Cosplay contest rules

• All cosplay rules for the contest apply for convention goers and vice versa.
• All Costumes must be PG-Rating, Kids-Friendly; No Nudity, Profanity, Culturally Offensive, or Abusive Content.
• For safety of you and others, no cosplays or props bigger than 7 Feet. (Height, Width, Length)
• Any offensive content complaints from fellow attendees must be addressed by convention staff and could result in dismissal from the premises until alterations are made to the costume.
• No roller skates, roller blades, or skateboards are allowed in the event.
• No excessive noise making instruments including, but not limited to vuvuzelas, grenade whistles and grenade horns.
• No pyrotechnics, fireworks or open flames. No fog machines.
• No items that play music will be allowed in the show.
• Cosplay contestants must be at least 14 years of age to compete in the Main Stage Cosplay Contest, but all ages are welcome to participate in the Hallway Contest on Sunday.
• All Contestants, Models and their Handlers must have Valid Tickets for the day of the contest.
• Convention staff, volunteers, guests and judges may not enter the cosplay contest.
• No Throwing things on stage or into the audience (yourself, liquids, glitter, confetti, or anything may pose a danger)
• Sandbagging: Sandbagging has two meanings in the cosplay community, and both may disqualify you from the contest and bar you from competing in the Contest at KC Retro in future years:
• Intentionally placing your costume in a skill class lower than yours to increase your chances of an “easy win.” For the integrity of the contest, you may be placed into the appropriate class at the discretion of the Judges and Cosplay Contest Directors without prior notice.
• Re-entering a cosplay for which you have already won a category award.
• All contestants for the Main Stage Competition must have submitted this application and bring a minimum of three (3) reference photos of their costumes the day of the con. These photos must be printed copies and bound in some way (e.g. in a folder, or a notebook). No digital (e.g. cell phone pictures) will be accepted.
• Saturday's Main Stage Contest is a craftsmanship-centric contest. We are asking No fully purchased costumes are allowed to enter Saturday's contest but encourage those costumes to enter our Sunday hallway contest! For clarification on the definition of “made” vs. “altered,” scratch:
• “Made” refers to elements of your cosplays that have been fabricated from raw materials and count toward your craftsmanship points and required craftsmanship percentage (See class level for details).
• Please note that this is different from “altered” items, which are elements of your cosplay that have been purchased or fabricated by someone other than the contestant and modified in some way, such as painted or embellished.
• If you are altering a piece of your costume, only the portions of the item that have been altered count toward your craftsmanship points and required craftsmanship percentage. It is also important to note that a costume that is composed only of alterations does not meet any minimum required craftsmanship percentage.
• You can have someone model your costume, but you, the crafter, must register for the Costume Contest and be present for prejudging to answer the judges’ questions. If the costume receives an award, the award recipient will be the crafter, not the model.
• No liquids, messy substances, glitter, confetti, objects smaller than 3 square inches, or anything that may pose a danger is allowed to be used as part of your stage walk.
• All electronics must be self-contained. There are no electrical outlets onstage.
• No weapons that violate KC Retro's Weapons Policy or local laws, including but not limited to: realistic-looking firearms without an orange muzzle cap; live steel; projectiles of any kind; unsheathing of bladed weapons without clearance from the Cosplay Contest Directors.
• Background music/ audio requests are not available.
• No live dialogue.
• Contestants agree to allow video recording and photography of their costumes for future promotions of KC Retro.



Weapons

• For Everyone's safety, firearms and sharpened instruments are prohibited.
• All Costumes Props / Weapons must be checked in and tagged at weapons check.
• If your prop is not approved to enter the show, your prop will not be allowed to remain in the building.
• Please be prepared to show your tagged props to staff at any time when requested
• Projectile prop and toy firearms must have a clearly visible orange cap covering the barrel.
• On prop guns, the magazine will be asked to be removed if detachable, and the trigger must be Non-Moving.
• No Chemical weapons (including mace and pepper spray).
• No Blunt weapons (including brass knuckles, clubs, and nunchaku).
• No Hard prop weapons (including props made of metal, fiberglass, and glass). Some props containing some hard components as part of their construction may be allowed in the show.
• No Baseball bats and Hockey Sticks (unless made of foam, or light plastic).
• For Safety reasons, no combat simulations on stage.

Bring working games to receive a weekend pass!

All games exhibited in KC Retro must be set to free play and available for attendees to play all weekend. Games are subject to a $100 early removal fee if the game leaves the hall prior to the end of the show (and may be required to wait until early or late hours based on hall occupancy for safety concerns). Games can be placed in the arcade area or inside your booth if applicable. Let us know if the title of the game(s) changes.

Help is always welcome. Volunteers will receive a free pass to our next event!