the different techniques used by Participants to create their cosplay and how well they are used. The jury will assess the number of techniques used, their complexity and execution in order to award points to the Participants. If multiple techniques were used but performed poorly, this will affect the outcome; similarly in the case of a perfectly executed costume using few techniques or low complexity, it will also affect the outcome. Ornaments can be used to showcase more techniques and skills, more information can be found in paragraph 3 of this section.
3. When assessing the performances , the points are divided as follows:
   • Acting and staging (0-30 points): This applies to the skill and successful performance of the Participants on stage. The result will reflect the engagement and expression of the participants on stage, as well as how well they act on stage, move and interact. Stage Ninja and the quality of their work on stage will also have an impact on this result.
   • Media quality and use of stage props (0-10 points): This score refers to the quality of the media used for the performances of the participants. Sound and/or video quality includes how clear and easy it is for both the jury and the audience to understand. This assessment will also take into account how well the stage props were used by the participants and how the participants interacted with them on stage or how the participants dealt with the lack of some stage props during the performance.
   • Creativity and entertainment factor (0-20 points): These criteria assess the ingenuity, originality, entertainment factor and thoughtful nature of the performance. This includes how video or sound is used to support the story told on stage and how well stage props are used and designed to perform. Where applicable, it also includes the creative use of Stage Ninja.
4. The last criterion that will influence the jury’s decision is “Balance”. It represents the amount of effort put into the costume as well as the performance. If one of the criteria was completely omitted, the balance would be negative; if efforts were made but could be clearly improved, the balance would be neutral; and finally, if participants gave their all in both areas, the balance would be positive.
5. Stage props are not included in the evaluation of the costumes, but will be taken into account and will have an impact on the evaluation of the performance depending on their suitability during the performance.
6. Additional decorations/details/effects not appearing in the reference illustration are allowed, provided that, apart from to these additions, the costumes comply with the reference illustrations sent in. Additional embelishments cannot replace an existing item of the official source. Such additions will be judged on the basis of the knowledge and at the discretion of the jury. These embellishments can come in many forms: belts, patterns, textures, LEDs, other special effects, etc. Depending on the embellishments, they may affect the criteria of “Finishing Details” and “Complexity and Techniques”. They are in no way mandatory and no Participant will be penalized for not adding them to their costume. All shapes, designs, patterns, colors, details appearing in the official source design should be present on the created costumes to get the maximum number of points in the competition for “Accuracy”, otherwise penalties apply. These embellishments can be used to show a further range of craftsmanship skills and/or to add additional effects for the sake of the performance.
7. The cosplay presented during the evaluation of the costumes must be identical to that used during the performance on stage. Any modifications will be penalized, including makeup, special effects, props, accessories and shoes.
8. During the evaluation, the costume must be worn in the same way as it will be worn on stage during the performance.
9. Accessories or props held in the hands not used during the stage performance will not be taken into account when assessing the costumes.
10. Participants may bring books, portfolios, samples, etc. to evaluate the outfits during the jury round. However, these documents and materials can only be reviewed by the jury during the jury round and cannot be left to the jury for later review. At the end of the round, the jury must leave the room with all the documents and materials they have brought.
11. With regard to the scoring for the costumes and in the case of comparing Solo Participants with Participants in a group configuration, the result of the group will be the average of the individual costumes in accordance with the criteria listed in paragraph 1 of this section.

X Awards

1. The following prizes and titles will be awarded among the participants:
   • a) 1st place. Polish Cosplay Representatives at the Extreme Cosplay Gathering classification 2026, PLN 6,000.  It is one group or a soloist (1-4 people) who, at the expense of the organizer and with his support, will represent Poland during the finals of European Cosplay Gathering in Paris (July 2026). They will receive a financial award in the amount of PLN 6,000.
   • b) 2nd place. Runner-up of the Polish Cosplay Representatives in the Extreme Cosplay Gathering classification 2026, PLN 4,000.  It is one group or a soloist (1-4 people) who, in the event of indisposition of the Polish Cosplay Representatives for European Cosplay Gathering 2026 at the expense of the organizer and with his support, will represent Poland during the finals of European Cosplay Gathering in Paris (July 2026). In addition, they will receive a financial award in the amount of PLN 4,000.
   • c) Three equivalent Jury Awards of PLN 2,000 each, which will be awarded to outstanding cosplayers (groups or soloists) at the discretion of the judges. The jury may consider both the overall work of the cosplayer and a single element of this work to be worth rewarding (e.g. stage performance, use of a new creative technique, propmaking, above-average hairdressing and make-up work, representation of the character…). Each of the three jurors is entitled to a decisive vote on the award of one of the prizes.
   • d) All participants who perform on the stage during the 2025 Masquerade will receive a thank you in the form of a three-day pass for Pyrkon 2026.  
2. In cases requiring it, the Competition Organizer, as a payer of the flat-rate personal income tax, will calculate, collect and pay to the competent Tax Office the flat-rate income tax due for the prize before issuing the Prizes.
3. The Organizer reserves the right, in exceptional situations, to change the amount of the prize, not to award it or to reclaim it.
4. It is not possible to exchange prizes in kind for their monetary equivalent.
5. Failure to collect the prizes by the winner within 30 days of the end of Pyrkon is tantamount to waiving the prize

X Jury

1. The jury round is conducted in English, optionally with the assistance of an interpreter.
2. The jury consists of three well-known specialists related to cosplay, creating costumes and props, designing, doing make-up, stage performances, and fantasy. 

XI Disqualifications and warnings

1. Depending on the seriousness of the offence, the organisers may issue a warning or disqualify the participant (deny them further participation in the current edition of the competition, exclude them from the final score, request immediate departure from the stage) and/or deny them participation in subsequent editions of the competition.
2. Warnings and disqualification are considered by the competition coordinator in the following cases:
   • the participant intentionally destroyed or damaged a costume, props or set belonging to another person participating in the competition,
   • the participant showed unsportsmanlike behavior, in particular lack of cultural behavior towards other participants of the competition or convention staff,
   • there was verbal or physical violence on the part of the participant towards another participant of the convention,
   • the presentation or the costume contained motives commonly considered vulgar, offensive, or illegal or political appeals or other that could violate anyone’s personal rights, in particular those of minority groups,
   • the participant did not appear at the jury round or their stage performance without giving a reason or giving as a reason their own negligence (e.g. failure to finish the costume on time, change of mind, withdrawal of part of the group, failure to prepare for the stage performance). This section does not apply to people who have experienced serious health problems or events of fortuitous nature that prevent them from continuing to participate.
3. Each case of admonition or disqualification is considered individually by the competition coordinator.

XII Personal data

The Organizer is the controller of personal data – within the meaning of the Act of 29 August 1997 on the protection of personal data (consolidated text – Journal of Laws of 2014, item 1182, as amended) of the Competition Participants. Personal data (name, last name, e-mail address, telephone number, correspondence address) are processed only in order to carry out the activities necessary for its proper execution, in  particular to inform about the prize and issue the Prize. The Organizer may entrust the processing of personal data of the Competition participants only to entities that cooperate with it on its device and only to the extent necessary for its proper implementation. Participants in the Competition have the right to access their data and correct it. Participants provide data on a voluntary basis, however providing data is a condition for obtaining the opportunity to participate in the Competition.  

Contact information for the coordinator of the Masquerade,
cosplay manager of the Pyrkon Fan Convention,
Zofia Skowrońska: [email protected]
telephone no. 609 385 832